BMF Clear decal sheet for inkjet??

[werdy666]

Hi,

I can get a 3 pk clear decal sheet and bmf sealer from a local hobby shop for my inkjet printer. My question is how does the clear work with the inkjet printers. From previous experince with clear material in my inkjet printer, well it just lets the ink run everywhere and was totally unusable. But that wasn't decal clear sheets. Anyone use these and have good clear crisp results? or would i be better off buying aftermarket studio 27 decals or something similar? I'm looking into some MArlboro decals for a few F1 Mclaren cars I am yet to build..

Thanks for any advice you can give

Werdy666

[stevenoble]

I made some decals recently for my Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2 to convert it to Rac Rally 1986 using the inkjet paper.I ordered white and clear sheets.I found the colours worked better on the white paper,though I did use the clear for the black numbers for the doors etc and they printed really well but they were slightly transparent.If you are putting the Marlboro logos on a white background they should be ok but if they are going over colour they may be a bit see through.I found the best print was achieved by setting the printer to glossy photo paper settings (for the paper) and using the high quality setting.If you want the best it may be better to get some aftermarket decals but for the odd decal the inkjet decals are quite good.Make sure you seal them well or they just vanish when you dip them in water.Here's a pic of the peugeot.The door placard is printed on white decal paper and the number five on the clear decal paper.Steve.

[klutz_100]

Great decals, Steve! Well done

What clear did you use?

[gionc]

Fantastic stuff Steve, so sharp.

I done that with BMF: cabon pattern in the backpanel and on the doors of that skyline: sealed with a couple of thin coat of TS13

[klutz_100]

You printed that CF on BMF chrome? Wow!! brilliant!

Originally Posted by gionc

[gionc]

chrome it's too much expensive to make experiments
not in the chrome, in the transparent, applied over silver, also i tought with a smoke final touch could be better

[werdy666]

mmmmmmm maybe i should give up now while i am ahead.. lol

[stevenoble]

Originally Posted by klutz_100

Great decals, Steve! Well done

What clear did you use?

I didn't use a clear varnish to seal the decals I used Microscale Liquid Decal Film.It comes in a small bottle and you can brush a few coats on the printed decal before you apply it.It dries almost instantly and leaves no brush marks.Steve.

[Ferrari TR]

Lots of random notes.
Try not to touch the surface of the decals. I've had good luck with lightly rubbing the surface of the sheet before I print with rubbing alcohol. You just want an even matt finish to the surface. You can also remove mistakes with rubbing alcohol (only once or twice). Make sure to set the printer for thicker paper. I've sealed decals with most of the clears out there, just start with light mist coats before you use a heavy coat.
All that, and I haven't printed any decals with my new printer, an Epson that uses 'pigment' ink.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by Ferrari TR

I've sealed decals with most of the clears out there, just start with light mist coats before you use a heavy coat.
All that, and I haven't printed any decals with my new printer, an Epson that uses 'pigment' ink.

How did it go?

I think I have one of those printers, a Canon i9900. (It takes 6 ink tanks.) I'm using Experts Choice decal film from BMF, and I can't seem to find a way to seal the ink.

The ink in this printer is water soluble; for several hours after printing onto decal paper will smear if you touch it. I let prints dry overnight before trying to seal them.

Even if I spray just a light coat of Microscale Liquid Decal Film, the dark blue ink bleeds pink from the imprint into the surrounding area. I've tried Testors Decal Seal, same result. If I spray clear lacquer, the color doesn't bleed until I wet it in a dish, and then the ink turns the water blue. The best thing I've tried so far is Krylon clear acrylic spray. But when I slide the Krylon'd decal off the paper, it's semi-transparent and the surface has lost its smoothness. There's a pattern of clear parallel lines, sort of like wrinkles. Out of frustration, I just took a wild swing and added a coat of Liquid Decal Film to some Krylon-coated sheets. Why not? Nothing else works!

Is there another kind of decal film that might actually work with this printer? I've done okay with black decals - the black ink seems opaque - but the blue seems just hopeless for decals! Does anybody know a magic combination of sealers that will protect the printed image?

There are other decal sources out there. Anybody familiar with "DecalPaper.com"? Better yet, has anyone else tried using decal paper with a Canon "i" series printer?

As a last resort, I suppose I could take the image file and some decal paper to Kinko's and see if they'll print it. But they might not go for it. And besides, I think they use a laser printer, so different paper would be required. Any thoughts on that idea?

Diddy

[lotus123]

I think Diddy may experience the same problems with his Canon printer that I've been having. I have the IP6600D, and I've been trying to print on white decal paper. This used to work fine with my old HP inkjet, but now the ink "pools" and won't dry properly. I've noticed the same problem using this printer with certain (non-Canon) photo papers. I saw a post on the ALPS printer forum a few days ago that said that certain manufacturers are "optimising" their inks to certain (i.e. their) papers for quality reasons. I think that just means "buy our consumables or suffer the consequences".

I'm thinking really seriously about buying an ALPS printer these days. Although they are no longer made, and consumables are hard to get, it's really the only way to go if you need to make serious decals and the aftermarket stuff doesn't exist for the models you want to build.

[Didymus]

I just did a little research, and it turns out that black ink is pigment-based, with large pigment molecules providing the color. Color ink is dye-based. The molecules are small and transparent. That explains the difference I've experienced - good results with black, trouble with color.

Since I'm decaling a white car, the transparency isn't a problem; I should be able to use either white or transparent decal film. But the sealing of the printed image is a big problem, at least so far.

The decal with Liquid Decal Film over Krylon Acrylic didn't work. It didn't bleed (Good news!) but the surface was extremely delicate and I scratched the hell out of it moving it into place on the model. But I might be onto something: I'll give the next try more coats of Krylon, then a final coat of Liquid Decal Film, and see what happens.

And maybe use something like a soft pencil eraser to move it around.

Diddy

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by stevenoble

I didn't use a clear varnish to seal the decals I used Microscale Liquid Decal Film.It comes in a small bottle and you can brush a few coats on the printed decal before you apply it.It dries almost instantly and leaves no brush marks.Steve.

Have you tried it with colored inks? They are dye-based, whereas black ink is pigment-based.

I've used LDF with black ink and it works great. But not with the dye-based colored ink used by my Canon i9900. No matter how thinly and carefully I apply the LDF - I've tried a soft artists' brush, a foam brush and an airbrush - a thin wash of colored ink bleeds onto the surrounding film as the LDF dries. Clear lacquer has the same effect.

If a clear coating is thinly applied, the ink coating is easily scratched or scraped away from the decal film. The only way I've found to prevent bleeding and protect the image is to apply several coats of Krylon acrylic. (At least the Krylon doesn't cause the ink to bleed.) I also have to handle the decal very, very carefully when sliding it onto the model.

And that's only a partial solution. Those coats of acrylic stiffen the film. Rounded surfaces are okay, but it doesn't conform well to panel gaps and the like. And it's impervious to Microsol.

So I no longer think I can use my printer to replace a damaged colored decal. If I mess one up, either I find a replacement or do without.

Diddy