Does anyone know how to print little stickers without background? Dial-Refinishing-Kit comin up

[FlipLockBuckle]

Hey friends,

I was just curious if someone knows how or where i can print little stickers, that you can put on the dial and who have no background...just like the ones you glue on little dinky cars.

You put the sticker on with the foil, then you can take the foil off and all there remains is the Text or whatever. Im sure you get my point.

I have the possibility to make a high quality scan of a genuine dial (no brand name here lol but im sure you know what im talking about, and refinishing gen dials is legal anyways).

Anyways, i can make a high quality scan of a dial, all i have to know is how to print it on a little sticker, so it can be applied to a blank dial.

The guy who gives me the decisive hint gets two or thee of these dial refinishing kits at no charge. Of course its only to be used to refinish gen dials.

thanx in advance

Edited March 9, 2007 by FlipLockBuckle

[jfreeman420]

I think that most genuine dials are silk screened. This process gives the appearance that the text and logos on the dial are raised. This process you are talking about is more like the tattoos you find in a cracker jack box. Any text or logo will be flat and the dial will appear to be refinished poorly. Additionaly, I don't know of any printer that can accurately print anything as small as it would need to be. I have a color laser printer and the quality of small text isn't as crisp as I would like.

[FlipLockBuckle]

Well I have a gen 16610 at my wrist right know, ill take this as an example ...well the only thing that is raised is the crown (maybe my eyes are just bad) but its just raised an itty bitty, so its even hard to determine, and i think a sharp and defined font with correct font (without drunken X) would be better than any refinished asian-hand-made-paintwork dial.

But if you'd know where to silk screen a dial or even if you had the possibility it would be the best i think....any ideas?

Edited March 9, 2007 by FlipLockBuckle

[alt.watch.obsessive]

AAARRRGGG...

Ban this guy already.

[Guest avitt]

If you want to do it right, you need a setup like this one, at Everestwatchworks.com:

But maybe your way could work....Let us know!

[marsupilami]

hi,

maybe use google for "decals", I think this is what you

[Guest avitt]

hi,

maybe use google for "decals", I think this is what you

[jeff g]

4 color/6 color process printing is what I do.

Depending on the quality of the original digital image that is provided what you are asking for is easily done.

Excellent imaging in = Excellent imaging out. And visa versa. Like my Avatar suggests...there is more than one way to skin a cat.

However there would be no 'raised' aspects such as the crown. The image is printed on 3m high peformance adhesive backed 1mm thick material. Only way to determine what it would look like is to try it.

[richard_uk]

AAARRRGGG...

Ban this guy already.

Why?

[NRG]

Hey friends,

I was just curious if someone knows how or where i can print little stickers, that you can put on the dial and who have no background...just like the ones you glue on little dinky cars.

You put the sticker on with the foil, then you can take the foil off and all there remains is the Text or whatever. Im sure you get my point.

I have the possibility to make a high quality scan of a genuine dial (no brand name here lol but im sure you know what im talking about, and refinishing gen dials is legal anyways).

Anyways, i can make a high quality scan of a dial, all i have to know is how to print it on a little sticker, so it can be applied to a blank dial.

The guy who gives me the decisive hint gets two or thee of these dial refinishing kits at no charge. Of course its only to be used to refinish gen dials.

thanx in advance

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! me Sir, me Sir! Here's your answer....

http://www.decalpaper.com/rub-on-paper.html

Do I win? Do I win?

[FlipLockBuckle]

STAGE 2 IN PROGRESS:

I have ordered white-decal-paper and a laser printer with 4800dpi.

Will print a "Fliplockbuckle" decal on my rep dial and post the result here.

Its special high quality decal paper just like the one used in construction of model trains....letters will be 0.2 mm thick, so amazing results guaranteed.

Pictures will follow the day the paper arrives in the mail.

@NRG: Yes youre in As soon as im finished i will send you some decals for free.

Edited March 10, 2007 by FlipLockBuckle

[r11co]

This guy is a loon.

[Pugwash]

This guy is a loon.

