Even though this was written for printing decals with an ALPS printer, most can be used for printing with inkjet also.
CUSTOM DECALS
PRINTING THEM WITH AN ALPS PRINTER
BY BARNEY KABLE
THE BASIS OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO GIVE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE BASIC STEPS TO PRINTING AND COLOR MANAGEMENT WITH AN ALPS MD SERIES PRINTER.
THE ALPS MD SERIES PRINTERS ARE NO LONGER BEING PRODUCED AND CAN ONLY BE FOUND USED OR AT AUCTION. THE BEST PLACE TO ACQUIRE ONE IS ON E-BAY. THERE ARE THREE MODELS OF PRINTERS THAT CAN BE USED TO MAKE DECALS (MD-5000, MD-1300, MD-1000). ALL THREE WILL PRINT WHITE INK AND THE 5000 AND 1300 WILL ALSO PRINT PHOTOGRAPHIC QUALITY IMAGES USING SPECIAL INK CARTRIDGES AND PAPER.
THERE ARE SEVERAL IMPORTANT ASPECTS THAT MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN SETTING UP TO PRINT DECALS USING AN ALPS PRINTER:
1. A DRAWING PROGRAM ( Mid to High Priced )
2. AN IMAGE EDITING/PHOTO RETOUCHING/PAINT PROGRAM
3. A SOURCE OF COLOR MANAGEMENT
4. QUALITY DECAL FILM
A DRAWING PROGRAM IS NECESSARY FOR DESIGN AND LAYOUT OF GRAPHICS. THERE ARE SEVERAL PROGRAMS ON THE MARKET THAT WILL HANDLE THIS TASK (COREL DRAW, ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, DENEBA CANVAS). MY FAVORITE IS DENEBA CANVAS (VERY USER FRIENDLY). NEXT IS AN IMAGE EMITTING PROGRAM THAT YOU USE TO LAYOUT A PAGE IN LAYERS, WHAT I LOOK FOR IS A PROGRAM IN WHICH YOU CAN COPY A FULL PAGE TO SEVERAL LAYERS AND SEPARATE EACH COLOR TO BE PRINTED ON A LAYER. ONE OF THE BEST PROGRAMS FOR THIS IS ADOBE PHOTOSHOP. YOU CAN LAYOUT MANY LAYERS OF GRAPHICS AND EDIT THEM WITH RELATIVE EASE. THIS HELPS A LOT WITH MANAGING COLORS TO BE PRINTED. I HAVE FOUND THAT FOR MILITARY SUBJECTS, COLOR ACCURACY IS VERY IMPORTANT AS MOST COLORS ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO MILITARY SUBJECTS FROM ANY PERIOD AND COUNTRY. A VALUABLE INVESTMENT IS THE FEDERAL STANDARD PAINT CHIP CHARTS (FED-STD 595B) AND SEVERAL BOOKS WITH PAINT CHIP CHARTS FOR BRITISH RAF AND GERMAN LUFTWAFFE. I HAVE TAKEN THESE AND SCANNED THEM TO GET THEIR RGB VALUE, AND THEN ANYTIME I NEED A SPECIFIC COLOR I CAN OPEN IT AND EDIT GRAPHICS WITH IT. THE LAST ITEM I MENTION IS GOOD QUALITY DECAL FILM. SEVERAL MAKES DO NOT REACT WELL TO SETTING, SOFTENING SOLUTIONS, AND SILVER, EVEN WHEN PLACED OVER A GLOSSY SURFACE. IF YOU PLAN TO PRINT A LOT OF DECALS CONTAINING WHITE INK, BUY CLEAR DECAL FILM ON LIGHT BLUE PAPER BACKGROUND, SO YOU CAN SEE YOUR PRINTED GRAPHICS EASIER.
I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE FEATURES OF THE ALPS MD SERIES PRINTERS. THE THREE PRINTERS MENTIONED ABOVE CAN BE SETUP TO PRINT ON THICK STOCK PAPER AND BY TURNING ON THE SPOT COLOR FEATURE YOU CAN SPECIFY A SINGLE COLOR TO PRINT (WHITE, CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW OR BLACK). THIS IS VERY USEFUL FOR LAYING DOWN UNDERCOATS OF COLOR FOR OPAQUENESS. I HAVE FOUND THAT TO PRINT WHITE, I MAY HAVE TO RUN THE DECAL FILM THRU SEVERAL TIMES TO GET NICE OPAQUE GRAPHICS AND TO GET DARK SHADES OF BLUE. YOU MAY HAVE TO RUN A SPOT COLOR LAYER OF CYAN UNDER THE RGB VALUE RUN. REDS, YELLOWS, AND ORANGES ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT COLORS TO PRODUCE, AND YOU MAY HAVE TO RUN SEVERAL SPOT COLOR LAYERS OF MAGENTA AND YELLOW UNDER THE RGB VALUE COLOR.
THE NEXT FEATURE THAT IS VERY USEFUL IS THE OVERLAY BOX, THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO PRINT A COLOR LAYER AND THE PRINTER WILL KEEP THE PAPER IN THE PRINTER AND IN PROPER REGISTRY READY FOR THE NEXT LAYER TO BE PRINTED. THIS FEATURE SHOULD BE TURNED ON FOR ALL LAYERS PRINTED EXCEPT THE VERY LAST LAYER. USING THIS FEATURE, I HAVE YET TO PRINT A FULL PAGE OF DECALS OUT OF REGISTRY, EVEN WITH UPWARDS OF 14 LAYERS OR MORE.
ONE NOTE THAT MUST BE MADE IS WHEN SETTING UP THE LAYER OF GRAPHICS FOR WHITE INK, ONE MUST MAKE ALL THE AREA TO BE PRINTED WHITE SET IN BLACK IN THE IMAGE EDITING PROGRAM AND USE THE SPOT COLOR AND OVERLAY FEATURES TO PRINT THE LAYER THEN MOVE ON TO THE OTHER LAYERS TILL DONE. THE LAST THING TO DO IS TO OVERCOAT THE FULL PAGE WITH LIQUID DECAL FILM TO SEAL THE INKS IN. THIS WILL KEEP THE INKS FROM LIFTING OFF THE DECAL FILM WHEN PUT INTO WATER FOR PLACEMENT.
PLEASE TAKE THESE POINTS AS A BASIS TO START PRINTING CUSTOM DECALS AND TAKE THE TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE DRAWING AND IMAGE EDITING PROGRAMS TO FIND WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU. FOR FURTHER READING, PLEASE REFER TO FINE SCALE MODELER, NOVEMBER 1999, VOL. 17, NUMBER 9 AND GO TO www.tangopapadecals.com., WHICH HAS SEVERAL ARTICLES ON THIS SUBJECT.