Suggestions for waterslide inkjet decal paper

[Aeronerd]

Hi Everybody,
Just got a new inkjet printer so I thought why not start printing my own waterslide decals? Except I dont know anything about the best kind of decal paper to get (white, clear) and a reliable brand.
Also do I need to spray it with a clear coat to make it work, and should it be lacquer or enamel clear?

Any adivice the experts out there can give me would be much appreciated!

 

[neil_w]

Just got a new inkjet printer so I thought why not start printing my own waterslide decals?

Why not indeed. You can do great things with self-printed waterslides, although for sure there are aspects which can be finicky and require care.

Except I dont know anything about the best kind of decal paper to get (white, clear) and a reliable brand.

First the brand: there are many that work fine; everyone has their favorites. I've been using the Sunnyscopa paper available on Amazon and it has been 100% satisfactory for me, while reasonably priced.

The inkjet dyes to not print completely opaque on the decal film. Therefore, the darker the color of the background paint, the less the decal printing will show up.

On a light colored background paint (especially white), clear-backed film works best. You can leave as much border around your design as desired, and the clear film will disappear. If your design is very dark or black (like lettering), it'll work on almost any background color that isn't too dark. Designs that rely on a lot of color, though, will start to suffer more quickly as the background gets darker. Therefore, at some point it becomes worth it to use white-backed decal paper. The trick, though, is that you'll need to include the background color in your design, and it can be hard to get an accurate match to any color other than black.

There are other strategies to make this work. Sometimes you can do double-layer decals: lay down plain white paper (unprinted) first, and then a a clear-backed decal on top. All this needs to be fairly carefully planned out. If you're trying to do something like print white text on a purple background, it's going to be really difficult getting the background color matched. In many instances you will need to plan your paint scheme around what can be accomplished with the decals.

Also do I need to spray it with a clear coat to make it work, and should it be lacquer or enamel clear?

Inkjet waterslides absolutely need to be clear coated. I use Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear. There are many others that work. In my experience, even fully clear-coated decals can bleed a bit of ink at the cut edges when soaking, and so when printing something like a black background on white-backed paper, I'll make the decals a bit oversized, and then trim the edges *after soaking* and right before application. Sometimes I'll use laser decals for these, since they don't require clear-coating and don't run in the water soak.

As with many things, printing your own waterslides is something that may take a few iterations before you get all your techniques fully dialed in. But the results are worth it.

(disclaimer: there are a few laser decals mixed in there, but the big color stuff is all inkjet)

 

[Aeronerd]

Why not indeed. You can do great things with self-printed waterslides, although for sure there are aspects which can be finicky and require care.

First the brand: there are many that work fine; everyone has their favorites. I've been using the Sunnyscopa paper available on Amazon and it has been 100% satisfactory for me, while reasonably priced.

The inkjet dyes to not print completely opaque on the decal film. Therefore, the darker the color of the background paint, the less the decal printing will show up.

On a light colored background paint (especially white), clear-backed film works best. You can leave as much border around your design as desired, and the clear film will disappear. If your design is very dark or black (like lettering), it'll work on almost any background color that isn't too dark. Designs that rely on a lot of color, though, will start to suffer more quickly as the background gets darker. Therefore, at some point it becomes worth it to use white-backed decal paper. The trick, though, is that you'll need to include the background color in your design, and it can be hard to get an accurate match to any color other than black.

There are other strategies to make this work. Sometimes you can do double-layer decals: lay down plain white paper (unprinted) first, and then a a clear-backed decal on top. All this needs to be fairly carefully planned out. If you're trying to do something like print white text on a purple background, it's going to be really difficult getting the background color matched. In many instances you will need to plan your paint scheme around what can be accomplished with the decals.
Thanks Neil, really appreciate all the info and advice.

Inkjet waterslides absolutely need to be clear coated. I use Krylon UV-resistant gloss clear. There are many others that work. In my experience, even fully clear-coated decals can bleed a bit of ink at the cut edges when soaking, and so when printing something like a black background on white-backed paper, I'll make the decals a bit oversized, and then trim the edges *after soaking* and right before application. Sometimes I'll use laser decals for these, since they don't require clear-coating and don't run in the water soak.

As with many things, printing your own waterslides is something that may take a few iterations before you get all your techniques fully dialed in. But the results are worth it.
View attachment 479453
(disclaimer: there are a few laser decals mixed in there, but the big color stuff is all inkjet)

Thanks Neil, really appreciate all the advice and info.

 

[Aeronerd]

@neil_w Neil I have a hardly used can of rust-oleum crystal clear enamel. That should work, right?

How many coats do you recommend, and can I use the decal as soon as the clear coat dries?
Also are there any other things I need, like Ive read that some people use some kind of release liquid to make it slide off the paper, or (I think) make it easier to fit curves? Sorry for all the questions but I wanted to make sure I can jump into this right away thanks!

