Decal making software

[Gregsed56]

Hi all. New to forum. Been working on making my own decals. I've seen several software titles, one being Testors Decal Maker CD 1 & upgrade. having trouble finding these titles. Any help or suggestions? Or anyone have these titles that are not using them and willing to let go of them? Thanks and what a GREAT site.

[Zondaracer]

I have used an ancient Photoshop 5.0 that can be downloaded for free. I made 1200dpi files for printing on both laser- and inkjet printer. I made files for my Zonda and my GT90 project. I find PSP very easy to use, get a good image and size it to the proper dimensions and dpi. I never had the idea that I would need special software for it. I only would love to have an ALPS printer, that would make so easy for making decals. Anyway if you search on Youtube, there are plenty of video's explaining how to make decals.

[FrenchToast]

Hi all. New to forum. Been working on making my own decals. I've seen several software titles, one being Testors Decal Maker CD 1 & upgrade. having trouble finding these titles. Any help or suggestions? Or anyone have these titles that are not using them and willing to let go of them? Thanks and what a GREAT site.

It is ideal to use a purely vector format, however this is extremely time consuming, especially if you have multiple colors or an intricate design. And at 1:18 (or smaller) scale, vector vs. raster is hardly noticeable unless it is the length of the car.

I have used an ancient Photoshop 5.0

I thought I was archaic having used Photoshop 6.0. Granted, I haven't used it in probably five or so years! The reverse scrolling is quite annoying though.

If you use Photoshop, I would recommend the newest release possible. Newer versions are much more capable at handling higher resolution images, especially when adjusting lighting or other characteristics.

When I printed decals I also used Photoshop. I made a board at the correct size for the printer, aware of margins, at optimal PPI. (The size, margins and PPI were given to me; I sent them out to someone who specializes in waterslide decals.) I then copied each decal I wanted onto the board, adjusting them in size or color as needed. I searched the web for the best base images I could find.

If you don't know Photoshop, I would recommend taking a course either at a local school or online. It is a very powerful and useful program.

[Zondaracer]

As an example what I made for my Zonda. By sticking them on bare metal foil, I made metal logo's. Not perfect, but I am not auto Art. I even made decals for the brakes. Very easy.