decal advice

[tamiya monkey]

noticed decals for sale on here and on ebay etc, just wondered how good the repro's are, also im one of those people how will have a go at anything, so i tried water slide with moderate results and more recently clear photo sticker plastic which are resonable for my perposes, but to get the results i would like i firstly need a printer that print white, also getting the decal scans of a good enough quility is also a problem, i have bought a couple of dvd's of ebay with decals, manauls etc.  any advice of printer choice and decals drop me some info. 

[terry.sc]

Can't comment on the ones on ebay, but the Tamiyaclub ones (they

aren't sold on ebay!) have a reputation of being at least as good or

even better than the Tamiya originals. Having used them myself they are

very good and the price of them is very reasonable compared to the cost

of making some yourself.

Firstly if you want to print your own

with white you will either have to find an old ALPS printer (they are

no longer made and weren't cheap when new) or else spend a lot of money

on a professional vinyl printer. There isn't anything made for home use.

Secondly

if you want great looking decals to the standard of the Tamiyaclub ones

you will have to trace the scans you have using an illustration program

to create the vector graphics needed. Most sign shops can print them

for you but they aren't cheap. The printer will also need an eps vector

file, not a jpeg, to work with, so you will have to redraw every logo

and text on the decal sheet. The scans available on CD certainly aren't

good enough to print out a high quality decal.

[tamiya monkey]

thanks for that, me thinks i might buy them.

[Guest sk8te-penguin]

or a much much cheaper option is get a decnt print on photo paper from a normal printer and use cella sticker maker... ?20 or something in the new argos

[DJTheo]

As terry said the TC ones are very good copies (but of course can't reach the original Tamiya ones in quality, gloss and detail), most cheap ones from ebay are just not worth it (use the forum search or look at the feedbacks), in the end you usually get what you pay. In one aspect I even preffer the TC ones to the originals though, that they can be stretched around curves easier.

Cheers 

[DJTheo]

or a much much cheaper option is get a decnt print on photo paper from a normal printer and use cella sticker maker... ?20 or something in the new argos

Those papers are way too thick for a good look unfortunately and also pretty impossible to put over non flat surfaces , also am sure how long they will last scracthes and dirt.

Cheers 

[necronomicon]

I have used water slide decal paper with good results, (for Warhammer models and airfix kits) you can get it in clear or white background (for decals with white in them), but must spray over the surface, once printed, with matt varnish, or the ink comes off as soon as you put them in water!

neil