Making your own transfers? Help needed!

[Malika]

Hello everybody,

I've been pondering about designing my own transfers to put on various models (mainly 6mm and BFG scaled stuff), but I don't really know how to make them. Do you guys have any experiences with this? Do you have any suggestions, tutorials, anything?


Cheers!

[AvidReader]

Design them in vector format (or if not your thing, lots of pixels and scale down, never up).

DIY, get inkjet paper or laser paper (different, so beware), and print them. No whites, probably a bit transparent.

More pro, find a place (t-shirt and mug customization are good starts) that has dye sublimation (IIRC this is in the way out) or special purpose laser machine (CMYW, W, not K), you will get whites or even more complex features like trimmed carrier. I think I have a couple of bookmarks somewhere, but never used them.

[AvidReader]

And found one old bookmark. Still works, but maybe not all the listed shops do (scroll to middle of page): http://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm

[Islacrusez]

From the scale modelling viewpoint, we would use a clear transfer sheet if there was no white on it - this makes life easier as you don't have to trim it fine. If you need white, we'd use a white transfer sheet and have to cut it down to remove any unwanted white patches, as then you have no transparency to play with.

If you're working large enough, it might be possible to mask off an area and paint it white, pop a clear transfer on top, and that gets you your white. Not great solutions, but they are the cheap ones. Just watch out for inkjet printers, that ink needs sealing with a varnish before it goes on, and you may have issues with using a transparent transfer then.