I'm flairing this TUTORIAL, even though it's not really a tutorial per se, but rather me testing out my laser printer-printed decals before I try the real deal tomorrow. This information is likely already out there on the internet, but it's new for me so maybe it's new for you.

First, let's quickly lay out the tools I used. The [Koala Matte No Spray Waterslide Decal Paper for Inkjet/Laser Printer](https://www.koalagp.com/collections/inkjet-waterslide-decal/products/koala-no-spray-needed-white-waterslide-decal-paper-for-inkjet-laser-printers-5-or-20-sheets-8-5-x-11-diy-transfers-for-mugs-tumblers-crafts). I picked mine up from Amazon. My printer is a Brother HL-L2405W B&W laser printer. The decal solutions I used are in the first picture, but are Mr. Mark Setter, Mr Mark Softer, and Tamiya Decal Adhesive. I also used a Gundam Marker Clear Matt pen and a Gundam Marker Clear Gloss pen.

The TL;DR most acceptable outcome (picture 5) was Mr. Mark Setter + Gundam Gloss + Gundam Matt. More in-depth methodologies below.

**Background**: I wanted to give my Police Zaku a custom paint job, and as finding the decals I wanted felt nigh-impossible, I decided to try printing my own. After doing some research, I decided on the above product.

**Set up:** I chose three random parts from my parts bin that had surface shapes I'd encounter in my Police Zaku: a relatively flat piece (pic 2 - there is a very gentle indent, the bottom of which is visible), a curved surface (pic 3 and 4, a plastic test spoon painted with lacquer paint), and a piece with an angled surface (pic 5 and 6).

**Pic 2:** As I can only print in black, and the decal sheet is white, I'm pretty limited in the kind of decals I can create. Also, print resolution is problematic in that, up close you can really see the jaggies. Regardless, this is applied using Mark Setter, then Mark Softer to try to thin the the decal, then Gundam Matt. As far as I can tell, the Mark Softer did nothing, and the matt marker dulled the decal (I realize some dulling is going to happen,  so perhaps it's better to say that it felt cloudy). One thing to note is that on this flat and smooth surface, the decal was very slippery, and rolling a cotton bud caused way more shifting that I'm used to. I ended up dabbing the bud to get the excess liquid out.

**Pic 3, 4:** Mostly the same results, but for the top shield decal, I used Tamiya Decal Adhesive instead. Performed the same. More importantly, this let me see just how much the decal stood out from the surface. The damage to the decal paper and paint was caused by me foolishly trying to pump the tip of the matt pen on a curved surface.

**Pic 5, 6:** For pic 5, I tried using Mark Setter only. While it looks OK, it's only barely holding on, and my attempts to apply the gloss pen moved them immediately. Pic 6 has the most acceptable outcome mentioned above, and the method I'll be using tomorrow. Notably, however, is the paper's inability to conform to small, sharp ledges, probably owing to the thickness of the paper. I'll see if leaving the Softer on does anything, but I have a feeling it wont. Either way, I'm hoping I get shelf-acceptable results.

Experiments in decal printing (Limited findings in the post text)