Decal DPI

This is the place to get answers about painting, weathering and other aspects of finishing a model.

Moderators: DasPhule, Moderators

Post Reply
NNYGamer
Posts: 2198
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 11:38 pm
Location: Northernmost NY (aka Massena)
Contact:

Decal DPI

Post by NNYGamer »

Ok I have a few small sheets of decal paper, a great printer(Brother MCC-420CN) and a nice program (PSP 9) to work on. So what is the best resolution for designing decals? I plan on using some these for some 1/2500 ships but most wil be larger1/500ish size.
I have no signature.
User avatar
Kylwell
Moderator
Posts: 29650
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 9:25 pm
Location: Lakewood, CO
Contact:

Post by Kylwell »

Generally speaking 600dpi.

And Illustrator is far superior for the creation of decals.
Abolish Alliteration
User avatar
rpauly
Posts: 3428
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:47 am
Location: Home of the Mountaineers
Contact:

Post by rpauly »

kylwell wrote:Generally speaking 600dpi.

And Illustrator is far superior for the creation of decals.
Illustrator, Corel Draw and programs of that ilk work with vector graphics, which are mathmatically scaleable without degrading the resolution. PSP, Photoshop, Paint and what-not use bitmapped graphics. If you play with them too much(or try to scale something down a whole lot), you get something that looks a lot like the "Innocent Bystander" shot on an episode of "Cops"...
Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.
- Robert Heinlein
User avatar
bluesman
Posts: 12370
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2002 1:33 pm
Location: On tour.
Contact:

Post by bluesman »

Agreed. Ilustrator or Corel is the way to go.
"The" Bluesman formerly known as The Bluesman
User avatar
tak5haka
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 9:22 am
Location: In a constant state of flux
Contact:

Post by tak5haka »

Related question - I'm using Illustrator to create decals, so what is the best output format to send files to an OKI DP5000? It's got to transfer from Mac to PC and the PC doesn't have Illustrator.

I was thinking may a press quality PDF, but would like some advice please.

Many thanks,
User avatar
Kylwell
Moderator
Posts: 29650
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 9:25 pm
Location: Lakewood, CO
Contact:

Post by Kylwell »

tak5haka wrote:Related question - I'm using Illustrator to create decals, so what is the best output format to send files to an OKI DP5000? It's got to transfer from Mac to PC and the PC doesn't have Illustrator.

I was thinking may a press quality PDF, but would like some advice please.

Many thanks,
Custom PDF setup will probably work best. Set the max res to 600, etc on the pdf and you should be ok. If that doesn't work (and you aren't trying to print white) just export it as a high res (300 to 600 dpi) jpg with no compression.
Abolish Alliteration
User avatar
tak5haka
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 9:22 am
Location: In a constant state of flux
Contact:

Post by tak5haka »

Thanks! That seems to be working okay :D
Post Reply