Decal Printng Quality Problems

[amozza]

Greetings! I'm new to this forum and to minifig customizing, so any assistance would be really appreciated.

I'm trying to print some waterslide decals and am getting really lousy results, with the straight edges in the design appearing very fuzzy (blotted). My design has fairly intricate details but not much more than some I have seen. The original image is 600 dpi, and I've tried it also at 300 dpi with no improvement. I've also tried almost all combinations for the printer settings ranging from Normal paper to Glossy Photo Paper and quality settings from Normal to Best Photo.

I'm using an Epson Stylus Photo R220 and Testors white inkjet decal paper. There's a pic attached to illustrate to problem.

I've looked through the tutorials here and elsewhere, and none seem to describe optimum settings for printing or the issues I'm seeing.

Thanks,

amozza

[LuxorV]

First of all, welcome to Eurobricks and the Minifig Customisation Workshop, amozza.

I'm not sure this can be of any help, but have you tried to clean the printing head [not sure it's the right term in Eng ] (or use the auto-clean setting of your printer, if present). Maybe it's just that the ink is not sprayed evenly and the result is messy. Or maybe it's something else completely .

I'm sure other, probably with more experience in printing decals, will give you more precise answers

LuxorV

[Mraz Skintas]

While it is quite pricey, you may need to replace your ink. That is the type of printer I have, and have used for a while now, and I never had any problems with it printing splotchy. You could try printing the decal out on regular printer paper, and see if you still have the problem. I'm no expert on the problem, but those are the first things I would do if I were having any issues.

-'Skintas

Oh, and welcome to EuroBricks!

[amozza]

Thanks for the tips guys.

The ink cartridges are new and Epson ones (not refilled) and I have tried cleaning the print heads several times. Printing on normal or photo paper and the design looks perfect. So I'm wondering if it's the waterslide paper I'm using. I was thinking about trying those dry rub off decals instead thinking their composition might be different. Do you have any experience using those?

Failing that, I guess my other option would be to "hire" someone to print them for me. Do you know if there's anyone on this site who does that?

It's really frustrating because I'm trying to wrap up a brickfilm (www.CityKREW.com) and can't because of the damn decals. GRRRR!

amozza

[Mraz Skintas]

Sorry if this is ignorant, but I'm not 100% sure on what you mean by 'dry rub off decals,' but I'm pretty sure you're refering to standard decals, which I think most people, including me, that customize on this site use. I usually print the design onto normal printer paper, cut it out, and run it through a Xyron Decal maker, and I think that if you buy the small one of those, it's alot cheaper over time than multiple packs of the decal paper.

-'Skintas

[amozza]

Sorry if this is ignorant, but I'm not 100% sure on what you mean by 'dry rub off decals,' but I'm pretty sure you're refering to standard decals, which I think most people, including me, that customize on this site use. I usually print the design onto normal printer paper, cut it out, and run it through a Xyron Decal maker, and I think that if you buy the small one of those, it's alot cheaper over time than multiple packs of the decal paper.

-'Skintas

The dry rub off I was referring to appear similar to the waterslides. Print on the film (in reverse), apply the adhesive backing, then place the decal over the torso and rub through the top layer to apply it.

I haven't heard of the Xyron Decal maker, 'Skintas. That looks like it could be a serious option. Can you elaborate? What model number do you use/recommend, etc. I did a quick search and there seems to be a lot of variety from $20-$200 options.

[Mraz Skintas]

I have two of the different machines, and both of them work out just fine. i use teh bigger on if I want to make more than one decal at a time, and the smaller for just solo minifig decals. The big one. The little one. The refil for the larger one is a little pricey, which is why I use it less. You can get either of the machines from a Hobby Lobby, if you live in the states. I'm not sure if those stores are found elsewhere.

-'Skintas

[amozza]

I have two of the different machines, and both of them work out just fine. i use teh bigger on if I want to make more than one decal at a time, and the smaller for just solo minifig decals. The big one. The little one. The refil for the larger one is a little pricey, which is why I use it less. You can get either of the machines from a Hobby Lobby, if you live in the states. I'm not sure if those stores are found elsewhere.

-'Skintas

Thanks so much Skintas! After watching some demos on these, I think it will prove very useful. I'm also going to try this Epson Photo Sticker paper for comparison.