 

[user 35280]

Might be an option for you,
https://www.siriusrocketry.biz/ishop/sirius-rocketry-inkjet-decal-sheets-clear-10-pack-1641.html

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

I had trouble with white decal sheets curling up on the edges. Other than that, the inkjet decals have been great. I use three coats of clear.

The hardest part is finding a scan of decals with a ruler included for scale. Neil has helped me with scaling. I like paint.net for the magic wand, but still use Word for printing. YMMV

 

[Aeronerd]

I had trouble with white decal sheets curling up on the edges. Other than that, the inkjet decals have been great. I use three coats of clear.

The hardest part is finding a scan of decals with a ruler included for scale. Neil has helped me with scaling. I like paint.net for the magic wand, but still use Word for printing. YMMV

Hi RK, what kind of clear spray do you use? When I went to the Sunnyscopa decal site, they say to use acrylic varnish, but do you have to use that? I have some Rust-oleum crystal clear enamel and wondering if I can use that instead?

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Hi RK, what kind of clear spray do you use? When I went to the Sunnyscopa decal site, they say to use acrylic varnish, but do you have to use that? I have some Rust-oleum crystal clear enamel and wondering if I can use that instead?

I use the Rusto clear. I’ve only had that one issue but has worked fine in the past with the white sheets. The decals are thicker and need to soak a little longer. The edges are more pronounced. I’ve used Micro Set/Sol. Not sure if they are needed for model rockets.

 

[Aeronerd]

I use the Rusto clear. I’ve only had that one issue but has worked fine in the past with the white sheets. The decals are thicker and need to soak a little longer. The edges are more pronounced. I’ve used Micro Set/Sol. Not sure if they are needed for model rockets.

Thanks thats great, I won't have to buy another can of something else.

 

[Rocketless]

Thanks thats great, I won't have to buy another can of something else.

I use this too, make sure the paint and decals have dried for a week or more, shake the can like crazy,
Then soak the can in hot water in a pail and shake like crazy again
This assumes you have a clean spray nozzle, then test spray on something else so you know it is spraying without spitting

 

[neil_w]

I use this too, make sure the paint and decals have dried for a week or more, shake the can like crazy,

Talking here about clear-coating the decals before application. Generally this can be done fairly quickly after printing (perhaps a bit of drying time is useful; I probably wait overnight after printing).

 

[Rocketless]

Talking here about clear-coating the decals before application. Generally this can be done fairly quickly after printing (perhaps a bit of drying time is useful; I probably wait overnight after printing).

thanks! I missed that, I do that too and then clear coat the works

 

[Aeronerd]

Hey guys just thought of something. What if you don't have enough stuff to fill up a decal sheet? Can you print on part of it, cut out the decals you printed, and then maybe stick the leftover sheet to some kind of backing paper/cardstock and print on it again?

 

[neil_w]

I have done that, to a point. Each new print, I use the full width of the paper, and cut off a clean rectangle. Don't want to be running a piece of swiss cheese through the printer. I just tape it to a piece of printer paper next time.

 

[neil_w]

Probably a good time to point to this thread, which just popped up: https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/best-clearcoat-for-acrylics.29409/#post-2175725

 

[Aeronerd]

Thanks for confirming and for that link Neil!

 

[Aeronerd]

Suggestions on how long I should wait after printing my decal to let it cure before clear coating, and the number of clear coats to use?

 

[neil_w]

I think I've typically wait at least a day after printing, but that's not usually due to any particular plan, rather just limitations on when I can spray.

I've tried both three light coats and two medium coats, with roughly the same results. As always, you own experimentation will help you lock in your process.

When coating white-backed decals that have printed background out to the edge of the decal, I tend to go a bit heavier. One other thing I like to do is to use different directions on my first two coats (vertically vs. horizontally).

 

[Aeronerd]

Anyone ever use that clear Pledge Floor Care stuff on decals instead of spraying clear over it once it's on the rocket? Wouldnt want the Pledge to dissolve the decal.

 

[neil_w]

Many of us do. It’s fine.

 

[Aeronerd]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Received my decal paper from Amazon and learned some things REAL quick:

1. Don't touch the printed part for several minutes after it comes out of the inkjet. The ink stays wet way longer on decal paper than glossy photo paper. Didn't know an smeared it by accidnet.
   
   
2. Don't cut too close to the printed part of the decal. Especially when its long thin decals like with text. I didn't leave enough room when cutting the clear part on both ends of words and around the tops and bottoms of letters. I cut these areas to a sharp point. Bad idea. They folded under or over themselves when I put them on. Also they teared when I tried to straighten them too much.

So far thats the only mistakes I ran across. hope I dont discover any new ones. Otherwise its pretty easy.