Homemade Decals

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:27 am

Here is a project I started last spring, but shelved due to the efi mod. Not the best screen-cap ever, but it gives a fair idea. They look much nicer in their original format. The chrome effect especially suffers in the jpeg conversion. It is just black gradients on white, but looks convincing at real size and resolution. I know someone who has a vinyl process printer/cutter, so I'll be able to try a few small samples before I commit. It would be easy enough to change the color to red and black etc. But this looks extra spoooky for Halloween.

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:32 am

They look pretty good

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:02 am

I would be interested in possibly purchasing some of those, Pretty nice. Looking to paint my bike a dark gun metal metallic grey. Those would look sweet...maybe print them on a clear base, so the color comes through

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:50 am

Would you be willing to send out the file? I too have been working on something like that from some scanned pieces and freehand in photoshop. I was planning on going down to the vinyl printer to check on prices. herefoxy@hotmail.com

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:37 am

looks cool, I wonder what they turn out in full size.

if you're ever going to sell sets like these, I'de be very interested. my project needs new paintwork and it's allready sanded down, waiting for ideas Smile

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:32 pm

Midnight wrote:

looks cool, I wonder what they turn out in full size.

if you're ever going to sell sets like these, I'de be very interested. my project needs new paintwork and it's allready sanded down, waiting for ideas Smile

Mine is going to get to that point pretty shortly, can't wait to start and check out everyone's winter projects....

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:17 pm

well here's mine!

http://cb1100f.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=17079&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Very Happy

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:27 pm

I like your swingarm..what is it??

looks good...Mine won't be that much of a tear down..just paint and a cb1100f fairing.

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:29 pm

it's a sc33 fireblade rearwheel/swingarm. it's going to be a monoshock..

but on topic, I had a really hard time finding those original decals in europe, they're like 160 euro's over here, it's cheaper to buy them from AFE graphics..
It's pretty crap they're not available here at decent prices Sad

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:03 pm

Back to the decals. How are you printing out the color gradietn on them? Are you using ink from some sort of printer, or can you get the vinyl made like that?
I am asking because you normal printer ink will fade really quickly in the sun, and will not give you a good effect after a good summer season, even with clear coat. Unless you know somthing I don't.
I hate being mister negative, but I would really hate to see somone to go to all that nice work and see problems in a year. I know when I am done with my paint I want it to last for a long time.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 3:50 am

We have a place that prints bill boards on Vinyl. They can also make stickers...their biggest seller are the ones that Calvin is peeing on Chevy, Ford, or Dodge...I don't think they made that one..but they print it, I would go there if the file is released by chris900f.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:26 am

Ratfink wrote:

Back to the decals. How are you printing out the color gradietn on them? Are you using ink from some sort of printer, or can you get the vinyl made like that?
I am asking because you normal printer ink will fade really quickly in the sun, and will not give you a good effect after a good summer season, even with clear coat. Unless you know somthing I don't.
I hate being mister negative, but I would really hate to see somone to go to all that nice work and see problems in a year. I know when I am done with my paint I want it to last for a long time.

No that is not negative thinking, that's just common sense. I said the same thing, but the process printing is done with a special roll-size printer. It is mainly used in outdoor signage, its like a giant ink-jet, it can even print giant photos on vinyl and the product is very durable. No doubt you have seen the large photographic images on cars and buses. I need to check out the thicknesses available. Originally, I was just going to use red and orange on black, then I thought maybe silver or silver grey...then I found out about the printer Twisted Evil

Before anyone gets too excited though...here is what I did.

I scanned a 12:1 decal model sheet at the highest possible resolution. This created an image about 40" across. Then I drew/traced the shapes with (adobe illustrator) software. The fonts are stock Adobe with mods. Then I dropped out the template image and cleaned up the lines.

The resulting vector files are infinitely scalable, with no loss of resolution. So I measured my sidecover and scaled the entire graphic, tank decals and all, until I got the desired size for the sidecover. I'm making a few assumptions about the accuracy of the original decal sheet, but the proportions look very close, and the pieces can all be isolated and resized individually if need be. But its still an experiment, I might be at this for a while. Laughing

I don't want to sell decals because of the intellectual property thing; but I don't think there is any legal issue with the software itself (eg brandnames.com) as long as its free and for educational purposes Wink

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:50 am

So it is printed out in the vinyl? Not ink on top of it? The only vinyl working machines I have seen are cutting printers that diamond, or laser cut the shape out of a sheet of vinyl. There was no way to do fading, or other crome type effects with them. Just one color, or one decal made with pparts of different sheets to make a few color possible in one decal.
I guess this is new to me. Sounds cool though.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:17 pm

I've seen the vehical "wrap" type of thing on busses and commercial vehicals.
I always wondered how that was done.

Does the printer apply a clear UV protective coating over the printed layer ?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:18 pm

chris900f wrote:

Here is a project I started last spring, but shelved due to the efi mod. Not the best screen-cap ever, but it gives a fair idea. They look much nicer in their original format. The chrome effect especially suffers in the jpeg conversion. It is just black gradients on white, but looks convincing at real size and resolution. I know someone who has a vinyl process printer/cutter, so I'll be able to try a few small samples before I commit. It would be easy enough to change the color to red and black etc. But this looks extra spoooky for Halloween.

would love some of these!.......can you do the U.S. versions front fairing decals too?......and the 1100f script instead of the 900 pictured?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:58 pm

CowTownBiomed wrote:

I've seen the vehical "wrap" type of thing on busses and commercial vehicals.
I always wondered how that was done.

Does the printer apply a clear UV protective coating over the printed layer ?

yes it is UV protected, We have been doing billboards for a while with vinyl. Some of them are 4 years old, pics have 75 dpi res in them...from 150 feet away and at 70 mph, pretty clear pic....I saw on Horsepower TV on Spike TV, I think it was hot rod tv or something like that..the one where there is two guys building cars and such..anyway they viewed a product that is vinyl that's kinda like a big sticker, you peel it off and stick it on your car. It adhears to your car then you can just peel it off when you want to change it, won't stick to your car's paint..I believe they were covering their Chevy Nova Pro-Street with the american flag, eagle, etc. Not really what we would use here, but close.

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:42 am

Firemun,
I can do it, if it comes in a nice model kit. Laughing

I used the "Custom Tuned" 750F/900F decal as a template. There was also a euro Boldor 900F which looked alot like the 1100F, I looked at that big white panel and thought naaa...too much vinyl. But I'm willing to try if you send me the decal.