Copied from the AMA National Newsletter

To accomplish this task you must have a computer, inkjet printer, scanner, and a desktop publishing program or a friend who owns these items.

I like to try new ways to use my computer system, so when I ran across the INVENT IT! brand ready-to-print Clear Decals by HammerMill Paper® at CompUSA, I purchased it. I was determined to find a way to use what looked like a interesting idea.

It was my intention to use the Clear Decals film to make decals for my car side windows, but never got around doing it.

Recently, I was completing a scratch-built model, The Stikota, which was a Tom Hunt redesign of an old Free Flight model called The Dakota, circa 1950s. I decided to use the decal material, which was gathering dust, to make up some graphics for the finished model.

Since the material is a clear film and you can print any color with your inkjet printer except for white, I made it a point to cover my model in some areas with white MonoKote®. This meant my homemade decal would stand out on the white background.

If you are going to just make up a AMA number or a name decal like my "Stikota" that will appear on your model’s wing panel, you should be able to do this with very little effort.

First, you must scale the graphic so it fits on the wing panel. Once you have the size selected, you can play around with the various fonts to find that which best suits your model. You will find them in your computer’s bank of fonts located in the desktop publishing program.

Before you print it on your clear decal stock, make some test prints on bright white stock paper. See how it fits on the wing panel where the final decal will be attached. It is here you will adjust the size of the font so it will fit your model.

Some computer programs let you design a graphic logo that you can use on the engine cowl or rudder of your model. Let your imagination guide your efforts. Make sure you save what you design in your computer as you can waste hours of work if you are not careful.

Now to the scanner. If you are building a scale WW I model and need some authentic markings, obtain the largest color pictures of these markings from a set of scale three-views and scan the items you need for the model into your computer.

Once you have these saved in your computer’s clipart, file you will be able to crop out the unwanted portions, edit out any lines that might be distracting, and scale them to the size you need.

It is very simple to now copy it to your work sheet with the numbers and names you designed before. This will allow you to print the most you can fit on the 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of clear decal material. The decal sheets run about $1 each, so get the most for your money. Plan to make up a sheet with every space utilized with some kind of graphic.

The actual printing is simple. Set your inkjet printer for highest quality printing to get the densest print image on the film. Allow extra time for the final printed sheet to dry before touching the inked area. Failure to wait for it to dry will smear and ruin your work.

Now cut out your decal, peel off the backing, and stick it to your model, smoothing out any trapped air bubbles.

If you should decide to make a decal for your home or car window, just set the printer for flip horizontal printing and your final work will now be able to be attached to the inside of a window and will read in the proper way.

Remember, put these reverse printing items on a separate sheet of decal film as everything on the sheet will print reversed.

To use with glow or gas powered motors, overspray the decal with a clear fuel proof paint or iron over the decal with clear MonoKote® to protect the image from fuel exhaust.

Have fun with this easy to use, ready to print, clear decal material.

from Wing Tips

Lionel Bernstein, editor

6 Norman Drive,

Bohemia NY 11716-1322