custom decals - The Chainlink2024-03-28T18:31:05Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/custom-decals?commentId=2211490%3AComment%3A1140990&feed=yes&xn_auth=noMost of the people I dealt wi…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-10-22:2211490:Comment:11646772020-10-22T03:52:37.798ZMatt M. 18.5KMhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/MattM
<p><span>Most of the people I dealt with recommended 2 mil vinyl. But the 3 mil worked great. The download for Adobe Illustrator is free and then you pay a subscription for however long you want to keep it. Many fonts are available of course for your project. You could embellish the artwork further and hopefully get a really nice product. Good luck!</span></p>
<p><span>Most of the people I dealt with recommended 2 mil vinyl. But the 3 mil worked great. The download for Adobe Illustrator is free and then you pay a subscription for however long you want to keep it. Many fonts are available of course for your project. You could embellish the artwork further and hopefully get a really nice product. Good luck!</span></p> Thanks, Matt. I'm probably no…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-10-21:2211490:Comment:11641832020-10-21T14:58:58.996ZDavid P.https://thechainlink.org/profile/DavidAPertuz
<p>Thanks, Matt. I'm probably not going to get watre-transfer decals. Likely to be vinyl, but if I can find someone to hand-letter what I want that would be ideal.</p>
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<p>Thanks, Matt. I'm probably not going to get watre-transfer decals. Likely to be vinyl, but if I can find someone to hand-letter what I want that would be ideal.</p>
<p></p> I have had SEVERAL bad experi…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-10-21:2211490:Comment:11637262020-10-21T03:29:52.612ZMatt M. 18.5KMhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/MattM
<p>I have had SEVERAL bad experiences. Some dudes who decal as a business think they're some kind of artistic god and try to charge $300 to decal ONE bike. It's a s**t show when you just try to squeeze even a single head tube decal out of these guys.</p>
<p>So if you can play with at least a basic graphics program<span> </span><a href="https://store.semperfiprinting.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Semper Fi Printing LLC in Arlington Heights</a><span> </span>will plot your stuff…</p>
<p>I have had SEVERAL bad experiences. Some dudes who decal as a business think they're some kind of artistic god and try to charge $300 to decal ONE bike. It's a s**t show when you just try to squeeze even a single head tube decal out of these guys.</p>
<p>So if you can play with at least a basic graphics program<span> </span><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://store.semperfiprinting.com/" target="_blank">Semper Fi Printing LLC in Arlington Heights</a><span> </span>will plot your stuff on white 3mil cast vinyl for a fraction of any specialty vendor. I had to get some <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.sciplus.com/headband-magnifying-visor-61075-p" target="_blank">jeweler's magnifiers from American Science and Surplus</a> and an X-Acto knife to cut out the white background for my project. The Semper Fi decals came out BETTER than the ones I bought from<span> </span><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.velocals.com/" target="_blank">VeloCals</a><span> </span>and they didn't bleed like the VeloCals decals did. And the white edges disappeared when the decal was applied (I think - I have a dark grey bike). I used<span> </span><a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.gimp.org/" target="_blank">GIMP</a><span> </span>to redraw the original decals but I would have started with Adobe Illustrator or QuarkXPress if I had known what a pain in the a** the decal guys were going to be... So if you're going to get crazy and grab a jeweler's loop to look at your decals, like a collector of DaVinci masterpieces, use Adobe Illustrator or QuarkXPress. <span> </span><em><strong>If you just want your freakin' decals back after your repaint</strong></em>, use GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, etc. Either way, Semper Fi Printing will plot whatever you send them for a very reasonable price. If you want your stuff on clear decal media you'll have to go through the decal specialists I mentioned above.</p>
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<p>After you cut out your cast vinyl decals, leave the paper backing on the decals and carefully arrange them on <a href="https://www.dickblick.com/items/60889-1008/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CRICUT Transfer Tape</a> with the top of the decals facing the sticky side of the transfer tape. It's low tack and will release your decals onto the bike when properly applied.</p>
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<p>Since I powder coated my bike I just used gloss Rustoleum clear coat with UV guard to protect the decals. I masked off the powder coating. Then I just clear coated the decals with a little clear border around them.</p>
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<p>As far as printing stuff in my home office, I really couldn't bring myself to trust the process.</p>
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<p>If you REEAALY have to know who these decal fanatics are I can give you their info. But be prepared to pay at least $200 for your decals and do A LOT of work for them to get them their decal dimensions and their decal colors. It's just flat out exhausting.</p> Thanks, Mike. I don't have ac…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-10-07:2211490:Comment:11519522020-10-07T14:46:51.985ZDavid P.https://thechainlink.org/profile/DavidAPertuz
<p>Thanks, Mike. I don't have access to any particularly good printers, but the material may be a good option for hand-cutting decals.</p>
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<p>Thanks, Mike. I don't have access to any particularly good printers, but the material may be a good option for hand-cutting decals.</p>
<p></p> If' you're still looking for…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-10-06:2211490:Comment:11512222020-10-06T14:49:52.222ZMike Muczynakihttps://thechainlink.org/profile/MikeMuczynaki
If' you're still looking for a solution, consider DIY. You can laser print (in color) on polyester sheets (like vinyl) and overspray with a UV protective coating for outdoor use. I've made stickers this way that have been outside 24/7 with sun exposure for a few years now. Papilio.com <a href="https://www.papilio.com/laser%20glossy%20white%20permanent%20polyester.html" target="_blank">https://www.papilio.com/laser%20glossy%20white%20permanent%20polyester.html…</a>
If' you're still looking for a solution, consider DIY. You can laser print (in color) on polyester sheets (like vinyl) and overspray with a UV protective coating for outdoor use. I've made stickers this way that have been outside 24/7 with sun exposure for a few years now. Papilio.com <a href="https://www.papilio.com/laser%20glossy%20white%20permanent%20polyester.html" target="_blank">https://www.papilio.com/laser%20glossy%20white%20permanent%20polyester.html</a><br />
<a href="https://www.papilio.com/spray%20uv%20clear%20laminate%20clearjet%20aerosol.html" target="_blank">https://www.papilio.com/spray%20uv%20clear%20laminate%20clearjet%20aerosol.html</a><br />
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If you can find an inkjet printer, they have printable vinyl sheets too. <a href="https://www.papilio.com/inkjet%20waterproof%20adhesive%20film%20media.html" target="_blank">https://www.papilio.com/inkjet%20waterproof%20adhesive%20film%20media.html</a> I didn't. I've found a couple…tag:thechainlink.org,2020-09-11:2211490:Comment:11409902020-09-11T21:38:30.579ZDavid P.https://thechainlink.org/profile/DavidAPertuz
<p>I didn't. I've found a couple of good online sources for decals, though.</p>
<p>I didn't. I've found a couple of good online sources for decals, though.</p> Did you ever get worked out? …tag:thechainlink.org,2020-09-11:2211490:Comment:11409322020-09-11T21:06:24.966Zketoguychicagohttps://thechainlink.org/profile/ketoguychicago
<p>Did you ever get worked out? There's a place called stickermule.com where they do custom stuff mail-order if you're striking out. </p>
<p>Did you ever get worked out? There's a place called stickermule.com where they do custom stuff mail-order if you're striking out. </p>