By: Autum Copus


SuperCal Ink Jet DECAL SYSTEM
By: SuperCal Decals - USA.

The Kit Contents: SuperCal "Real Decal" Kit contains 5 Sheets (5.5" x 8.5");
SuperCal Decal Paper; 1 can- Last Step Coating and instruction Sheet
Cost: $25.00 for the kit + $5.00 freight Charges (at the time of printing)
Order: Via the web site or by mail
The decal paper comes in CLEAR or WHITE. They do not mix the paper in the kit.
The $5.00 shipping charge is per order. The can of LAST STEP DECAL COATING is
large enough to do much more than the 5 sheets of paper that come in the kit.

I sent in my order and payment via mail and received my order within a week.
One key thing to remember is the printed decal will only be as good as the 
print out that your printer is able to do so use the highest resolution you 
can and set the paper as HIGH GLOSS PHOTO PAPER ot the closest you can come
to it. I used my Canon printer with a DPI of 720. I was satisfied with the 
finished decal but using my Epson at 1400 dpi really made a big improvement.

Since the decal is printed from your computer you can use any program you have
to create the decal, clip art or scanned image.
Create the decal and test print on regular paper to create the proper size. 
When you are ready to print, make sure that your printer is set at the 
highest resolution that it will do.
 
The instructions say to insert the decal paper into the printer to print 
the decal. I do not recommend this, unless you are printing an entire set
of decals that will use the whole sheet. In that case make sure you change
the paper size to match that of the decal paper.

Using the entire decal sheet if you are printing a few small decals or one,
(anything that will not fill the entire sheet), will only waste the rest of
the decal sheet. Not only will the finishing spray cover unused portions of 
the decal sheet, but as you cut them out you will have to trim the paper back
to straight edges to put back through the printer, wasting those parts of the
paper.

I used the same technique that I use for our other specialty papers and it 
worked out perfectly.

After creating the decal on your computer and adjusting for size, print a 
sample on a regular piece of paper. DO NOT MOVE OR ADJUST THE IMAGE. 
You want the next one to print in the same place as the sample.

Cut a square out of the decal paper that is slightly larger than your 
decal print ... a 1/3" to ½" on all sides.
Place the square over the printed decal paper and tape all edges down. 
Put the tape close to the edge of the decal paper. Do not leave any edges 
un-taped as you don't want to snag on the feeder or the print heads.
Place the paper back in the printer and print the image again. 
DO NOT TOUCH the print when it comes out of the printer.
Move the paper AWAY from the printer BEFORE spraying.

FINISHING SPRAY
The finishing spray that you spray on the printed decal creates a film 
for the decals. I suggest that you make a few practice decals and find 
the right amount of spray. I made 3 light passes of the spray. 
The decal was extremely thin and did not protect the ink when I rolled 
a wet q-tip over it after it was on the model. I found that 4 passes 
worked much better.

My suggestion for the spray is to make print 1 or 2 extra decals on the 
same sheet. After the spray is dry ( I let mine set 24 hours.) test one 
decal for the amount of spray. If it isn't enough make another pass with 
the spray and let dry again.

Will this decal method replace the after market decals? No they won't. 
But if you are in need of specialty decals that you can't find anywhere else,
this method is great. I have no complaints. Well, okay, one. 
They do not offer a half and half kit, white decal paper and clear paper, 
you have to buy one or the other, My suggestion here is to find another 
modeler to buy a kit of one type while you get the other and sway some sheets 
with each other.

It does take a few tries to get used to decals and at $5.00 a sheet, 
(that includes the spray in the kit) the price is reasonable.

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Note: The can of Last Step Decal Spray is large enough to coat 
15 to 20 decal sheets.

Refill Decal Packages are available.
Refill Clear Decal Paper-10 sheets per package
Refill White Decal Paper-10 sheets per package
Refill Assortment- 5 clear/5 white per package