Nice looking, laser printed output for your drone.

Read it through first, to learn what you need to learn. Then, after having read it, read it a second time for your “AHA!” moment. Then go do it. DAMHIKT.

• Print what you want on your drone lettering on your laser printer.
• Take that print, and put a piece of scotch tape over top of that label you just printed. Square it up nicely. Make its length a bit long.
• Put a 2nd piece of scotch tape on top of the first piece of scotch tape.
  a. Make it slightly smaller than the piece in 2).
  b. Give it a tape tab on one end.
• Reprint the same thing. Put the paper back in the paper tray in proper orientation. Reprint the same thing.
• Peel the top tape off, trim as needed, and apply to your drone.
  

Manual feed and authmatic feed have different registrations and won't align the same way all the time, so don't mix them up. Manual feed registrations are generally random, so generally speaking, don't do this with manual feeds.


Laser printers work really well. Inkjets? I'm not so sure, but you may be just as successful. Just give the ink time to dry before the 2nd piece of tape is applied, or the wet ink will ooze everywhere.

Doug Parker
The DOuGTrainer.com
Henderson, NV, USA

Nice DIY.  

I wanted a bit more professional look to go along with my custom skin so I ordered the FAA registration label at the same time I ordered the skin.

Hello there Doug. Good day and thank you for sharing these interesting information with us. Nicely done and have a nice day.

Just pray the tape doesn't come off and wreck the printer.

DAFlys Posted at 2-24 23:52
Just pray the tape doesn't come off and wreck the printer.

Of course.

In two decades of doing this, though, it's never happened to me. I do the same thing with post-it notes. The adhesive side of the post-it note always gets placed onto the paper so that the edge with the adhesive is always oriented at its leading edge. That way the adhered edge enters between the printer's rollers and gets pulled through first, flattening the post-it, feeding it through, and keeping itself flat against the paper as it travels through the printer. There's little chance of a stray edge of the post-it note getting picked up, folded, or its sticky edge getting torn away from the paper underneath.

It also helps to understand how the paper is drawn through the printer, how it gets picked up, how it travels through the printer's internal path, and how it gets handed off between the different parts of the printer as the paper proceed through the printing process. There's little pulling or tearing force exerted onto a piece of tape taped firmly onto the paper or exerted onto the edge of a post-it note as it's traveling through the laser printer.

One step was left off: after the 2nd printing, put yet another piece over the 2nd piece of tape to protect the lettering. That way, the tape tab you pull away will leave one piece on the paper, and you'll be lifting up a dual layered piece.

d0ugparker Posted at 2-25 08:04
Of course.

In two decades of doing this, though, it's never happened to me. I do the same thing with post-it notes. The adhesive side of the post-it note always gets placed onto the paper so that the edge with the adhesive is always oriented at its leading edge. That way the adhered edge enters between the printer's rollers and gets pulled through first, flattening the post-it, feeding it through, and keeping itself flat against the paper as it travels through the printer. There's little chance of a stray edge of the post-it note getting picked up, folded, or its sticky edge getting torn away from the paper underneath.

Over the years we've had to repair many laser printers in the office as people use cheap labels and they come off inside the machine.   I think Id rather recommend printing onto a clear label thats designed for the purpose.

Thanks for the tip!

I've used the technique for decades to make custom post-it notes:

I purposely showed the bend in the card stock. Some people see the space and freak out.

"It's going to get stuck!"

No, not if it goes in sticky end of the post-it note paper, first. Paper gets fed through multiple sets of pairs of rollers. If the leading edge of the two pieces of paper are being held together, then when they reach the rollers, they'll both be grabbed at the same time, squeezed together, and sent out the other side. Use common sense. Proceed with brain engaged. I think it's called, "thinking." ;-)



Here's what happens of you bend the card stock the other way. Whew! Suddenly, the sky isn't going to fall any more.



And here's how slick they look when they're done.



Yeah, it takes time, but that focused, controlled time, organization, skill, craft, and attention really, REALLY pays off.

Warm regards,

D.P.
Henderson, NV, USA

Soo Good DIY

One stage was left off: after the second printing of circle stickers, put one more piece over the second piece of tape to safeguard the lettering. Like that, the tape tab you pull away will leave one piece on the paper, and you'll lift up a double-layered piece. https://munbyn.com/products/circle-labels

I use this: MUNBYN label printer. https://munbyn.com/products/thermal-shipping-label-printer

After the printing, put another sheet on top of the second tape to protect the letters with the help of circle labels. This way, the tape tab you remove will leave one piece of paper, and you will lift a double piece of paper.