April 2023 – Decalzone

Can I apply a decal to other items?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / Q&A

Yep, if it’s smooth. The majority of our decals are applied to bike frames, but many of our customers have used them for other applications too.

The best rule to follow is the surface must be smooth and unbroken. Curves are OK, but we wouldn’t recommend applying around sharp corners or edges or onto any kind of textured surface. Our decals have excellent adhesion, hence their 5+ years life-expectancy, but they must be completely flat to the application surface.

So, glass, smooth metal and painted surfaces (wood, plastic, metal, carbon fibre etc) are great and provide a perfect surface.

Rough, sawn timber (i.e sheds and fences), textured surfaces, clothing or anything that is not smooth or has sharp corners, we recommend you avoid.

Please feel free to drop us a line at hello@decalzone.co.uk if you have any questions or require help, we are always keen to hear from you.

Please below some examples where our decals have been applied to other surfaces.

How do I apply decals to my bike?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / How to...

We provide full colour printed instructions with every order.

But putting it simply you add a decal to your bike (or any smooth clean surface) by removing the white backing paper from the decal, leaving the decal on the cream-coloured transfer tape with the sticky side exposed (see short video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?0). Then position the decal on the bike, press firmly to remove any air bubbles and carefully peel away the transfer tape.

Once done, stand back and admire the beauty…

This is a vey quick summary but our detailed instructions cover the application fully with many pictures to assist and things to look out for.

Please drop us a line at hello@decalzone.co.uk if you need any information or assistance, we are always happy to assist.

How do stencils differ to decals?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / Q&A

Simply put, a decal (sometimes referred to as a sticker or label) is applied to your bike frame and that’s it… job done. They are cut from very high quality vinyl material designed to withstand up to 5 years outside in one of our 15 colours. They are permanent and don’t come off easily!

A stencil allows you to spray the bike frame using the stencil as a mask to form the brand in your chosen spray colour (see our ‘Positive or negative stencils’ post. Stencils are made from a different lower tack material, designed to adhere firmly and then remove easily after spraying… not for long-term endurance on the bike frame. Our stencils are made from the best quality Meta-mark M7 stencil material (made in the UK) and very high quality paper-based low-tack transfer tape.

Stencils are sometimes chosen where a bike is being resprayed and/or a very specific brand colour is required.

How do I apply stencils?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / How to...

Applying stencils to your bike frame (or any other item) is the same as applying our standard decals.

We supply stencils with transfer tape already applied so all you need to do is select and separate the one you want from our supplied selection, peel off the backing paper to expose the sticky side and apply to your bike… then spray away!

Obviously there is a little more detail to be mindful of but this is fully covered in our instruction leaflet supplied with every order.

For more information please see the article here https://decalzone.co.uk/how-do-i-apply-decals-to-my-bike/ and if you’re worried or need additional information, reach out and drop us line at hello@decalzone.co.uk

How do I apply decals to my bike?

What’s the difference between a decal, a sticker and a label?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / Q&A

Ok very emotive…

In our world (the world of Decal Zone) they are all the same thing!

But we do not supply stickers or labels in the traditional sense, this is the cheaper end of the market “generally” where they are made from cheap materials with low quality glues for short term applications. We are not knocking this, its simply fitness for purpose.

At Decalzone we provide very high quality decals for long term exterior applications, with all the bits to apply them. (i.e. backing paper to protect the glues/adhesive until ready to use), the transfer tape already applied making sure the letters stay in the right position while you apply to the bike and instructions on how to do it.

Our vinyl’s are the best with 5+ years colour fade resistant and manufactured using the very best tangential vinyl cutters with computer controlled blade directional software for perfect cutting.

We are vinyl cutters and not printers, so our decals are a profile cut of the design.

We hope this helps explain the differences, but of you require any additional information for need any assistance please drop us an email at hello@decalzone.co.uk we are always happy to assist

Can I add a new decal over an existing one?

Martin Lee / 10/04/202320/12/2023 / Q&A

No, no, no, no, no…

Well, you can tell how we feel about that one, can’t you. Don’t do it.

It’s not about the application… there’s nothing to stop you applying one of our decals over the one already on your frame. The problem is, there is no uniform size for any bike brand, even from the manufacturers who may distort their brand to fit a specific area or create new versions for specific releases. Other issues include that letterspacing may be different to what is already on your frame. There are a plethora of sizes and cuts out there and it would be very lucky if ours fitted over the existing one perfectly – and let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than having a sliver of the old logo showing below the new one.

Decals in our range are not created for any specific size, model or brand of bike! We offer a range of sizes that will accommodate most bike sizes (plus a bespoke service of large decals which are ideal for road bike with huge down tubes) but they must be applied to a clean, unimpeded surface.