Using Your Computer to Make Decals

Using Your Computer
to Make Decals

Making your own decals can add yet another resource to your model building bag of tricks. Here are a couple of applications, but I'm sure there are many more I haven't thought of. There are several choices for decal-making materials on the market. I use the system made by Testors, which includes decal paper that is printable on inkjet printers, and a lacquer coating that is applied to the printed images. The papers are available in both clear and white backgrounds, which makes it easy to create just about any custom image you want. You can design your own images, use photos, or find a virtually unlimited number of images online. If you can print it on your inkjet printer, you can make it into a decal.

Using Photos to Make Decals

You can achieve a great deal of authenticity by using photos to create decals. This is the technique I used when I was building my '54 Ford Country Squire.

I started by searching online for a suitable side view of the '54 Squire wagon. The image needed to be high resolution to ensure good reproduction. I imported the image into my Corel Draw® program.

Then I measured the side of the Squire and resized the original image to the correct size.

I knew in advance that I'd want to apply the decals in individual sections, so I broke the image apart and digitally trimmed each one down, leaving just a bit around the edges to allow for final trimming once the decals were printed.

Next, I duplicated and flipped the image. I also duplicated one of the larger panels to use on the tailgate.

Then I copied the entire design, and pasted it to make a second complete copy, so I would have a backup just in case.

Once everything was like I wanted, I printed the design out on the Testors decal paper. I let the printout dry for a couple of days and then applied three light coats of the Testors decal coating. Here's the finished product; one complete set of '54 Squire decals.

One word of caution! Most of the time I use Solvaset decal setting solution when applying decals. When I used it on the Squire decals, I discovered that it was incompatible with the Testors system. The decals I had applied to the Squire body (Thankfully on one side only!) they almost immediately began to craze, soften and melt. I was really glad I had printed out a backup set, which I reapplied.

I also used this method for the decals I used on my '57 Ford Country Squire.

This technique can be useful for any number of situations.

Decals for Detailing

Gauge Decals Recent kit decal sheets have included much more detail than in years gone by, including engine markings, scripts, and dashboard gauges. It's relatively easy to create your own detailing decals. Here's the method I use for gauges.
The first step is to examine your dashboard to see what decals you'll need. For this example I'm using the dashboard from an AMT '68 Thunderbird that I'm restoring. It has five gauges, fuel/oil, speedometer, clock, alternator/temperature, and wipers/rear vent. Because typical dash gauges are so small, it's helpful to locate an online photo to help determine correct placement of the gauges. Once you've determined what gauges you need, do another online search for images of the individual gauges. This can take some time because you want to look for images that have decent resolution, and just as important, images that are taken from a straight-on perspective. This avoids distortion of the shapes, i.e., round gauges should be round and not egg shaped. I use my trusty old Corel Draw program for graphic work, but any decent graphics program should have the capabilities you'll need. These include: Import or copy/paste images such as jpeg or png Optional: Resample images to reduce file size Image enhance: color balance, brightness, contrast Measurement guides in both inches and millimeters Drawing capabilities: lines, circles, combine and group images, selective color fill Image resizing Let's get started!
On the left is the original image I found online for the speedometer. I imported it into the graphics program. For reference, the rectangle on the right represents a standard 81/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. Obviously the original image is way too big!	I started by cropping the image down to just the face of the gauge.
Then I resampled the image to bring it down to a more manageable size, and moved it over to the 8 1/2 by 11 rectangle.	This is a zoomed in view of the image on the left.
Next I enhanced the image to boost brightness and contrast. The better you can make the image look at this stage, the better the final result will be.	Here I've added guidelines on each side of the gauge face, not including the bezel.
I moved the image up on the page so I could draw a perfect circle between the guidelines. (Of course in the case of gauges that are not circular, you'll need to adjust accordingly by changing the shape of the circle as necessary.)	Here I've moved the circle up on the page so that it lines up with the gauge image. I changed the circle outline to red so it would show up better.
The next step is to draw a box around the image, making sure there is some space on all sides.	This shows where I've combined the red circle with the square. Different graphics programs may use different terms and/or procedures to accomplish this step...
...but the end result that you want to accomplish is a white mask with a black outline on the inner (the circle) and outer (the square) edges surrounding the gauge face. The combined circle and square are filled with white for reasons I'll explain below.	I've zoomed in on the very corner of the 8 1/2 by 11 page, and changed my display from inches to millimeters. Using millimeters gives a more precise result. I used a digital caliper to measure the inside diameter of the model's speedometer bezel, and came up with 3.7 mm. This shows where I've added guidelines to that width.
If you look closely you'll see the set of 3.7 mm wide guidelines on the left of the square. I've combined the original image of the gauge and the mask into one image.	This shows the first stage of shrinking the image down to the correct size.
Here I've zoomed in on the previous image.	Then I did a final resize and centered just the gauge image in between the guidelines.
Next I deleted the black outline around the mask, leaving the white fill in place. The resulting gauge face was just a tiny bit too small.	I carefully resized the image until the gauge face was exactly 3.7 mm in diamter.
In the case of the '68 Thunderbird, the remaining four gauges were all the same diameter as the speedometer, so it was just a matter of repeating the above steps to create a set of five gauges. For other projects I've used this technique on, gauges have been different sizes. In those instances I just remeasuring the different diameters I needed. For other shapes, I create the correct shape and size of mask to place over the gauge image. The main thing to keep in mind is that you need a white mask with no outline to place over the gauge image. When you're ready to print out the decals, use clear rather than white decal paper. Before you apply the decals, trim them very closely and paint the gauge area on the dashboard with white paint. Once the decals are applied, the white paint will show through the clear decal base and create a very realistic appearance. Because the finished decals are very small and delicate, I generally use a copy and paste routine in the graphic program to create several sets before printing. This gives me extras to work with in case of mishaps.

Designing Your Own Graphics

When I was building my '57 Chevy Custom, I wanted to get a look inspired by the wild custom paint jobs from the late 50s and early 60s. I could have taken a couple of approaches, including some rather tedious masking and painting. But I decided to try a different approach; I used my computer to design and print out decals.

I generally use Corel Draw® for my graphic design work. But most any good graphics program will have similar features. I started out by selecting an image from the clip art file that looked like a good basis for a design. I would normally use just an outline of the image and fill it later with one or more colors, but for this example I've filled it with black so it shows up better.

Next I used some of the image altering features of the program to change the shape; in this example I reduced the height. The blue outline shows what the new shape will be.

And here's the result.

I used the "skew" command to stretch it out...

...with this result. You can alter the size and shape of images in this fashion, pretty much at will.

Once I had the shape I wanted, I filled the image with red and added a heavy black outline. You can continue to make changes until you get just what you want.

Here I've added a black oval behind the image and changed the image outline to white. Once you've finished creating the image you want, it's time to resize it to fit the area where the finished decal will be placed.

I designed some decals for a '32 Ford street rod using this method. After I had the basic designs done and was ready to resize the images, I created a template for the areas where the decals would be placed.

Here you see the finished images placed over the template and resized to fit. Almost time to print them out!

The last step was to delete the template and print out the image on decal paper. Be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions for printing, preparing and applying the finished decals.

A word about decal paper...it's available in both clear and white. If you have light colors and/or white in your images you should use the white. As is usually the case, experimentation is always a good idea.

You can use this same basic technique to make decals of just about anything. Find some cool graphics, art work, photos, whatever, resize them in a graphics program and then print them out. The sky's the limit!

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