Hidronax Posted May 1, 2021 Posted May 1, 2021 Hello :D I have made a few decal design I'd like to print or get printed, but I am not sure about what is the best way to do it. Is it better to do it at home? Or is there services I can use? (I live in the UK, in case you have specific services to recommend) Most services online assume you want to print a large number of the same sticker, but it's not my case. I've seen also many people use the "laser printer" technique to print their own stickers at home. Do they turn out durable? Do they have good quality, is the dithering noticeable? In the past I had stickers printed on a PVC sticker sheet, but they were too think and didn't stick enough, so over a few hours they'd just come off round surfaces like minifigure heads. Also, they were very easily scratched, which is not great... If you don't mind sharing photos of your own custom decals, it'd be greatly appreciated! Thanks :) Quote
JopieK Posted May 2, 2021 Posted May 2, 2021 I always print on PVC (the same kind that is used in the signage business to wrap cars etc.). One popular brand is Mactac, othwerwise 3M is also great, it does stick very well even on cars so you probably used PVC with the wrong kind of glue. (Alas my own machine broke down and as I am also working on my PhD I don't know when I have to time to get it repaired and running again) Quote
Hidronax Posted May 2, 2021 Author Posted May 2, 2021 2 hours ago, JopieK said: I always print on PVC (the same kind that is used in the signage business to wrap cars etc.). One popular brand is Mactac, othwerwise 3M is also great, it does stick very well even on cars so you probably used PVC with the wrong kind of glue. (Alas my own machine broke down and as I am also working on my PhD I don't know when I have to time to get it repaired and running again) Thanks for your reply! Do you mind sharing photos of your stickers? I assume you buy the PVC sheets and print them at home? When I got stuff printed on PVC, I had it printed in a print shop. It was a sticker sheet so it already had its own glue. The stickers were quite thick though, and very prone to getting white scratches, not great. Quote
JopieK Posted May 3, 2021 Posted May 3, 2021 The website is still up and running (but please don't order since we cannot produce): www.ministickers.nl we use a Roland Versacamm VS300 with CMYK Lc Lm and Yellow / Metallic configuration. A lot of clients think the quality is comparable to LEGO, the machine can also cut. Quote
LegoDog0126 Posted May 9, 2021 Posted May 9, 2021 On 5/2/2021 at 4:13 AM, JopieK said: I always print on PVC (the same kind that is used in the signage business to wrap cars etc.). One popular brand is Mactac, othwerwise 3M is also great, it does stick very well even on cars so you probably used PVC with the wrong kind of glue. (Alas my own machine broke down and as I am also working on my PhD I don't know when I have to time to get it repaired and running again) Could you tell me which pvc you use? I've been using waterslide decals, and I find the quality of those lacking, so I'm wanting to try some other methods, but there are a lot of pvc wrap types out there. Quote
JopieK Posted May 12, 2021 Posted May 12, 2021 I use Mactac JT5929PM, that is professional vinyl also used to wrap cars etc. It is comparable to the somewhat older LEGO stickers but a little thicker than the current stickers (much more durable though). Decals are nice for model building but are a totally different league. Quote
LegoDog0126 Posted May 12, 2021 Posted May 12, 2021 1 hour ago, JopieK said: I use Mactac JT5929PM, that is professional vinyl also used to wrap cars etc. It is comparable to the somewhat older LEGO stickers but a little thicker than the current stickers (much more durable though). Decals are nice for model building but are a totally different league. Hmm, I’m trying to find something thinner that could be put on legs without getting damaged when the leg bends, I’m guessing because it’s thicker that wouldn’t work? Quote
JopieK Posted May 13, 2021 Posted May 13, 2021 12 hours ago, LegoDog0126 said: Hmm, I’m trying to find something thinner that could be put on legs without getting damaged when the leg bends, I’m guessing because it’s thicker that wouldn’t work? For torso stickers it works great, but indeed for legs it could be a little harder, but that is probably the same with the 'original' stickers. Of course for legs UV printing would even be better. Quote
YellowBrickHead Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) Hi Jopiek, did you manage to fix your printer and get it running? I’ve tried to visit your website but the server is down… 🤔. I’d love to find a good reliable source to print some of my custom design for Lego castle with silver ink and good quality. Let me know ! Edited January 29, 2023 by YellowBrickHead Quote
YellowBrickHead Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 On 5/3/2021 at 7:29 PM, JopieK said: The website is still up and running (but please don't order since we cannot produce): www.ministickers.nl we use a Roland Versacamm VS300 with CMYK Lc Lm and Yellow / Metallic configuration. A lot of clients think the quality is comparable to LEGO, the machine can also cut. Hi Jopiek, did you manage to fix your printer and get it running? I’ve tried to visit your website but the server is down… 🤔 Quote
JopieK Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 I'm doing my PhD so I don't have time for it. Probably 3.5 years to go if I persevere (otherwise I guess I try to startup things earlier). Quote
YellowBrickHead Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 21 minutes ago, JopieK said: I'm doing my PhD so I don't have time for it. Probably 3.5 years to go if I persevere (otherwise I guess I try to startup things earlier). Understood. Thanks for replying to me quickly. Do you know any one else out there that is doing a good job at printing custom design? Quote
A_Forest_of_Lego Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 6 hours ago, YellowBrickHead said: Do you know any one else out there that is doing a good job at printing custom design? I had some custom minifigs made here and they did a wonderful job: https://minifigs.me/ Quote
YellowBrickHead Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 49 minutes ago, A_Forest_of_Lego said: I had some custom minifigs made here and they did a wonderful job: https://minifigs.me/ Awesome! thanks for sharing :-) Quote
A_Forest_of_Lego Posted January 29, 2023 Posted January 29, 2023 14 minutes ago, YellowBrickHead said: Awesome! thanks for sharing :-) You're welcome! Quote
Barba Ross Posted August 16, 2023 Posted August 16, 2023 Hello there, I have some own torso decals, and I'm looking for someone in the EU who could do the UV-printing work. Thank you in advance. Quote
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