Decals: Silk Screen or Laser?

[Ace1]

What are the differences between silk screen and. laser print decals? If you can have a choice, which should you choose?

[Jinxter13]

Laser, why.........because the laser can produce much sharper and detailed graphics.

[Oroka]

Bleah, I want a color laser printer.

[Hawkeye's Hobbies]

Laser printers can be a monster when it comes to printing decals. Some laser printers get too hot and melt the decal paper, which causes expensive situations for the owner.

[mingwin]

What are the differences between silk screen and. laser print decals? If you can have a choice, which should you choose?

i'm not exactly sure what you are asking?

laser decals can't print white. so you have to use special decal paper.

i think that you can achieve more professionnal results with silk screen technique.

but it will requires you a lot much more work than laser...

...and, anyway, you'll probably need a laser printer somewhere in the process of making your screens...

[Ace1]

I wasn'tt thinking of making decals, I am asking for making choises about buying. I have found a vendor who offers ths same decals in either silk or laser.

Here is a response to my question from over at Airliner Cafe:

...silk screened decals are far superior to anything else really. Basically they use superior inks, are made with a finer printing process and probably can print almost any colour conceivable. Most importantly the colours are usually opaque. What's more, Silk screen can print white and metalics - somthing that an office or home laser can't. Ever.

The downside of silk screen is that they are (generally, though not always of course, depends on the subject and the economics) more expensive than laser. Typically 1000's of sheets have to be printed (and sold) to make it worth while. This is where laser has the upper hand - they can be produced relatively cheaply in small quantities. Hence, finding a specific subject in silk screen can sometimes be difficult, especially if you're after some obscure livery from a remote corner of the world (like me). I've resorted to designing and printing my own stuff, because simple economics would dictate that no silk screen decal manufacturer is remotely interested in printing NAC 737 sheets for a market where only perhaps 50 sheets would sell.

If you can get the subject you are after as a silk screen decal then I would recommend that over laser, but you might find that sometimes the range of subjects in silk screen are just not available but are in laser, so in the end it's up to you.