Yes, but he's our loon.

[Guest TTK]

Of course you could always have them thermographically printed for the raised effect......most dials are pad printed....!

[KB]

Don't confuse the guy Neil

Ken

[NRG]

@NRG: Yes youre in As soon as im finished i will send you some decals for free.

This I gotta see!......

[Sir-Lancelot]

Some Tattoos and decals glow in the dark; will you please make them glow too???

We are very lucky to have such knowledge available to us.

Hey Flip, when you going to buy a rep? Might be fun.

[sssurfer]

Archibald is our undisputed master on print issues. He could provide with some enlightning inputs.

[shultzie]

remember shrinky dinks?

draw on the plastic, stick it in the oven and it shrinks and hardens!

ladies and gents - it's the future of rep dial production

[manuel]

very interesting project.

very good for datewheels and simple dials.

[cskent69]

If you want to do it right, you need a setup like this one, at Everestwatchworks.com:

But maybe your way could work....Let us know!

This is the coolest picture. Thanks for posting this. I have never seen such a thing before.

[FWATCH]

Hey friends,

I was just curious if someone knows how or where i can print little stickers, that you can put on the dial and who have no background...just like the ones you glue on little dinky cars.

You put the sticker on with the foil, then you can take the foil off and all there remains is the Text or whatever. Im sure you get my point.

I have the possibility to make a high quality scan of a genuine dial (no brand name here lol but im sure you know what im talking about, and refinishing gen dials is legal anyways).

Anyways, i can make a high quality scan of a dial, all i have to know is how to print it on a little sticker, so it can be applied to a blank dial.

The guy who gives me the decisive hint gets two or thee of these dial refinishing kits at no charge. Of course its only to be used to refinish gen dials.

thanx in advance

When you scan the dial, you're gonna end up with a bitmap image. No matter high rez you scan at, it's not gonna look great when you print it. Zoom in to the image in Photoshop, and you'll see what I mean. What you need to do is save the bitmap that you got from the scan, and import it into a 'vector based drawing program' like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator. Use this bitmap as your base layer. On a second layer, you'll need to create vector images and text over the bitmap (using the second layer like transparent tracing paper). This'll take a little work on your part, but the results will be well worth the effort. Vector images will give you exceptionally crisp lines and text, no matter what the size. Then delete the bitmap layer when you are satisfied with the results and save it as a native vector image. Print that sucker at the highest output on your printer, and there you go.

[sssurfer]

Yes, all the datewheel and datewheel-sticker makers here (Finepics, archibald, Lello) had them vectorialized.

[Pugwash]

What you need to do is save the bitmap that you got from the scan, and import it into a 'vector based drawing program' like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator. Use this bitmap as your base layer. On a second layer, you'll need to create vector images and text over the bitmap (using the second layer like transparent tracing paper).

Or use the Trace function in Illustrator. It's what used to be called Adobe Streamline.

[archibald]

I spent several hours a week for the last 8 months of my life trying to find a way to simulate screen/pad printing digitally. You can get 90%, but not with the OP's idea--unfortunately lots of the info in this thread is also half-right, some dead wrong.

Big Problem: How you going to do white ink on a clear background digitally? Neil's thermal foil (or dye also) transfer would be a bust on it's own, but can be used in combination with another digital process I'm too friggin tired to explain tonight. Feel free to PM.

Illustrator's trace function is a great tool and Adobe's awesome pre-press controls/color management features are essential to get a raised ink effect w/ digital printing (which you can certainly do if you're working w/ a printer open minded enough to do what you tell them to do) but much depends on the media. You'd have to custom coat whatever you use, I bet, although there may be a clear product that would work. I abandoned using transparent films pretty early in the process. That decal paper is not going to work for several reasons, IMO.

Most importantly keep this in mind--If your time is worth more than minimum wage you're going to spend more than a good redial before the first sticker is applied. I went through the hassle because a couple people told me it couldn't be done...Unless you're an insanely stubborn lunatic like me, I'd send my blank to everest and fix myself a drink instead.