Custom Decals - or printable decal material ?

Werehatrack writes:

On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 01:05:26 GMT, Bob
wrote:

Anyone know where to find a custom decal maker

One of the problems with e.g. Raleigh decals is that they are
virtually 100% not printable on CMY subtractive printers, such as
inkjet printers. You need a CMYK+ printer for these decals. You also
need a printing process that is durable under UV light, and inkjets
are not.

Raleigh decals are loaded with "white", which no inkjet can print on a
clear mylar (inkjets are specialized for paper that starts out as
white, and inkjets do not work with non-white media).

Some people get by with white decals and the struggle for hours to
print a background to match their frame color, but these backgrounds
will probably fade quickly as the decal degrades in sunlight.

Raleigh decals also include colors such as "gold" and "silver" which
have metallic sparkles that cannot be created with a dye-based inkjet
printer.

One solution was an "ALPS" printer (1300, 2100, 4000, 5000) that have
ribbons and a dye-sublimation mode for white, gold, and silver. While
these printers are available on ebay, they have been out of production
for several years now and I believe that ALPS is just about to, or has
discontinued making cartridges for these printers.

It's very difficult to make vintage decals affordably, on your own.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA