How to Make Your Own Decal Picture

Whether you’re searching for interesting decals to deck out your vehicle, bike, school folders or office wall, you can make your own with a few quick clicks on your computer. Use the Paint drawing program, which is included with Windows installation, to make your own decals without downloading any software or spending any money to buy a graphics package. Draw your own personal logo, picture of yourself or abstract artwork, then show it off to the world.

  1. Open Paint and click “Image,” then click “Attributes.” Set the width and height for your decal, then click “OK.” Click the “Image” menu again and ensure there is no check beside the “Draw Opaque” menu item; if there is, click the menu item to remove it. This enables you to have a transparent decal background.
  2. Step 2

    Click the “View” menu, then choose “Zoom” and select “Large Size.” This doesn’t increase the actual decal dimensions, it just gives you more room to draw.

  3. Step 3

    Click the “Paintbrush” tool and select the largest round brush head. Click a color from the “Color Picker” at the bottom of the screen; if you don’t like any of those colors, double-click any colored box to bring up a rainbow of color choices.

  4. Step 4

    Draw the outline of your decal, such as a sports logo, person’s body or flower shape. Then click the “Fill” tool, which looks like a spilling paint can, and click inside the shape to fill it with color.

  5. Step 5

    Click the “Paintbrush” again and choose one of the slash mark brush heads and a new paint color. Add features to the decal, such as a face, fur or a skyscape.

  6. Step 6

    Click the “Text” tool, which looks like a capital “A.” Notice a toolbar appears; select a font and size, then type text for the decal, such as “#1 Yankees Fan,” “Raleigh Riding Club” or “Best Daughter.”

  7. Step 7

    Add more text or paint features to the decal as preferred.

  8. Step 8

    Save the decal by clicking “File” and choosing “Save As.” Give the decal a name and destination on your computer, then pull down the “Save as type” menu and select “GIF,” which is the file type that supports transparent backgrounds. Click “OK.”

Tips & Warnings
  • You can make decals in other software programs. The Photoshop graphics software, available for purchase with Adobe’s Creative Suite, allows you to create decals from photographs and layered images, and includes a large collection of tools and filters. The Publisher desktop publishing program, included with most versions of Microsoft Office Suite, can also work well as a decal designer.
  • If you are printing your decal on white sticker paper, you may omit the “Draw Opaque” step, since you don’t need a transparent background. Transparency is required if you’re printing on the clear decal sticker paper. You can also save the file as a BMP or JPG when you don’t require a transparent background.