Hi guys,

I've just printed some decals today, but the quality on some of them really didn't look that great. especially the ones that had black backgrounds ended up having white spots when printed and same with the white ones.

Anyone know how to fix this problem?

Thanks,

Divine.

I think this is a pretty common occurrence with home printers, as opposed to professional ones.

For starters, have you tried checking the printer settings? 'Best quality' or 'Photo quality' may work better than standard.

Another issue might be related to the type of ink/toner, and/or paper you use. More info on those could be useful.

Hey LuxorV,

Thanks for your response,

I use an Inkjet printer, and there is an option for best quality I just hadn't ticked it. My printer uses the 4 coloring inks, cyan, yellow red and black.

In regards to the paper, is ''decal paper'' the same as inkjet paper and should that be selected or just ''normal paper'' when printing?

Thanks,

Divine.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the white background is still on the decal even after its removed in the water. Why is this?

Edited October 26, 201410 yr by Divine

I actually never printed on decal paper myself, but I'm sure setting the best printing options will help.

As far as I know, the 'white dots' are areas where the ink just does not get applied during the printing process. Standard and/or econ printing settings will use a thinner ink jet and so some areas are not covered by the ink. Of course, the texture of the paper is important, too: the bigger the grain, the highest the chance some 'bumps' will not get the ink.

That said, I think it's mostly a matter of fine-tuning your printer and paper choices (much hated trial-and-error process) and getting something you're satisfied with. Good luck.

If you don't use decal paper how do you print your decals? I will set it on best printing option the next time.

Ohh your probably right it wasn't a great deal of white dots, but they are noticeable

Also are you able to tell me why I the white background is being printed when it should be taken off/clear?

The white background is being printed when it should be clear?

Two possibilities.

If you're using white paper, the clear will cover the white, and you get white. Kind of a hard phenomenon to describe, but the clear prints the color of the paper, it only prints clear if the paper is clear. Either that, or you've got it off-white instead of white, which would only happen if you have clear paper. I wouldn't think that'd be that a big of a deal, though, since once applied to color, the off-white would be just as clear.

Another thing to note, and I know you weren't talking to me, but there are many, many ways to do custom decals. Decal paper is only one. I use (or used to use) something called Rub-On-Transfers, which, while hard to use, can work nicely. But due to their difficulty, I don't really recommend them. They aren't too cheap, so you waste a good 20 bucks just learning how to use them (or at least I did). That is one other option, but there are many, many more, I just can't think of them.

Hey Borador,

Thanks for your response.

Thats the thing I'm really confused about. I understand that by using white decal paper, when printed and the cut out into the size needed and dipped into water, the white paper drops off and only the decal remains as in it becomes peel able Now my understanding is there shouldn't be any white at all left. I deffs don't have clear paper. The white decal paper, has an extra layer of transparent sheeting on it, which is the decal part itself. The white is meant to drop off and the decal should be clear besides the print on it.

I believe this is only the issue when you have white background when doing the print, and no the white background actually stayed! I tested it on a full colored object.

I wasn't aware there was other ways to do custom decaling thanks for letting me know I'll look into it!

You can either have clear decal paper or white decal paper. If you have white then the white doesn't 'drop off'... The backing paper comes away but you'll still have printed on white decal paper.

If you want it transparent then you have to print on clear decal paper... That way when it's wet the White backing paper comes away and you will have a transparent decal that shows the colour of the lego torso beneath it.

I always printed mine on best setting for normal paper... Then a coat of clear acrylic spray to seal it. Leave for 20 mins before cutting and applying. Leave for an hour to dry then another coat of clear acrylic to seal it when it's in place.

If you've got white decal paper and you're waiting for it to go clear you'll be waiting a very long time.

Edited October 27, 201410 yr by Robianco

Hey Borador,

Thanks for your response.

Thats the thing I'm really confused about. I understand that by using white decal paper, when printed and the cut out into the size needed and dipped into water, the white paper drops off and only the decal remains as in it becomes peel able Now my understanding is there shouldn't be any white at all left. I deffs don't have clear paper. The white decal paper, has an extra layer of transparent sheeting on it, which is the decal part itself. The white is meant to drop off and the decal should be clear besides the print on it.

I believe this is only the issue when you have white background when doing the print, and no the white background actually stayed! I tested it on a full colored object.

I wasn't aware there was other ways to do custom decaling thanks for letting me know I'll look into it!

I've never heard of decal paper that works like that. Do you have a brand name or a link? I may be able to help you more if I know exactly what you've got. I thought you just had sticker paper or waterside decals.

