Waterslide Transfer - numerals - white with black shading? OO/4mm

[Chuffinell]

I'm struggling to locate numeral/number water-slide transfers for some PO wagons (4mm/OO scale).

I require white, shaded black - probably around 2mm and 3mm in height.

There's plenty in plain white and plain black etc, but can't see anything in white with black back shading.
There is, of course, the Powsides range, but they are all rub-down, not waterslide.

Anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

[aleopardstail]

you may struggle, printers than can print white are few and far between

could you sort of do your own by adding black transfers first, then white ones over (layer of varnish between them)

[centenary]

As there's no white ink or laser cartridges available for everyday use (used to have loads of people coming into our store for white ink cartridges!), you'd have to use white transfer sheet and have the shading printed in black ink \ laser to define the numbers. The only drawback is each number would also need a black outline else you'll lose the number where there's no shading.

Then you'd have to carefully cut out each number to the black outline. At the size you want, that's going to be very difficult.

To be honest, when you're talking characters 2 or 3mm high, you're not going to see the shading effect from more than a foot away. I know we all aim for realism but sometimes you've just got to go with the simplest way and just use white characters.

[aleopardstail]

As there's no white ink or laser cartridges available for everyday use (used to have loads of people coming into our store for white ink cartridges!), you'd have to use white transfer sheet and have the shading printed in black ink \ laser to define the numbers. The only drawback is each number would also need a black outline else you'll lose the number where there's no shading.

Then you'd have to carefully cut out each number to the black outline. At the size you want, that's going to be very difficult.

To be honest, when you're talking characters 2 or 3mm high, you're not going to see the shading effect from more than a foot away. I know we all aim for realism but sometimes you've just got to go with the simplest way and just use white characters.

or white and then a black technical drawing pen with permanent ink and draw the shading on the larger letters

pity the ALPS printers are no longer a thing, this is something they did perfectly, there are one or two small companies who bought a dozen and as many cartridges as they could get when the things stopped being sold

[centenary]

As there's no white ink or laser cartridges available for everyday use (used to have loads of people coming into our store for white ink cartridges!), you'd have to use white transfer sheet and have the shading printed in black ink \ laser to define the numbers. The only drawback is each number would also need a black outline else you'll lose the number where there's no shading.

Then you'd have to carefully cut out each number to the black outline. At the size you want, that's going to be very difficult.

To be honest, when you're talking characters 2 or 3mm high, you're not going to see the shading effect from more than a foot away. I know we all aim for realism but sometimes you've just got to go with the simplest way and just use white characters.

or white and then a black technical drawing pen with permanent ink and draw the shading on the larger letters

pity the ALPS printers are no longer a thing, this is something they did perfectly, there are one or two small companies who bought a dozen and as many cartridges as they could get when the things stopped being sold

Yes, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Not sure Id have a steady hand to draw an outline on a 3mm high character though.

I was going to suggest Slater's 2 or 3mm high plastic characters that I used to put the name 'Newcastle' on the stern quarters of the 1/72 scale Type 42 I built. But these are 3D not flat and wouldnt look right.

https://slatersplastikard.com/assets/pd ... tFlyer.pdf

Foxes transfers do bespoke waterslides but are likely to be expensive for the quantity required?

https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/commissions

[aleopardstail]

As there's no white ink or laser cartridges available for everyday use (used to have loads of people coming into our store for white ink cartridges!), you'd have to use white transfer sheet and have the shading printed in black ink \ laser to define the numbers. The only drawback is each number would also need a black outline else you'll lose the number where there's no shading.

Then you'd have to carefully cut out each number to the black outline. At the size you want, that's going to be very difficult.

To be honest, when you're talking characters 2 or 3mm high, you're not going to see the shading effect from more than a foot away. I know we all aim for realism but sometimes you've just got to go with the simplest way and just use white characters.

or white and then a black technical drawing pen with permanent ink and draw the shading on the larger letters

pity the ALPS printers are no longer a thing, this is something they did perfectly, there are one or two small companies who bought a dozen and as many cartridges as they could get when the things stopped being sold

Yes, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Not sure Id have a steady hand to draw an outline on a 3mm high character though.

I was going to suggest Slater's 2 or 3mm high plastic characters that I used to put the name 'Newcastle' on the stern quarters of the 1/72 scale Type 42 I built. But these are 3D not flat and wouldnt look right.

https://slatersplastikard.com/assets/pd ... tFlyer.pdf

Foxes transfers do bespoke waterslides but are likely to be expensive for the quantity required?

https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/commissions

its one of those things I guess, when I was looking at 3d printing wagons, must get back to that, "how to apply the markings?" now weathering is a friend, hides a great many sins. potentially using off the shelf transfers for larger lettering - perhaps the double layer shadow method, then for smaller stuff is a small brush, a steady hand then dirt over so it looks right on a moving train

a lot depends what its going on, the side of a loco is harder than say wagon 12 in a rake of 15