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Making your own transfers


GuildAero

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Alas, this is not possible anymore because Alps technology was purchased by a Japanese printer company (oki) and the cheapest similar printer they released is costing at least 1500$...!

 

Not entirely the case.

You can still buy refurbed printers and more inks than

were available in the past (called spot colors)

http://alps-oki.seesaa.net/article/441175176.html

 

The place is called 'Elephant Rocket' , I don't think

they repair printers anymore but you can find lots of

help and info on how these things work and how to

fix them, on Yahoo. You have to join the group acourse :rolleyes:

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Alps/info

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I too had an alps printer but when the cartridges became essentially unobtainable I sold it. Shame, it could do useful work but the software that came with it was far and away the worst I have ever had to use! It can only have been improved if they ever updated it, they couldn't possibly have made it even more rubbish than it was!!

I am a happy occasional customer of Gregs at www.drawdecal.com Some folks do say the varnish he prints on is too thick and stiff but I have never had a problem with it. I send Coreldraw files which I create but you could easily scan in inked artwork. Draw it a couple of times bigger, scan it at some high resolution and scale to taste. Coreldraw, and other drawing programs can handle vector or bitmap images with ease.
If you don't want the hassle of doing it yourself, you can alwaus pay someone else to do it for you. I could help you out if it isn't too complex; I don't have much spare time at the moment! But in the past I've done decals for Aeroclub, Welsh Models, Accurate Armour and my own of course!

Edited by wunwinglow
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Not entirely the case.

You can still buy refurbed printers and more inks than

were available in the past (called spot colors)

http://alps-oki.seesaa.net/article/441175176.html

 

The place is called 'Elephant Rocket' , I don't think

they repair printers anymore but you can find lots of

help and info on how these things work and how to

fix them, on Yahoo. You have to join the group acourse :rolleyes:

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Alps/info

 

Thanks for the link. They are not cheap, but at least someone is selling -refurbished if not new - Alps printers with a commitment "to supply until 2030" (at least)

 

Hubert

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The originals were $1000.00

I have an MD1000 and a 5000 that I bought used

on ebay back in the early 2000s and they both have

never given me any problems (lucky ? ... me ?).

The software can be problematic (yes they do have

updated versions for newer computers without parallel

ports.) I run mine on an old Dell with a parallel printer

port just fine. I did 'all' the markings on my Bearcat

and 109G-2. If ' I ' can do it , it can't be that difficult  :shrug:

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I'm glad that people think the ALPS is no good as it means that virtually unused machine keep cropping up. It's like my Roland milling machines people bought them but never got on with them as they were not modelmakers, never really seeing their potential.

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I love my Alps - owned 20 (ish) years and have had some brilliant results.

 

Frustrations are the software will only run on a *very* old laptop we've preserved just for this purpose (and even then, the fonts have gone wonky - so I have to remember what button does what) - and the availability of cartridges.

 

Thanks for link for carts Mike - will be stocking up!

 

Iain

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So, what, exactly do you draw these days for a decal job?  Full colour, just like the real thing?  Or black per colour like we used to with registrations?  What does a decal maker expect to get from the a/w provider?  If scanned twice size at high res. what's wrong with that when it's reduced as a/w?

 

Martin

I too had an alps printer but when the cartridges became essentially unobtainable I sold it. Shame, it could do useful work but the software that came with it was far and away the worst I have ever had to use! It can only have been improved if they ever updated it, they couldn't possibly have made it even more rubbish than it was!!

I am a happy occasional customer of Gregs at www.drawdecal.com Some folks do say the varnish he prints on is too thick and stiff but I have never had a problem with it. I send Coreldraw files which I create but you could easily scan in inked artwork. Draw it a couple of times bigger, scan it at some high resolution and scale to taste. Coreldraw, and other drawing programs can handle vector or bitmap images with ease.
If you don't want the hassle of doing it yourself, you can alwaus pay someone else to do it for you. I could help you out if it isn't too complex; I don't have much spare time at the moment! But in the past I've done decals for Aeroclub, Welsh Models, Accurate Armour and my own of course!

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Each colour on its own layer. Layers stacked in the order they are to be printed so you can see the image builds up the way you want. Varnish layer in some mad colour so it stands out. When the printer gets the file they output each layer themseves to suit their press requirements.

 

This is screen printing we are discussing?

 

If the artwork is going to Drawdecal, yoy only need a white layer which is printed first onto the varnish, which covers the whole sheet, and all the other colours as you want them as their printer prints in colour, not in seperated layers. The white layer is for white things, onbviously, and as an under layer for anything that might be a bit translucent inkwise. I still put registration marks on both layers but all Gregs work for me has been **** on. As has Rays at Fantasyprintshop.

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Scanning will give you a bitmap image. If the resolution is high enough it might be fine as is for full colour printing but for sepersted artwork I used the bitmap as a guide and trace it. Coreldraw had some pretty good tracing tools but they always need a bit of clean up work.

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The printer will change the colour to black for printing the screens. I have done this too by just changing the colour used to fill and outline from whatever it is to black. A couple of mouse clicks but then of course everything looks black!!

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