A decal (, , ) or transfer is a plastic, cloth, paper, or ceramic

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

that has printed on it a pattern or image that can be moved to another surface upon

contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

, usually with the aid of heat or water. The word is short for '' decalcomania'', a decorative technique by which engravings and prints are transferred to pottery or other materials. The technique was invented by

Simon François Ravenet Simon François Ravenet (1706 – c. 4 April 1764) was a French engraver. In Britain he is usually termed Simon Francis Ravenet. He was one of William Hogarth's assistants. Biography He was born in Paris, where he studied engraving under Ja ...

, an engraver from France who later moved to England and perfected the process he called "décalquer" (which means "to copy by tracing"); it became widespread during the decal craze or mania of the late 19th century.

Properties

The term "decal" refers to the mass-produced art transfer in two different states: 1. As manufactured, which consists of the artwork printed on the upper side of a paper or film

label stock A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a Packaging and labelling, container or Product (business), product, on which is written or printing, printed information or symb ...

, temporarily affixed by a typically water or heat soluble adhesive to the upper side of a silicone- or other release agent-coated paper or film backing stock. Decals are produced, shipped, and stored in this composite state. 2. As applied, where only the adhesive-backed artwork remains, affixed to its desired (and appropriate) substrate, temporarily or permanently as designed. Two variations include the traditional ''water-slide'' or ''water-dip'', with the artwork

screen-printed Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh ...

on water-resistant paper coated with a layer of water-soluble adhesive, and a dry ''peel-and-stick'' format using a standard adhesive - which technically is not a decal, as there is no "art transfer", rather an adhesive-backed label known as a

sticker A sticker is a type of label: a piece of printed paper, plastic, vinyl, or other material with temporary or permanent pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. It can be used for decoration or for functional purposes, depending on the situation. ...

. When manufactured out of vinyl the latter is known as a ''vinyl-cut-decal''.

Modern production process

Mass-production of vinyl decals starts with large rolls of vinyl sheet. Vinyl is fed through a

cutting plotter A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes known as a cutting pl ...

or large-format printer/cutter which prints the desired image and cuts out the desired shapes. Designs are typically created using specialized computer software and sent to the machines electronically. After the patterns are cut, excess vinyl on the sheet is removed in a process called ''weeding''. Finally, a paper pre-mask can be applied to the top of the vinyl design allowing easy application of multiple letters and shapes. A recent innovation involves the inclusion of a radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit (chip and antenna) in the paper or film facestock.

Applications

Decals were popularly associated from the mid-20th century on with

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

automobiles and plastic models. Along with stickers they are used to "personalize" items, such as musical instruments or sports gear. Government agencies (and some private-public partnerships) use permanent peel-and-stick stickers on vehicles for identification. These "decals" are referred to as fleet markings and are required by law on all fire and law enforcement vehicles in the US. Most fleet markings are created from reflective vinyl with an adhesive backing that is applied in a peel-and-stick manner.

Methods of printing

* Inkjet printing * Laser printing *

Offset printing Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on t ...

Embossing Emboss or Embossing may refer to: Materials The term usually refers to several techniques for creating a raised pattern on a material: *Paper embossing, the raising of paper and other non-metal products using specific tools to accomplish the task ...

* Photocopier * Thermal printing

References

External links