Frequently Asked Questions about Decals

SHIPPING POLICIES - INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ORDER AND THE TIME IT TAKES TO MANUFACTURE, ETC.

All decals are made when they are ordered, so each order is actually a totally custom order. This is the only way we can offer you so many different images in such a wide range of colors. Due to the huge selection of colors and sizes we offer on the hundreds of images, each order is final, with no refunds. If the product is defective or incorrect, we will replace it. Contact us to arrange for the return and replacement of the defective product. We are not responsible for your installation mistakes, and advise that you read the installation instructions carefully before installing the decals.

We are closed on the weekends. Our offices are open only from 8 am to 5 pm PST Monday thru Friday, and we are closed on major holidays. Occasionally we will also be closed for a brief vacation, in which case you will receive a notice on an autoresponder when you place your order as to when we will be re-opening.

Your order will be manufactured and completed, ready to ship, within 3 to 4 working days from the time it is received. We use the US Postal Service for 99.9% of our shipping, and offer shipping in "standard" FIRST CLASS MAIL or using PRIORITY MAIL. Priority Mail Shipping means that your order will be shipped using Priority Mail, and will spend 2 to 3 days in transit, depending on how far it is being shipped. It does not mean that you will receive your order 2 to 3 days after you place the order. (See the first paragraph). Normal orders for 6" decals are shipped in cardboard (stiff) envelopes, either 7" x 9", or in Priority Mail envelopes (9" x 12"). Occasionally a custom text order, with several lines of text, may be shipped in a box, using Priority or First Class mail US Postal Service.

Please double check your information regarding your address for billing and your address for shipping BEFORE you hit the CONTINUE button. MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE ANY APARTMENT OR SUITE OR ROOM NUMBERS IF THOSE ARE PART OF YOUR ADDRESS. Due to the frequency of returned envelopes and packages with incomplete addresses, we will, effective July 1, 2006, begin to charge you a second time for shipping if your order comes back to us due to an incomplete or incorrect address provided.

Winter Decal Installation Caution:

Decals cannot be installed onto a surface whose temperature is below 50 degrees F.
(That's around 10 degrees Celsius). The decal adhesive will not create a strong initial bond if you try to install onto a very cold surface. You can use a hair dryer to warm the surface first, then do the decal install quickly while the surface is warm enough (not hot, just warm). Or bring the vehicle inside the garage and make sure the temperature there is above 50 degrees. Use an electric heater to warm the side of the car before installing the decal.

Once installed, the decal will adhere thru all sorts of temperature ranges - it is just the initial bond that requires the 50 degree minimum.

The standard size for all decals is SIX INCHES in whichever dimension is larger...height or width.

1. If these decals are removable, won't they come off in a car wash?

No. When properly applied, these decals have a "permanent" adhesive which resists peeling in any standard car wash, in snow, rain,, sleet, or hail. The decal may peel off if you use a high-pressure power washer at a distance of less than 24 inches from the edge of the decal. If your car has been repainted, and a good primer was not used, your paint may peel off. The decal will still stick to that paint. For that reason, we recommend that you DO NOT place decals onto car surfaces that have been repainted.

2. So how do you get these decals off?

You may be able to peel the decal off simply by picking at and pulling up an edge, then slowly pulling the decal away from the surface. If you want to make it easier, PURCHASE A "LIL CHIZLER" decal removal tool from our website - available on all stock images pages, or go get a PLASTIC 2" putty knife from the hardware store - use the sharp edge to help lift off the decals. You could do this on a hot day, with the vehicle in direct sun. Otherwise, just use a hairdryer, with the setting on "HIGH", to warm up the decal, then pull it up by the edge and slowly pull back. If there is any residue from the adhesive (there would be only minor amounts) left on the surface, that can be removed easily by using adhesive removers such as the citrus-based "goo removers" sold at the local five and dime stores.(I highly recommend keeping some of that around - it is useful for many cleaning emergencies...). Or you could wash it off, using pine type solvent cleansers or dishwashing liquid. Do not use an abrasive such as a cleanser or an abrasive sponge on the car surface - that will leave scratches. However, you can use an abrasive cleanser or sponge on the window surface.

3. How do you put the small stickers on? See our new Install Guide page with PHOTOS - click here

First, the temperature must be above 50 degrees F, below 85 degrees, on the CLEAN OIL-FREE surface where decal is applied. If too cold - the decal will not adhere, if too warm, it will be very difficult due to aggressive adhesion of glue on the decal. (Once applied, it will stick on regardless of temperature).

When you are ready to apply your decal, take your "squeegee" (purchase one form us on any stock images page, or use a credit card or whatever) and first re-set the mask (the side of th4 decal that does not have the brand label on it) by rubbing the decals vigorously thru the mask. This reconfirms that the decal adhesion to the mask is strong, and the decals will stay on the mask when the backing is removed.

