Scanning decal sheets

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

Scanning decal sheets is a quick, easy and nice way to obtain complicated images or fonts you would've been unable to reproduce yourself. However, is it the right thing to do? Don't get me wrong, I did it myself a few times but, if the company (Cutting edge in this case) found out you where scanning their decal sheets, would they find a way to sue you because you are violating copyright and reproducing their work in an illegal way?

I just wondered, something to think about

[DeanH]

Pardon my butt-in guys, the topic sounds interesting so I thought I might chime in too.

CWD The setting you mention in your first post 'magazine' - that's also called other things in different software. You might have a button for 'half tone' or printed page or something like that.

Whatever software came with your scanner, i wouldn't use magazine or halftone. It is meant to be used when scanning FROM a magazine, or any source material that was printed in a dot pattern, and consequently it isn't very useful for any other occasions. I wouldn't expect something like decals to need it.

About the results of your scans. - In keeping with the talk of magnifying glasses etc, it is quite likely that this is what is happening with your scans, with the higher dpi settings in use (800dpi) it's just like using a mag-glass, in other words, if the decal has ANY blemishes at all, then the scan will only increase them as well as everything else that is there.

It's very likely that, at 1/72nd the decals themselves aren't going to be the cleanest, no matter how good the company that makes them is, y'know? you can only get so much out of a printing press at that scale.

So, as adlabs6 mentions above, I think it comes down to the size of the original. If you CAN get 1/48 or 1/32nd scale decals, you're practically guaranteed a better result, using the methods you already use.

Good luck
DeanH

[DeanH]

... if the company (Cutting edge in this case) found out you where scanning their decal sheets, would they find a way to sue you because you are violating copyright and reproducing their work in an illegal way?

Personally, I'd be pretty surprised if they were to pursue that course of action 1.J_P,
Considering
a)the use as a skin for a flight sim, and not as a reproduced decal for modelling, and
b) not being 'resold' for a profit - which means you're not costing the company a dollar, and
c) the fact that the noseart was originally designed by some groundcrew in ww2 and not by 'their' design department.

would all make any action taken by them a costly -and perhaps pointless waste of resources.
One of my best sources of information are websites that have scans of decal sheets, and reviews of them etc, sites which aren't 'company' ones, y'know? "amateur" plastic modelling sites.

(that's just my opinion though )

Cheers
DeanH

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

Well, the decal-sheet company *might* think that we *might* reproduce their decals on a blank sheet of decal paper. It is possible you know.

But anyways, let's be glad it hasn't come so far untill now.

[CWD]

Hello everyone. Been a way a few days, sorry for not replying. I don't have the know-how to make the 1/72 scale scans into something workable, so I'm going to chalk this one up to experience and not use decals any smaller than 1/48 for complex features like nose art from now on.

[Serval]

The thought of Platypus is not that strange.
Maybe inspired by the fact that I faced some copyright issues over the previous site. And I know that some modellers do use a few of the templates provided on this site.

I think that as long as it is for personal use it is not worth the effort for them. Also because it will be hard to prove it was scanned from their sheet. You might as well have used a book or other sheets. Now the resolution of much noseart is very low and thus won't exactly fit the original scan due to resizing for example.

And though it is based on some art from ww2, it still is their work. So, they own the copyrights. Another question would be if they should mention explicit that it is a replicate of that artwork, eventhough that is quite clear to everyone anyway.
Thinking about that: technically speaking a scalemodel company could face the same problems as Maddox Games did for making a model of the Corsair.
Well, copyrights is just a complex matter, also because it has quite some exeption and often (especially with visual media like photo's and drawings) involves other laws and rights.

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

I've read somewhere on the internet that model-kit companies now have to pay royalties to the right owners of the particular aircraft in their kit, in some cases. This is also for the good, because that particular right-owner can give unique documentation that the kit-company can use when designing their kit. This shouldn't be all too bad I think.

[Serval]

Souns like the Grumman vs Maddox case.
And I wonder how helpfull these companies will be.

[RAF_Loke]

I have tried to scan a few myself, result wasn't very good.
I have a feeling that the usually light blue background somehow destroy the scan.

[1.JaVA_Platypus]

well, you can play with the colors in photoshop but, it is the idea that you won't have to draw complex nose-art yourself.