[Trevorwl]

I want to make helmet decals for youth sports helmets. I've read probably every thread on the subject on here and a couple of other forums. I've contacted some suppliers and I get mixed messages.

I get that aqueous base printers, eco solvent etc are the preferred method of printing decals.

I have an Espon 7510 setup with Cobra CISS pigment ink. I spoke with a rep at Papilio that "sort of" hinted that I could make decals with their Waterproof Vinyl, but wouldnt gaurantee the quality. I also have a Hix Press and GCC Expert 24. I don't know for sure if it's accurate, but I read somewhere that Epoxy Resin could be used with decals, which I have dozens of different types of epoxy if its something that is an option.

I am about to pick up a sample kit from Papilio, but I wanted to ask if anyone here has some background on what would be the best way to go about making these decals.

So my questions are:

Can anyone stand by a decal printed with pigment ink?

Would the original Epson ink work better?

Would it be better to use colored cut vinyl? Which kind?

What type of laminate would you suggest? What would be the way to apply it without a laminate machine?

What mil vinyl would you suggest is the limit of thickness the Expert 24 could handle without risking damage?

Sorry for all of the noob questions, but there's just not a lot of DEFINITIVE methods that I have much faith in before I spend time and money on something that may not even be possible. I figure it's at least worth a post here to see if anyone has some insight.

Thanks in advance..

 

[atomicaxe]

First, you're misinformed. Aqueous printers such as an epson 7510 are not ment for printing decals. Pigment and dye based inks are not light safe, not water safe, and generally not ment for anything that would be going on a highly abrasive area.

Think indoor graphics only.

You need to look into things such as thermal printing (gerber edge), solvent printing (eco or regular), and latex printing. Since you are looking to do decals for helmets you want to use vinyl ment for wraps and other curved surfaces that has an air egress built in. Oh and for the love of all that is unholy ... laminate. matching laminate for air egress vinyl.

cut vinyl is fine. anything high perfomance should work. avoid chrome, it's not vinyl ... it's actually a poly ethelene plastic (I think) and it doesn't stretch, curve or last long outside.

 

[skdave]

We print helmet decals on our Rolands with cast vinyl.
We also contour cut them.
Hope this helps, Dave

 

[phatdaddy]

Chrome is a polyester.

Helmet/hard hat decals = Screen print...

I print decals and there isn't a digital printer in the world that can match the quality. Hands down.

A Gerber or Roland can do decals, but they suck. I wouldn't even use them for small runs...

Look into screen printers online, or send me a message and I can see what you've got. anyone who knows decals knows screen printed decals are the best decals there are...

C

 

[plan b]

It sounds like that you will be doing runs of the same decal for team sports,, if this is what you are doing then I would suggest having someone do them that is set up to do this work, that way its just getting the proper artwork to the shop so all they have to do is print laminate and cut..

This frees you up to get more work instead of investing 20 to 30K plus..

 

[phatdaddy]

No need to laminate screen printed, it's vinyl on vinyl and just plain lovely!

 

[Trevorwl]

I figured I'd just order some online if I can't find a good way to make them. I stupidly bought some Convex Gear Wrap and laminate without realizing that the Inkjet printing that they talked about wasn't the kind I am set up for.

 

[elcielo]

I used Papilio waterproof white vinyl printed with pigment ink (vivid colors) and placed on a a couple car windows. I sprayed it with a non-yellowing protective spray and a year and a half later, the decals show no signs of fading, yellowing, or peeling. Seems if it can stand 95+-degree sun, it should do fine on a helmet. Of course, there will be more abrasion on a helmet.

 

[maryellen1234]

Double check on putting decals on helmets. A girl with derby bought a high end hockey helmet. She was bored one night and decided to read the inserts. It specifically states that if you put any other stickers or decals on the helmet, all warranties and liability are null and void. Most people don't care, but now I let people know that if I do a vinyl decal with name and such for their helmet, I tell them to check the warranty. Most will do the decals anyways, but better safe than sorry.

 

[Trevorwl]

I'm not looking to invest $15k right now for that, since Im basically just starting up with shirts. I mostly am doing youth sports teams since that's where most of my networking is already set up from coaching.

Ive done a few teams with mostly vinyl and some neehah 3g opaque and jpss. I thought it'd be really cool to be able to offer decals, plus I want to make em for my girls softball team. I thought even some colored sign vinyl with decent laminate would do for less intricate designs.

I read about the Papilio and will probably give that a try. I was reading up on dye ink printers to see if there may be a cost effective set up that would possibly be better than pigment ink. Im fairly illiterate about the different kinds of inks & printers. Im learning quick and this forum is one of the best Ive seen for any topic. I appreciate everyones feed back.

Like you said plan b, its probably worth just outsourcing and saving the time. Thanks everyone.

 

[phatdaddy]

I would outsource it. You can't beat a screen printed decal and there are a few sources online that are reasonable, but it still isn't cheap. But you get what you pay for and a screen printed decal is a premium decal.

I'm set up to do vinyl, I have to outsource the cutting and back slit, but my printing operation cost me under a grand to set up... I got some good deals on equipment though.