Robianco, it seems you've answered my question relatively well, but I do have one question, how does it work when the background isn't white but say a different color? If its clear it will effect the image/background? Is that correct? And if so the only real use of clear decal paper is if you want the white background to disappear is my understanding. I could be wrong, would really like to know though.

Borador, I got it from decalpaper.com.au is sticker paper any better than waterside decals? Is there a cheaper alternative for waterside decal paper? I'm paying currently $2 per sheet.

It can be difficult to colour match a design on a decal to an existing torso colour so clear decal paper shows the torso colour underneath perfectly.

I did a decal of Lando Calrissian from Cloud City which just had the creases, belt detail and neckline on it... That way the medium blue torso shows up underneath.

Clear decal should probably only be used in light coloured torsos as you'll need lighter colours to show details on darker torsos hence using White decal paper and having the whole design on it including the background colour.

Use Batmans torso design as an example... Inkjet printers (or laser printers for that matter) can't print opaque light colours so you need the colour of the paper to bring out the light details such as muscle design.

In this part of the site there are several designs that have both clear and white decal designs on them that show how this works perfectly.

I don't currently have time to check out that website, but sticker paper is not usually better than waterslides. It's easier to use, and much cheaper, but does not look nearly as good. I have seen some people do good things with it, but that takes a lot of practice and money. $2 a sheet is not that bad, you could shop around and wait for sales, etc. But a different method probably won't get you a better price, unless you sacrifice quality. The only exception I can think of is rub-on film, which is completely different than rub-on-transfers. I don't know how to explain it without glorifying it, but basically, you print a design onto a film, and then rub the ink off onto the piece. I have yet to see it used on LEGO, so I don't know how well it would stick, but I imagine there are some ways of doing it. Once used, you can wash the film and use it again. However, there are many problems... the main one is that there is no way to get colors to show up since the ink is transparent. So you could only do it on light pieces. The other major problem is that it is very difficult to do. Cheaper? Yes. But very impractical. So, as far as cost is concerned, I don't have a better solution for you.

There was a guy a little while ago who was doing all kinds of experiments with different methods. Some of his ideas were pretty cool. I'll see if I can find a link...

There are many useful links and tutorials in the MCW Index, too.

I have something to add on to the "quality" portion of his question. When printing out the decal and applying it, does the background (base) have to be white? i.e. Most of Roaglaan's Customs decals have white bases and some of the ones that I have copied from Brickshelf have completely colored torsos. My question is, will this change the quality of the torso decal itself? Or will it look the same because the actual water-slide portion is clear.

Thanks,

Brick Commando

I have something to add on to the "quality" portion of his question. When printing out the decal and applying it, does the background (base) have to be white? i.e. Most of Roaglaan's Customs decals have white bases and some of the ones that I have copied from Brickshelf have completely colored torsos. My question is, will this change the quality of the torso decal itself? Or will it look the same because the actual water-slide portion is clear.

Thanks,

Brick Commando

For clear decal paper a white back ground is perfect. A white background or any object with white will take on the color of the torso it's being applied to. Using white decal paper you'll need to have the back ground the same color as the torso it's being applied to. I hope I've made some since haha

I appreciate all the great comments, and thank you for the link!

I'll look around and check whats around, but thank you for advising the clear decal paper it all makes sense now. So thanks for your help guys!

I appreciate all the great comments, and thank you for the link!

I'll look around and check whats around, but thank you for advising the clear decal paper it all makes sense now. So thanks for your help guys!

I won't recommend that you use rub on transfers because they are hard and are not cheap, but you should at least look into them because they offer some advantages over water slides and regular decals. For one, a clear water slide decal is totally transparent and the colors will mix if you put it on too dark a torso. While this will happen with rub ons, you can combat it by painting the back of the colored parts white before applying the sticky side, which keeps the background clear and the colors the same as they were when printed. You can also do metallics if you have a silver pen.

But they take a LOT of pratice, and then they are still hard to use, so be careful. They cost about 10 dollars for 4 sheets, plus about five for the paint pen. And you need a good printer, or they won't look good. I've actually thought about just printing the whole thing clear and coloring it with colored paint pens, but I've yet to do much with that yet.

If you want examples of what can be done, check my Flickr.

Edited November 2, 201410 yr by Borador

Sorry for my late response Borador, but thought I'd make a response anyhow.

I wouldn't plan on using rub on decals because of extra work and practice, although I am a very patient person I just wouldn't have the time to practice and better the skill, I have started using waterslide decals, and they are working in my favor. The main problem I had with it was getting white over clear, but thankfully you guys cleared that up.

So it means a lot for all your help and your suggestion so thank you none the less! :)

Sincerely,

Divine.