Waterslide Decals, Part II: Decaling Your Effect Pedal

[duhvoodooman***]

Creating Your Enclosure Decal Graphics:

As far as the actual creation of the graphics file that I use for printing the decal on the paper, I rely on that most capable and sophisticated of graphics programs: MS Paint!! Yeah, I know--hard to believe! So if you're handy with Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw or Jasc Paint Shop Pro, by all means, use those! They'll probably do a faster & better job. But since (1) I'm familiar with Paint, and (2) it has the fairly simple functionality I need for this task, that's what I've used up to now.

Anyway, I first measure and layout the basic enclosure dimensions. For the pedal I just built, the enclosure is 3 5/8" x 4 5/8". The resolution I'm using in MS Paint is 102 pixels per inch, so that works out to 371 pxl x 473 pxl (I always use odd numbers, so that there's a discreet center point; an even number puts the center point between two pixels!). Next is the process of measuring the precise locations & dimensions (diameters, usually) of all the hardware populating the enclosure face, and "drawing" those onto the enclosure template in the correct locations. At this point, I also fill in the color of the enclosure face as accurately as I can, giving me an accurate graphic representation of the assembled pedal. See the examples below of this graphic for my Fuzz Farm pedal compared to a photo of "the real thing":



Next, it's time to create the graphics. Here, you can use whatever sources of fonts and graphics you like. If I need a picture or drawing of a particular object, I generally poke around on the internet or check various clipart collections. For fonts, there are many, many sources of distinctive/ornate/artistic fonts available on the web. I've downloaded and installed some types to work in Windows programs, and I've made some with online font generators and downloaded the output files. Use whatever works for you. I recommend just doing the whole thing in BMP file format. Though the files end up bigger, by doing this, you avoid any unwanted effects generated by file compression techniques. The colors and appearance stay just as you create them, pixel for pixel.

Some important tips about the pedal color itself. First, if you're using standard clear decal media, I strongly recommend a light-to-medium enclosure color choice, and a dark font or graphic. This is because the way standard PC printing works (and I assume the same goes for Macs), the lighter the color, the more transparent the print. That's because white isn't white when printing--it's clear, i.e. the absence of color/pigment. So don't try printing white lettering on decals for a black pedal, 'cuz when you're done you'll have....a black pedal. I learned this the hard way when I tried printing chartreuse decals for a dark purple pedal. Once applied, they were nearly invisible. Dark purple graphics on a chartreuse pedal would have worked great, though. If you want to do light graphics on a dark background, you're better off with paints or opaque inks, not decals. You can also get white-film decal media, but then you're back to cutting out the individual graphics. No thanks.

Secondly, whenever possible, create your graphics--lettering especially--right on the same color background as your enclosure. That's because when you create the lettering, the font edges are smoothed into the background color by a process called "dithering". If you create them on a blank, white background, that's what color they'll blend into. Then when you paste them onto your enclosure template, they'll have these awful looking light "auras" outlining them. Do it on the correct color background, and they'll blend right in. Here's a sample of what I mean:



The "correct" graphic was created right on the red background using the MS Paint font tool. The "wrong" one was created on the white background and then copy/pasted onto the red. You can see what I mean about the "aura" effect. Though the lightest colors won't show up on the actual decal (they're transparent, remember?), you'll get a smoother looking graphic if you create them on the correct color background to begin with.

BTW, for those occasions when you do create a shape or graphic on a white background and then paste it onto your enclosure template, be sure to set up your graphics program to treat white as transparent, not opaque. This makes the process of positioning & pasting infinitely easier to do!

So when you get all done creating and positioning your graphics onto your template, you may have something along these lines:



Now comes the actual printing of the decals and preparation for applying them....

[duhvoodooman***]

Printing and Prepping Your Enclosure Decal:

What I do next is to take that nice finished template graphic and wipe out about 98% of it! Seriously, I make a copy of the full labeled enclosure template and delete/fill in all the hardware shapes until nothing but the graphics remain on the background color:



Next, I just use the MS Paint "fill" tool to convert all the background color back to white (i.e. transparent). This includes background color "trapped" within the graphics and lettering. The last thing I do is change the fine outline around the perimeter of the enclosure graphic from black to light gray. This will become my "cut-out" line when I print the graphic to the decal paper. Here's the finished graphic that will be used for the Fuzz Farm decal print. Take note of the black-to-red dithered colors around the edges of the font characters--that's what smoothes their appearance in the final decal:



I then set up the print job on whatever color printer I'll be using. One absolutely critical item here is that you have to be able to accurately print the graphic to actual size. A program I use for this purpose is a freeware graphics viewer and converter called IrfanView. This nifty program, among many other useful functions, allows you specify the precise size of your printed image, making it a snap to get the correct size the first time. Once I have the print job set up, I initially print it to plain printer paper, not only to check out that the print comes out as expected, but also to check it vs. the actual enclosure. I cut it to size and overlay it on the enclosure to verify that all the graphics are properly positioned and that the overall decal dimensions are correct. If I've made any mistakes or miscalculations (and I almost always catch one or two), this is the time to discover and correct them, before you waste any of that $1-a sheet decal paper!

IMPORTANT: Decal printer paper comes in two main types--for color inkjets and for color lasers. Each has its advantages and disadvantages that I won't go into here. Up until now, I've only used the inkjet stuff with my Epson home printer, but I just bought some laser decal paper from Hemmi Papilio and will be using that on an HP LaserJet here at work for the Fuzz Farm decal job. In any case, be sure you have the right type for the color printer you'll be using, because they're NOT interchangeable!

If everything checks out from your print "dry run", you can go ahead and print your decal at this point. Just be careful to get the decal paper loaded into the printer properly, and set up the print quality as desired. I've read warnings about using the "best quality" setting on laserjets, because some will melt through the decal media, but I won't be able to confirm that until I try it. It varies from printer to printer, so don't be too surprised if you waste a page or two of decal paper in the initial learning phase.

Once printed, allow the decal to dry thoroughly if you used an inkjet, and then you're ready to clearcoat it. DON'T ATTEMPT TO WATER-SOAK AND APPLY THE DECAL BEFORE CLEARCOATING!! Even with non-water soluble inks, you can get the colors running and smearing. Use a clear lacquer, acrylic or enamel spray to coat the decal; I'd recommend just using whatever you plan to use for the final enclosure clearcoat. Start by spraying a light "fog" over the decal surface, let dry for 15 minutes or so, and repeat once or twice. Once you have a good base coat down, you can give it a final "wet" coat to really seal the surface. Let dry overnight, and the decal should be ready to cut, soak and apply by the next day. For that, use the technique described in the first post at the top of this thread. After two or three clearcoats on the finished decaled pedal, let it dry thoroughly and your pedal should be ready to reassemble and use!