Trouble Finding White Decals (Once more into the fray)

TRY THIS 

https://highballgraphics.com

Hope this helps 

They were great to work with .  I ordered Ho decals from them in past . 

Thanks, WRGMILW

Hope you find what you need. As a decal manufacture in the model car hobby for 30 plus years here is some basic info on custom decals.

There is 2 basic methods for very small runs. Less then 50 sets most time are run on a ALPS dry ink printer or one of the newer OKI laser printers that is set up to print white ink. ALPS have not been made in many years and supplies are getting hard to find and very costly. The OKI white laser printers are around $4000 to start. So both of these are limited for home use. Both can give good results if the person using the printer knows how to get the best from it. 

Screen printing (silk screen) This method is the best but it requires lots of equipment and a screen needs to be cut for each color printed. And as this all costs something so the minimum run to make it worthwhile is around 100 or more.  I spent 2 years working with my screen printer to get perfect non-bleeding white decals. So it can be costly.

I wish there was a good economical method to produce decals in ones and twos., I got into the decal biz to get decals I wanted.....and I still make my own. But custom work is just not viable right now. Laser printers that print white MAY someday get to the point I would get one and start custom work again. Until them you have to find someone, like above, that is willing to do it....for a cost. thx & good luck!

custom decals I did for myself...

Have you considered Dry Transfers? Woodland Scenics makes a pretty comprehensive line of numbers and letters in many different fonts. No decal film to deal with. This engine was renumbered with dry transfers.

Pete

small runs you can make yourself with a kit from decalpro. Also there are graphic places that will do a sheet of dry transfers for 50-80$ for a 8.5x11" shhet, just pack in as many as you can to make cost effective

Norton and Jagrick,

For this project, dry transfers would be very difficult. I want the lettering to perfectly line up.

custom dry transfers can be made with lettering. images etc.  and aligned as printed. What are you trying to do?, what graphic 

I would pay whatever it costs to have these made with a silk screen printer as Dave suggests above. You're wanting a pro-look on a very nice model. I would go for it and do it right. You may pay more but you can ask yourself if it's worth it-  I know it would be for me.

Jagrick posted:

small runs you can make yourself with a kit from decalpro. Also there are graphic places that will do a sheet of dry transfers for 50-80$ for a 8.5x11" shhet, just pack in as many as you can to make cost effective

DecalPro is a dry transfer kit....and at best it's OK. Very costly when you look at start up cost for the first dry transfer. 

When I ran DNL Hobbies we ran thousands of Good Year tire dry transfers for NASCAR model cars. Around 1999 we had a hard time finding anyone to make GOOD transfers that we could sell and make a few cents. If someone will do GOOD dry transfer with art, set up and printing for $50 might be worth it. 

One note.....You can make dry transfers into decals by just applying the dry transfer onto clear plain decal paper and then using them like normal decals. 

Scher.....if I can help with info let me know offline. 

Eliot

You might want to give OGR Forum sponsor Harry Hieke a call, He has a guy that custom runs decals for him all the time

Steve

Dave,

Nice job on the Ashland hopper car! What led you to make it? Do you have any decals left for that car?

Chris

LVHR

PS. I used to work for the company a long time ago.

lehighline posted:

Dave,

Nice job on the Ashland hopper car! What led you to make it? Do you have any decals left for that car?

Chris

LVHR

PS. I used to work for the company a long time ago.

 

Dad had one job after he graduated Marshall U....Ashland when it was HDQ in Ashland KY. He worked for Ashland, Valvoline, Ross and Ashland until he retired. (all Ashland companies) My brother still works for them in Dublin Ohio. So I'll have a few Ashland items on the layout including a Chem plant! Thanks

This is getting a bit complicated now. I am comfortable with decal application but have never used dry transfers and I don't want to practice on a $1300 locomotive. Why are dry transfers better? How do they work? Most importantly, where do I get the best dry transfers? The process of finding someone and then getting the product seems a bit more complicated than I thought it would be.

I have found a decal source but now some very experienced painters are advising dry transfers. Can someone learn me on dry transfers, please? Particularly, who does it best and how to contact them.

Thanks,

Eliot

Eliot, First off they should be fresh. Transfers more than a year old are harder to apply. I order direct from Woodland Scenics. To get them straight I put down a straight line. For that I just use paper from a yellow or white ruled tablet. Mark where  the center of the word(s) will be and work out from center. The transfers come with a backing sheet. Lay the transfer on the object  rub the letter with a soft pencil. Lift the transfer sheet slowly from one corner until you can verify all of the letter has been transferred. If not lay the sheet back down and rub the area missing on your model. After you are satisfied with placement take the backing sheet and place it over the lettering and rub again with the soft pencil. This is called burnishing and makes sure the transfer is flat on the model.

If you make a mistake with a letter or unhappy with it just press masking tape over it and lift it off.

Pick up a sheet and practice. Many hobby shops stock it.

I have had good luck with decal pro myself

AMCDave posted:

Jagrick posted:

small runs you can make yourself with a kit from decalpro. Also there are graphic places that will do a sheet of dry transfers for 50-80$ for a 8.5x11" shhet, just pack in as many as you can to make cost effective

DecalPro is a dry transfer kit....and at best it's OK. Very costly when you look at start up cost for the first dry transfer. 

When I ran DNL Hobbies we ran thousands of Good Year tire dry transfers for NASCAR model cars. Around 1999 we had a hard time finding anyone to make GOOD transfers that we could sell and make a few cents. If someone will do GOOD dry transfer with art, set up and printing for $50 might be worth it. 

One note.....You can make dry transfers into decals by just applying the dry transfer onto clear plain decal paper and then using them like normal decals. 

Scher.....if I can help with info let me know offline. 

I got some made with a company with very good service ReproGraphX.com" <contact@reprographx.com> furnished art work/text for them and got back a sheet that was excellent quality and cost effective as I put 30 diferent images on a single 8.5 x 11" sheet

Eliot,

Clover House has a lot of dry transfers available, from general fonts to railroad specific sheets.  I don't know what you're looking for, but you might find something worthwhile in their catalog.

For water-slide decals, Highball, Cedarleaf Decals, and Circus City are all options.  There are others of course but those are the three I could think of off the top of my head.  Lot's of people like Highball Graphics.  I have a friend that has had a positive experience with Stan Cedarleaf on O scale decals.  I haven't heard much about Circus City but two people whose opinions I trust recommend them.  Take all that for what it's worth.

Hope that helps,

Jim

Why dry transfers???? No decal halo. (halo is the clear carrier the decal image is printed on)  Dry transfers are printed with just the image which is sticky on the backside and the carrier is on the front side.  Dry transfers CAN work better but you get ONE chance. Get it wrong...remove and start over....and hope you don't mess the finish.  And as stated they MUST be fresh to work right....and not exposed to to much light or dust.  

Eliot...what is your end goal?? A custom road name? Something available on the market now?? Give me some info if you want more info. thx

Eliot, what road are you looking for? Maybe someone has some from Champ or Walthers. Don

I'm not sure if he's still in business, but Ricky Rupp (rarupp@hotmail.com) made some perfect New Haven decals for me. His prices were on the low side of very fair. I sent him camera ready artwork. He had 3 or 4 ALPS printers and gallons of white ink. Good luck.

I need decals for our railroad, The Munoz Lines and we're using an uncommon font.

Scrappy

Scrapiron Scher posted:

I need decals for our railroad, The Munoz Lines and we're using an uncommon font.

Scrappy

 

Do you have art work ready?? Scaled etc??