Guide to using water slide decal paper | Inkjet or Laser | Clear or White
How to use the many different types of decal paper
I have put together a decal paper refresher guide to all of your favourite craft projects and creations!
How to use them, what they are popular for and which papers are best for different surfaces :)
Clear Inkjet Water Slide Decal Paper
Used to transfer photo's, images or text onto white or light coloured surfaces.
All that is required is the paper itself, a home inkjet printer and some clear varnish spray. I use the Keen Crystal Clear Nitro Acrylic Spray from the decorating direct website although other Clear varnish sprays will also work perfectly well!
Clear Inkjet Water Slide works best on white Ceramics and Plastics but will also adhere to other hard surfaces like painted Metals and Glass.
It is very popular within the miniature modelling community and I have worked hard with the manufacturers to produce the thinnest, strongest and easiest decal paper to use in the world without compromising on print clarity which is now much better than when printing on regular printer paper!
Used to transfer photos, images or text onto dark coloured surfaces.
White Water Slide Paper retains its white background in the same way as regular printer paper allowing you to print your own designs onto a film that will slide onto dark surfaces and still look perfect!
Home printers do not carry white ink so using white decal paper allows for you to have white in your designs.
If you are unsure of whether or not this product is correct, just print your design onto a normal piece of white paper. Cut it out around the edges and ask yourself whether or not you would be happy to slide it onto your surface if it were a decal? If the answer is yes, the White Water Slide Decal Paper is for you!
Looking at the vintage model above you'll see how the white letters are present as this decal is using the white background of the decal paper. If this had been printed onto the Clear Waterslide Paper, the letters and numbers would have been left clear by your printer.
Want to try both Clear and White Inkjet Water Slide Paper?
Pick up our bundle pack of 3A4 Clear, 3A4 White with full instructions for £7.99 HERE
Clear Laser Printer Water Slide Decal Paper
Alike the Clear Inkjet Water Slide Decal Paper but specifically designed for use with laser printers.
This type has one distinct advantage of the Inkjet version. No varnish spray is required to seal your decals after printing!
I've had numerous conversations with customers making decals for candles, nail art and miniature models who were not aware that they could save time and money by switching to the Clear Laser as this cuts out the whole process of spraying. Just print, cut, dip and slide. Or, if you are making decals to sell, its sometimes just a case of just printing.
Pick up a pack of Clear Laser Water Slide Decal Paper HERE
For a pack of White Laser Water Slide Decal Paper see HERE
Designed especially for light coloured wood and card projects. Dry rub film is very popular in the making of miniature card and wooden models, accessories, fancy card toppers, coasters and custom wood projects.
No water or varnish spray is required during the production process. All that is required is the product and your home printer! Above you can see that I have printed some roses onto the film using my home inkjet printer.
There is also a second adhesive sheet which comes with each sheet of dry rub film. Here I have transferred the rose image onto a wooden coaster. The image is now flat and flush to the surface.
Pick up your pack now to create hand painted effects, images or text onto light or white coloured surfaces. See pack sizes of dry rub HERE.
Blue Backed Water Slide Decal Paper
Often popular with our more experienced users, the blue backed decal paper for both Inkjet and Laser Printers can be used where decals are just white.
Like only white logo's, designs or just white text. Printing in only white can be tricky! The blue backed decal paper has the same film coating as the Clear decal paper.
The only difference is the blue backing paper which is discarded after dipping into water.
Having a blue backing instead of white just makes it very easy to cut white decals out. If you were to print white onto either the clear or white decal papers it would be harder to see what you have printed out!
Home printers do not carry white ink. There are specialist printers for this job. Alps is a well known brand of printer that carries white ink.
If you do have the time and inclination, you can also print using the white water slide decal paper if your lettering or design is big enough to carefully cut it out using a craft knife and scissors.
Pick up a pack of Blue back inkjet decal paper HERE.
Grab a pack of our Blue Laser Printer Paper HERE.
Full range of water slide decal paper
More guides to more of our transfer paper will be coming soon