Testor's Custom Decal System Model #9198

waste of money. do not buy the online crap!

That's a little harsh. It has many limitations, common to all inkjet printed decals. However, for certain situations, it works very well.

The biggest advantage is the extremely high resolution available on most inkjet printers. In this regard, inkjets have left ALPS dry film printer in the dust.

The other significant advantage is the ability of inkjet printers to print virtually any shade of any color without visible halftone dots. To avoid visible dots, ALPS decals are typically printed in layers of solid "spot colors". There solid colors are limited to the colors of the ink ribbons themseles, and due to their natural transparency, combinations of various color layers.

The fundamental limitation of all inkjet decals is that inkjet printers themselves don't print white. This is somewhat compounded by the fact that inkjet inks are not very opaque. They are meant to be printed on white paper. If your decal is being applied to a white painted model, or you can print on white decal paper, or you can paint the area under the decal white - inkjet decals may work out for you just fine.

If you want to print white lettering - ALPS dry film printers are the only game in town. Unfortunately, it is not nearly as easy as using an inkjet. ALPS printers have not been sold in the US for a couple of years now. It was recently announced that the manufacture of ribbons will cease worldwide shortly. Printer drivers for current Windows operating systems are not readily available. Printing in multiple layers required the preparation of more complex computer artwork.

I would not encourage anyone to take the ALPS path at this point. It really is too late to get into the game. There is a deticated priesthood of ALPS decal producers, many of whom will print for fee. If your decal needs can't be filled by inkjet printing, contact them.

Greg Reynolds, IPMS

There is a way to make white decals with an inkjet printer, depending on how unusual the background color is (hard to match). If the background is a common color, especially black, one can use the color as the background for the decal. Most art and photo editing programs allow you to use white text on colored backgrounds.

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