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Decals

Decals. By Gerry Cole Version 10/6/08. Decal Development. Traditional Silk Screen Decals Dry Transfer Letraset INT Process Intermediate Transfer Process ALPS Printers MD-1000 MD-5000 Kodak First Check Printer Digital Silk Printing Ink Jet Printers Laser Printers.

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Decals

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  1. Decals By Gerry Cole Version 10/6/08

  2. Decal Development • Traditional Silk Screen Decals • Dry Transfer • Letraset INT Process • Intermediate Transfer Process • ALPS Printers • MD-1000 • MD-5000 • Kodak First Check Printer • Digital Silk Printing • Ink Jet Printers • Laser Printers

  3. Silk Screen Decal • Paper with water-based adhesive • Print inks through silk screen • Print lighter colors first • Registration problems • Paper expands with humidity • Second and following colors don’t match first one across the entire sheet, some sheets are “bad” • Apply lacquer clear coat • Plasticizer in lacquer • Too brittle - cracks • Too flexible - stretches

  4. Silk Screen Decal Summary • Decal clear coat • Too thick or too thin (fragile) • Proper amount of plasticizer for modeling uses • Exposure to humidity changes during storage • Paper expands and contracts, while… • Clear coat doesn’t, therefore… • Clear coat cracks during water immersion • Adhesive changes color – brown or yellow • Chemical reaction in the adhesive layer • Exposure to UV helps restore • To trim or not to trim? • Even split within the club

  5. Dry Transfer • Dry Transfer is a term used to describe decals which can be applied without the use of water or other solvent • Zip-A-Tone, Chart-Pak, Letratone, Letraset • Flexible transparent backing • Printed decal • Wax adhesive layer • Apply pressure to release • Push into model surface

  6. Letraset INT Process • Uses solid color Dry Transfer sheet • Yellow, red, blue, silver, gold, black, white, green plus custom colors matched to PMS # • White background under lighter colors • Need photo negative of desired artwork • Expose Dry Transfer sheet under negative • Develop Dry Transfer • “Wash away” all but desired image • Use as normal Dry Transfer • High quality, 300 dpi possible

  7. Letraset INT Process • Custom providers available • Stamford Type & Color “STC” • Example, for single color per sheet • Process 8” by 10” sheet, one of 16 colors, $49.75 • Negative from your artwork $20.00 • Custom mix color, 8” by 10”, $79.75 • Matched to PMS standard colors • Provides 24 hour turnaround • Suggest you use decals within 30 days • Check web for other vendors

  8. Letraset “Intermediate Transfer” • Since the Dry Transfer decal is “under” the flexible transparent backing, you can’t “color” the image or modify it before application • Intermediate Transfer lets you apply the decal to a special “transfer medium” • Decal may be colored with ink pen or spray • Transfer decal back to a flexible transparent backing • Apply colored decal as any Dry Transfer • Outdated today, but it did work!

  9. Dry Transfer Summary • No “silvering” problems – no clear coat! • Wax adhesive dries out, decal won’t release • “Renewal” spray only partially effective • Try Microwave for a few seconds – heats wax • Alignment difficult • Transparent plastic backing sheet stretches with use of adjacent decals • Hard to apply to curved parts • May not adhere well to rough surfaces • Apply Dry Transfer to clear decal film • Probably the simplest solution for alignment problems

  10. Alps Printers • MD-1000 • Micro-Dry technology • 300 or 600 dpi • Prints well on regular decal papers • 8” by 10” print area • Ink colors • Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (CMYK), White • Metallic Silver, Gold, Cyan, Magenta • Finishing - Clear Gloss MD-5000

  11. Alps Printer • MD-5000 • Added bright silver and gold foil print capability • Update kit for Thermal Dye Sublimation printing • Both versions have a variety of print modes • Business Graphics • Graphic Art • Photographs • Monochrome • Photo • Text • Spot Color • Metallic

  12. Alps Printer • Color printing – MD-1000 • Holds up to 4 ink cartridges, CMYK (K=black) • ALPS reads the bar codes on the cartridge to identify color • CMYK inks are transparent, need white background • Overlay Mode • Print spot color first (usually white) • Print second color with CMYK or Black • Seal colors with Finishing Clear • Halftone or “Dither” • Amount of offset of colored dots – not visible to the eye • Superfine, fine, standard, course, or no halftone • Photo Realistic print mode uses superfine dither • Consider all the preceding as only a “Guide”

  13. ALPS Printer Summary • Horizontal “Banding” a problem • Very common on MD-1000, less so on MD-5000 • Factory alignment no longer an easy option • Prints very well on decal paper • Need to cut out image without cracking decal paper at the cut edge • Apply protective layer to decal? • Adds to thickness and reduces flexibility • Reduces chance for scratches in the colors • Use only same base as original decal clear coat • Microscale Decal Film usually very safe • However, some colors still just don’t reproduce well at all (greens, yellow, orange)

  14. Kodak First Check • Up to 9 ink cartridges • Micro-Dry ALPS inks • CMYK • New Orange, Green • Bright foil silver and gold • Dull silver and gold • White • Black • Finish coat gloss • Dithering like ALPS

  15. Kodak First Check • Since ALPS printers read cartridge bar code • Can swap ALPS and First Check ink cartridges • Replace bar code strip • Why? ALPS cartridges getting very hard to find • Good oranges and greens now possible • Banding less a problem than with ALPS • Expensive >> $2,500 • BUT, • Actually printing a decal with ALPS of First Check still a VERY time consuming process

  16. Digital Silk • Outsource decal printing • Prints an opaque white • Wide range of colors available • But selecting exact colors largely trial and error • No metallic films can be printed • Less labor-intensive for decal developer • Concentrate more on new decal designs • DRAWDecals, Two Six, (UK), Model RR + others converting to Digital Silk

  17. Laser Printers • No white toner available • Color Laser printers very expensive • Prints on clear or white decal sheet • Elevated temperature of toner “fixer” roller can melt the decal sheet and cause a messy (and costly) jam • Image can “flake off” the clear decal sheet • Attractive for Black decals

  18. Ink Jet Printers • White ink not available • Relatively inexpensive • Prints on special clear decal sheet • Ink Jet inks are normally absorbed by paper • won’t work well on conventional decal papers without modifications to the printer • Decal papers available in clear and white • A final clear coating required to protect the ink • Even when using special decal paper • Inks are translucent, apply over white paint or decal • Some club members have had good success

  19. The End

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