I am having a new problem with inkjet decals. I have a new Epson printer that uses some new inks. I find the ink VERY soluble in water and many other things even when left to dry for several days. Dullcoat and glosscoat makes the inks run like crazy! So does Future.
I found that I can spray clear lacquer over printout, but have to put on a couple of coats to completely protect it from the water during application of the decals. But, that coating wants to curl the decals and they will not set well on a curved surface. Next I will try taping the decals to a round surface while I spray on the overcoat. I may have to buy a cheap printer that uses different inks, just for making decals
I’ve tried using multiple light coats. Really light on the first couple. And I don’t trim the decals too close before hand. It wastes some paper, but helps prevent the curl. Sometimes.
Sorry to hear of your problems and, sorry I don’t have a solution. Interesting to me that the ink runs because I’m an Epson fan for decals and printing on tissue. When my old Epson C88 clogged beyond my ability to clean it after many years of faithful service I looked for the least expensive Epson printer that used DuraBrite ink and, for which, the ink was reasonably priced. I found an Epson XP200 on sale at Staples for $50 and am delighted with it! Water resistant ink and solvents don’t affect the ink either. Full set of genuine Epson refill ink is ~$25-30 - third party even less. Interesting to me because the guy at Staples wanted me to buy an more expensive model and one statement was “all Epson consumer printers now use DuraBrite ink” - I guess that was a salesman’s hype. The XP200 is a basic printer (but it is wireless) - no touch screen LCD or other bells and whistles but it does great letter printing and great decals - so, if you do want to look into another printer, check out the XP200.
Yes, I always use multiple coats with thin first coat. It did the job on older inks, but even the lightest coat smears ink on the new Epson ink. And several coats doesn’t seem to prevent curling.
I have a new set of decals! Had to make the “Buck Baker” name above the door of a NASCAR car (kit did not include those- licensing problems, probably). The new HP I bought has inks that work. Made enough copies of the name that I sealed one set with Micro Scale’s decal film, the other with a spray can of clear lacquer (real lacquer not acrylic). Both sets worked fine. Used the decal film set to finish the car.
The printer (HP2512) was on sale for forty bucks, so it will be used only for decals. My Epson makes nicer prints of photos, but the HP is fine for graphics, which is what I ordinarily use with decals. That is, decal graphics usually do not require as many shades of color as full-tone photographs. The fewer shades of color, however, may later present a problem matching background colors on white decals.
I also have an Epson inkjet printer. But instead of lacquer, I use Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss acrylic spray. You can buy an 11oz can at Walmart or Ace Hardware for about $4. You have to get an even coat over the decals so there are no dips or pinhole depressions.
I tried the same stuff and it caused ink to run. Turns out it was a new ink formulation. Older Epsons and some of the newer ones are okay- it just depends on the model printer and ink. So if you are looking for a printer for decals, try making a set as soon as you take it home, and if it doesn’t work, take it back. I made sure when I bought the HP I made sure there was a return policy so I could return it if the ink ran.
I’m astonished to hear that; the Dura-Brites used to be water resistant, so there must have been a formula change. I now only use my Epson 7800 for scanning slides and negatives, for decals I have a high end Canon 960 and I never have any problems making decals using either the factory Canon ink or the cheapy generics.
On a related note, I wonder if there are enough people making their own decals now to make it worthwhile for one of these companies to accommodate that market. My Canon has both large and small black ink reservoirs. It would be technically feasible to make white and metallic ink cartridges that could be dropped into place of one of the black cartridges, and the printer driver software could have a decal mode. The printer maker would probably be able to get a pretty good premium for the non-standard inks.
I’ve been mulling over if I could start a little side business providing such a product but the biggest obstacle is less finding a source for the ink than modifying the proprietary firmware that is flashed into the printers. The printer makers don’t provide software development tools for their equipment.
I’ve been making my own decals lately and I’ve encountered a problem that maybe you all have solved. When I cut out decals using the white background paper, there always seems to be a thin white border around the edges. It appears to be adhesive. Is there any way to prevent this?
Russ, it’s not adhesive, it’s actually the thickness (however tiny) of the white decal material itself. The best thing I’ve found is to go over the edge (before soaking and applying the decal) with a matching-color indelible marker—if you can match the color. You can also try paint, though this should be done carefully–if the paint soaks into the decal backing paper, it can bond the decal to the backing and make it difficult (or impossible) to soak the decal off.
You can also use paint to touch up the decal on the model. Sometimes you can play with the border of the decal, add background color around the artwork image, to make the white edge easier to touch up.
Adding the background color is required in any case, but the ink does not go on the EDGE of the decal, which is the problem (yes, the whole decal film is white). I tried markers to color the edge, with only moderate success. I now apply the background color to the edge with the end of one of those round, sharp toothpicks, and have had very good luck with that.
I do that AFTER the decal sets. Attempting to color the edge before application can cause the decal not to release around the edges when you put it in the water. This leads to tearing of the decal.
