How to Make Decals

Making a vinyl decal comes in two parts. First is the design process where you convert your image into a printable format. Next is the actual decal making.

Things You'll Need

• A computer with vector imaging software such as illustrator, CorelDraw, or inkscape.
• Access to a plotter or a printing center.

Instructions

1. 

   First we need a image to make a decal of. I would start with something kind of simple until you get the hang of making vectors. I decided to go with the Galactic Empire symbol.

2. Next we open our Vector software, I'm using Adobe Illustrator CS3. We could either make the vector one of two ways. The first way I'll show is the lazy mans method.

3. 

   Start a new file and drag your image into the blank space.

4. 

   Highlight the image and use the live trace button on the menu bar above. Use the drop down menu to select detailed illustration.

5. 

   You will notice the edges are not as straight as you might like them to be. If you think this is fine then continue onto step 7.
   If you want crisper edges then continue on!

6. 

   With the photo freshly dropped onto the workspace, bust out your pen tool and start tracing. Professional Graphic Artists swear by this method and it makes sense, if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.

   Now I'm not going to go into detail about the pen tool or this manual method. It can get complicated but if this pen method interests you and you crave perfection I would highly suggest looking into it.

7. Now you must save your file in a format that the plotter will be able to read.

   When I worked as a screen printer, we used the .ai extension but I would assume you could use .svg as well. You should ask your printer which extensions they use.

8. Unfortunately, this is the part you can not really do on your own unless you have access to a plotter and some special vinyl. At this point your best best is to find a company that specializes in custom works such as screen printing/embroidery. Chances are if they touch sports at all, they will have vinyl services too.

Tips & Warnings

• Making the vector yourself will save you a lot of money. Usually the printer will charge a art fee sometimes costing more than the actual order.

• All the other vector imaging programs I listed above have some sort of live trace ability, personally, for the best results I like using inkscape, but it can be a hassle trying to get the file ready for plotting, inkscape doesn't save in .ai

• As with any form of printing, certain materials will only adhere onto certain surfaces. Make sure when ordering to make it clear what surface you will be putting your decal onto.