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Another decal making question. Need help!

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  • Member since
    May 2010
Another decal making question. Need help!
Posted by salvine on Thursday, April 5, 2012 12:33 PM

I've dabbled in this a bit but need to make a quick couple of decals. If I send you the graphic can you convert to 1/350 for a ship I'm wrapping up as a gift? I need one flag and one ships crest for a Burke class destroyer. Admittedly the crest will be very small but I'd like to add it to the funnel if possible. If there is a fool proof step by tutorial out there I can probably do it. I have the decal paper, I just need help with accurate resizing. You can get me directly at steve dot alvine at gmail.

Thanks a bunch if you can help.

  • Member since
    May 2010
Posted by salvine on Thursday, April 5, 2012 9:54 PM

I re sized in gimp and they look good but when I print not so much. Looks like the printer might be the weak link.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Towson MD
Posted by gregbale on Friday, April 6, 2012 7:38 AM

salvine

I re sized in gimp and they look good but when I print not so much. Looks like the printer might be the weak link.

It quite often is.

You didn't say what the problem was, but it sometimes helps to go into the printer settings for the document (decal) and fiddle with those---a lighter or darker ink setting, or what kind of paper it thinks its's printing on. Printers and their inks are often quite different, even within the same printer brand, and decal papers vary as well. Sometimes "dialing in" the correct combination is an exercise in patience and persistence.

But once you get it licked, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.

Good luck.

Greg

George Lewis:

"Every time you correct me on my grammar I love you a little fewer."
 
  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Friday, April 6, 2012 9:28 AM

Almost any photo editing software can scale images.  There are shareware ones like gimp that another poster mentioned, or reasonably priced commercial ones.  CAD programs also do even better at resizing, but are sometimes a bit difficult to import your own graphics into.  But they are great for doing original art.  And there are cheap CAD programs available at bargain software counters. A very good photo editing program is Adobe Photoshop Elements, but there are a number of cheaper ones available.  I think there is even a graphics program that comes in Windows that will do the job.

The big hangup is whether the decal needs white or other really light colors in it. If dark colors only, homemade decals are a cinch.  Ones with white or light colors are a real hassle.

For the resizing, you will need to do some simple math to figure out what percentage to resize, but pocket calculators are cheap these days.

As for the flag, don't use a decal for it.  Just download a flag graphic from the internet, resize, copy it and do a mirror (flip) to make a copy facing in the other direction.  Put ot next to the original.  Cut out and fold on the common edge, and put a piece of thread through the fold.  Glue together the folded flag with thinned white glue, and put some wrinkles in it while the white glue is drying.  Your result is a flag on a halyard.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

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