#11
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Well, screen printing is a viable way to make decals; I was printing them way back when. (But don't look to me to do it now; it's been way too long since the last time I did that.) It requires a completely new investment in equipment, supplies and a brand new skill set, and maybe even a small paradigm shift. It is also much more of a hands-on method of production, or at least it was back in the day. Kind of like turning custom nose cones. (But that was still the analog age; things might be a bit different now.) But yeah, you can print very nice, very finely detailed decals via serigraphy. And printing with white inks and metallics are not difficult to do.
MarkII
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Mark S. Kulka NAR #86134 L1,_ASTRE #471_Adirondack Mountains, NY
Opinions Unfettered by Logic • Advice Unsullied by Erudition • Rocketry Without Pity
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#12
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300 bucks? Man I have bought 3 Alps printers on Craigs list for that price and they all work fine. Also you can buy a brand new Alps printer from Alps supplies.com. I think screen printing the decals would be the best way to go, but for this machine I don't think the mesh is fine enough for our decals. Alps is by far still the best option for home decals until someone comes out with another printer that can print white,foils and spot colors. But I would be intrested if someone gave it a try.
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#13
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Aside from the cost, this has been my bigest question. I know in the day silkscreening was the way it was done by the "professional" outfits. |
#14
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The fineness of the screen mesh determines the pore size, and the pore size determines the size of the dots of ink that are deposited on the print, the amount of ink contained in each dot, and the evenness of the color. (The dots made from most inks flow together after being deposited on the surface, but that is controlled by the type and quality of the inks that are used.) All other things being equal, the finer the mesh, the finer the detail that can be printed. (The quality of the stencil itself is the third major factor, of course. The type of stock is another factor, too; harder, smoother stock usually takes the print better, but inks, stencils and techniques can be adjusted to produce excellent prints on just about any material. Like t-shirts, for instance. ) The masks applied to microprocessor blanks prior to etching are deposited via screen printing; now that is fine detail!
MarkII
__________________
Mark S. Kulka NAR #86134 L1,_ASTRE #471_Adirondack Mountains, NY
Opinions Unfettered by Logic • Advice Unsullied by Erudition • Rocketry Without Pity
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#15
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The Yudo machine is more than just the screens and the platen. It includes a light source that can be used as a light box and for curing the resist and a drying fan for well drying the resist and the screens after cleaning. It's marketed as a complete self contained system. It's geared to the weekend crafter crowd, not the professional screen printer. I've seen some projects where folks have printed cards and posters. If you want to use it for decals, just keep in mind that like any screen printing project if you want multiple colors you have a lot of issues with multiple colors and registration issues. kj |
#16
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I for one would love to give up my Alps printers, if I had something better like screen printing. About 10 years ago I had some really cool decals screen printed by a guy who did a fantastic job - and for a very reasonable price. But these days I can hardly find anyone who will do the job, much less for a price I can afford.
Real screen printed decals are superior to any Alps decal in every way. You have complete control over the colors, plus the printed images are far more durable than the soft Alps "inks". Two decals I would especially like screen printed are the Andromeda and the Scrambler. The Andromeda "red" is not supposed to be red, it is a reddish orange that I have come to the conclusion is not part of the Alps gamut. Ditto with the Scrambler yellow (and other yellows for that matter). Anyway, I'll crawl off my soap box now |
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