Designing and Printing Waterslide Decals

There is nothing difficult about designing and printing your Hayes Paper Co.® Water Slide Decals. We've put together some of the most frequently asked questions to help you get printing. 

Do I need a special software program?

One of the great things about water slide paper is that no special program is needed. The program that you finally decide upon will obviously be the most comfortable for you based on your personal preferences. However, make sure that the program that you choose allows you to Edit, Resize and Print. Find a program that you are comfortable using. These are some of the frequently used programs that you might want to check out: Photoshop, Word, Silhouette Studio Software, Design Space, and Inkscape; however, there are also many others.  

Can I use my own photos? 

Yes, you can use any image that your heart desires. Personal photos will work, purchased files, self-designed images; literally anything you chose you can print onto water slide decal paper. So, once you have the image you want to use you will want to upload it into the program that you chose to work with. Once you have it uploaded you will want to resize the image to fit the project that you will be applying the image to.

What about printer settings?

Before printing make sure that you check your printer settings. The size of water slide decal paper is “A4” (approximately 11.69 inches x 8.27 inches). You can also switch your printer setting to print on high quality “glossy photo paper.”  This is an important point to remember: always make sure to print on the glossy side of the paper. Once your printer settings are set, your image is uploaded, edited and resized to fit the project to your liking, all you have to do is simply print to your home-based printer.  

There is one last thing you should know...

*After printing you must remember to SEAL your inked image if printed with an inkjet printer** . Now that you have printed your image onto your water slide paper, you will now have to seal your ink. This is a VERY important step. It bears repeating, if you do not seal the ink all your ink, and of course your image, will run off your paper when you place it into the water to activate the adhesive. Please do not skip this step or you will lose everything.

** Laser decal printed with a laser printer doesn't need to be sealed. 

Don’t worry, sealing the ink is an easy step. 

To seal your inked image, use an acrylic based clear spray paint and seal with three coats. Always be sure to let each coat dry completely before applying your next coat of sealer. Start with a light spray and go a tad heavier with each additional coat. You will also want to spray in all directions; up and down, side to side and diagonally to make sure that your image is completely covered.

Now that you have sealed your image let it dry until you are ready to apply your water slide decal.

That was easy.

Good Luck!

Sandra C.