Looking for help printing colours

[JSN]

Hello,

I am trying to print some stuff for minifigs that match the old light and dark grey using MS paint. I made an attempt using numbers 27 and 103 from this Peeron link but it was far too light and had a very bluish tint to it. Is there a red/green/blue colour balance that will better match classic grey or is this more likely to be a printer issue that will just need experimentation to solve?

Thanks,

John

Edited October 3, 2010 by JSN

[LuxorV]

Try using the colours listed in this chart for a start.

Then, keep in mind that the paper you print your decals on will influence the result: on clear decal paper, the colour will look good when printed, but will remain a bit transparent and will blend with the part's colour when applied; on white decal paper, the colour will often look slightly lighter than actual LEGO and you may have to experiment a bit to darken it.

Let apart normal paper, which will get a grainy effect, which is impossible to get rid of, being it connaturated in the support.

All in all, I think clear decal paper is more indicated for darker colours, while white decal paper work good with lighter ones (light blue come out almost perfect, for example).

Hope this helps you

[Aanchir]

Hello,

I am trying to print some stuff for minifigs that match the old light and dark grey using MS paint. I made an attempt using numbers 27 and 103 from this Peeron link but it was far too light and had a very bluish tint to it. Is there a red/green/blue colour balance that will better match classic grey or is this more likely to be a printer issue that will just need experimentation to solve?

Thanks,

John

Another thing to keep in mind is that parts do tend to become "yellower" over time. I know, for example, that I have a range of different "shades" of gray pieces from old Castle and Pirates sets. So it's possible that the age of your gray pieces could be a factor in them not matching the "official" RGB values from LEGO.

Not sure if there's a solution to this-- most of the topics about fixing "yellowing" of parts are focused on white parts, and involve chemicals that might bleach out darker-colored parts like grays. In that case, I'd probably recommend trial and error with digitally changing the RGB values of your prints, rather than risking physical damage to your parts.

EDIT: Also, one problem you're facing is that color #103 on the chart you used is not the same color AFOLs call Light Gray, but the one Bricklink calls Very Light Gray. The color more familiar to AFOLs as Light Grey is actually color #2 Grey on the official LEGO chart.

Official LEGO names for colors are fairly systematic most of the time (most older colors are arranged on a value scale of Light>Medium>Bright>Dark>Earth, with the additional shades Sand and Brick for "faded" colors like tan and dark tan), but they're not intuitive. So whenever using a color chart that uses official LEGO names, make sure to double-check a chart where these names are compared to the typical AFOL names.

Let me recommend to you this color chart which includes everything on the official chart you used, but goes another step and cross-references the colors with their Bricklink names. The RGB value next to the official LEGO names is the one that you would have gotten from the other chart, but also includes several newer or more obscure colors. Another similar cross-referenced color chart can be found at a favorite website of mine, Isodomos. It hasn't been updated in a while, but nevertheless it's a chart which I learned a great deal from back when I was researching the official names and RGB values for the colors used in BIONICLE sets.

Edited October 8, 2010 by Aanchir