Whats the trick to making stick on decals?

Pick up the phone and call Jimmi at Decal Connections!!
I have been trying to make my own lables and decals for a very long time with very limited success. A brother "P" touch labler can do some things, a good computer program and printer can do some things but the ink fades quickly! Dry transfer lettering works good but is a pain for me.
I recently read a post here about some gold leaf strips that can be used with real good results and
plan to try that very soon!
As soon as I can decide the style, fonts, sizes, and exactly what I am looking for I am going straight
to Decal Conn. Heck, I probly should call them and have a chat and get their ideas anyway! I have
heard nothing but the best from the best here about Decal Conn.



Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

By contacting Jimi at the "Decal Connection" on the sponsor list to the left side of the page. He sells "waterslide" decal sheets that you can run through your Ink Jet printer. The waterslides (like the old model decals) are MUCH thinnner than a peel & stick decal and have better clarity.

If you want it in a color that an Ink Jet won't do (white, silver, etc...) Decal Connection will make it for you for a very reasonable fee and you'll get it FAST.

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

As the other posters said, call decal connection. They are very reasonably priced and their products are top notch. The neat thing is that you can draw/copy/make almost any design you want and they put it on a waterslide for you. You also won't have the edges lifting as you sometimes do with the regular stick on type decals.

Mark,
I did get some water-slide paper and tried making lables with my laser-jet printer and "no good".
Is an ink-jet better? Why?

Thanks,

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Well even the ink jets need to be coated with "clear" like clear Krylon before you put them in water or they run. The Krylon dries in just a couple of minutes so it's not a big deal. I'm guessing the laserjets may have the same issue. It seems like he might even have a different paper for the laser jets.

The thing that I like about Jimmi's decals over the ones I can print here is that his are opaque. It doesn't seem to matter what color they are or what color they're covering. They don't change. About the only ones I do here anymore are black text going over a lighter color. Everybody lately has wanted Gold or Silver over a dark wrap and as lousy as my printing is, I just email Jimmi and they're here in a few days. No fuss, no muss!

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

The results I got from my laser-jet was the ink is not applied heavy enough or something as the lable looked great until I removed the backing. after that the ink just dissappeared and you could not see it even if you put the lable against a contrasting backround. I made several with different color sets, sprayed with Krylon and same
thing. Black on white was the best and it was not good!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

"Whats the trick to making stick on decals?"

Butch, the trick to making your own quality "stick on" decals (waterslides) is an Alps printer. It prints with metallic tapes (gold, silver, blue, red, yellow). Ink jets and, I think, laserjets??, problems are that they have to be over a light background and they fade rapidly.

Jimi at decal connection is the best bet without tying up a bunch of money in your decal project.

That said, I do have an Alps and the convenience factor makes it worth it for me.

Putter
Williston, ND

Putter,

What did that thing set you back if you don't mind my asking? Same opaque decals as Jimmi's? There's a new Xerox out that will do metallics, etc.. but it's close to $5K!

Mark Griffin
[]
C&M Custom Tackle
San Dimas, California

Decal Connection is the very best way to solve inscription & logo problems - hands down - as folks above have posted. Stan

Don't waste your time or money with ink jets. Prove it to yourself. print something out, put in the sun and see how many HOURS it takes to badly fade. Either get an ALPS printer or go with Decal Connection.

Yea Mike,
I learned the hard way already!! LOL

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Mark, it was a couple hundred for a 'like new' machine. Had to do the online bid thing; they aren't sold new in the US; Myles Boon can buy them new in Australia-don't know what that's all about. I paid around that 200 mark for mine. On the quality: [www.fishingphotos.net]

They are metallic and completely opaque. This picture is an overlay with two colors-silver metallic and black. They can more easily be printed in just silver or gold metallic...

Putter
Williston, ND



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2006 09:16AM by Randy Parpart (Putter).

Mark Like Randy said if you want to get an Alps printer you will end up bidding on one on @#$%&. I have a Citizen printer which was made by Alps for Citizen and they to are no longer made but use the same cartriges and printer drivers as the Alps. Beware I did find out the hard way that the drivers you can down load off the internet will not support metallics and the drivers that come on the printer will not work on anything newer than windows 98. I paid $130 for my printer which was still in the box and run it off of an old laptop that a brother gave me. I have never dealt with Decal Connection and from all that is said on this site they are great to work with and the quality is good. But I like Randy like the convenience factor of making my own.

Allen Madsen
San Jose, CA.