Inkjet Waterslide Decals DIY

Making waterslide decals with your inkjet printer...

I've made a lot of decals with my 2 printers... Epson Stylus 2200 and Epson Stylus Pro 3800.  What I want to do now is start keeping a chronicle of what works and what doesn't.

This also includes my experimentation with painting polyurethane that has been cast in a silicone mold and then sanded.

First about the paint problem....  I made a bunch of flat car bodies and have had some mysterious results where the paint never dries on the models.  This is true of Testor's Enamels, Tru-Color Lacquers and Testor's Dullcote and Krylon Color Master Clear Acrylics.

As I solve the paint problem, I'll post more.  So far though, several paints haven't fully dried and remain either wet or tacky.  Days next to a fan didn't help, but a warm day and night by the open window did help.  I suspect that direct sunlight and outside exposure is the key to the current problem.  But, the next next batch is going to be acrylic so we'll see what's up.

Now on to the decals.  The best results so far were when I printed on this setting:  enhanced matte, 2880 dpi, +5% ink. Wait 5 days, spray with Dullcote.  Problem, the film doesn't dissolve and is super tough to conceal.

That was then, this is now:  premium gloss, 2880 dpi, -5%, wait an hour, Krylon Clear Acrylic Satin.  We'll see tomorrow how that works.....