You may want to use a mask-tape "hinge" along the top edge of your decal to assure that it is on your vehicle at a correct alignment. Make the hinge along the full length of the top side of the decal, and then flip the decal up and lie it flat, upside down against the surface, to remove the backing. Flip the decal down again to place it against the surface into position. Or, you can simply remove the decal backing first, on any flat surface, then place your masked decal against your surface "freehand".

When removing the backing, do so at a diagonal to the decal image, and VERY SLOWLY, pull the backing off in a DOWNWARD motion, watching carefully to assure that the decal is remaining on the front mask. If at any point the decal wants to stay on the backing, just use your squeegee to rub that area (from either side) and reset the mask. Then continue to peel back SLOWLY. It should take from 30 seconds to a full minute to remove the backing from the decal….if you go faster than that, you risk tearing the decal.

When applying the decals to the surface, be prepared to rub and rub and rub again and again to get the vinyl to stick to your surface, so that the mask can release. Rub for 60 seconds or longer, in every direction. When removing the mask, again pulling down at a diagonal, go very slowly, taking at least 60 seconds or more, and if the decal starts to lift, then lay it back down and rub again.

4. How do you put the longer slogans on?

Foolproof method of installing all decals,
especially long ones

Download these decal installation instructions in pdf format - click here

You will need the following items:

• Window cleaner (i.e.: Windex) and lots of paper towels
• Kartattooz squeeqee, credit card or other stiff plastic card to use as a squeegee
• EITHER - a 1-qt. Spray bottle filled with water and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid OR - a bowl or pan with 1 qt. Of clean water, 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, and a CLEAN sponge or washcloth
• A sewing needle, safety pin, or very small pen knife (with 1" blade)
• For long slogans, I recommend a Level if you have one, to determine what is straight.
• Car in area where temperature is between 55 and 90 degrees.

STEP 1. Clean the surface where you are putting decals with the window cleaner and dry thoroughly.

STEP 2. Position the decal onto the surface and use masking tape to create a "hinge" along the TOP of the decal. Tape the decal into position using masking tape only on the top of the decal. If you have a very long (3 feet or more) decal to install, you will probably want to use several six inches pieces of masking tape along the top, from one side to the other. Flip the decal up, and starting at the upper left corner, VERY SLOWLY peel off the backing. (The backing is either paper or it is a clear film. The FRONT of the decal is covered with a masking tape film). As you peel off the backing, make sure that no pieces of decal lift off onto the backing - all pieces should stay on the masking tape film. If a piece starts to lift, then squeegee the backing side down hard to make the decal below adhere more firmly to the masking tape. When you have finished peeling off the backing, make sure that no pieces of paper backing are stuck to the adhesive side of your decal - if so, get it off, using the pin or knife tip to grab the edge carefully.

STEP 3. Either spray or use the washcloth/sponge to wet down the surface where the decal goes with the soapy water. Get it good and wet.

STEP 4. Slowly fold the decals onto the wet surface, using the hinge to maintain a good straight line. Do not rub until the entire decal is down, so that you can make minor position adjustments if necessary. When the decal is lying flatly against the surface, then begin to rub, using your hand first to flatten it nicely against the surface, then start with the squeegee (credit card edge).

STEP 5. Start to squeegee the decal from the middle outwards, over and over, then harder and harder. Squeegee in all directions, up , down and diagonally. Keep squeegeeing for several minutes, very firmly, getting all the water out. When done, use a paper towel to wipe up as much of the water as possible. WAIT AT LEAST 15 MINUTES. Then VERY SLOWLY begin pulling the masking off, starting at the upper left corner, draw diagonally down, and pull SLOWLY. If the decal starts to come up, lay it down and re-squeegee, and you may need to wait longer for things to dry (cold weather and humidity are factors.)

5. What color decal shows up best on the rear window of my car?

If you have dark tinted rear windows, the best color to use for your decal is our ULTRA-BRITE WHITE, BRIGHT YELLOW, OR ANY PASTEL COLOR. For windows that are not tinted, I would suggest our YELLOW, RED or BRIGHT ORANGE . These colors are bright enough to be seen clearly and easily, and stand out against any background. We recommend the Darker Blue, Purple, or Black decals only for the body of a car with a light background.

6. Where is the best place to put these decals?

You can place them on your rear windows (upper right and left corners show up the best, and also minimize interference with your rear view) on the rear door windows - again, upper rear corners are the best, especially if the window rolls down (a decal can be scraped by the window rolling up or down over it, so place them where they are not going to be affected. Many rear windows only roll part-way down.) The decal can be placed on the front windshield in the upper 6" of windshield space. Again, for easy spotting in a large parking lot, I like to put one decal on each upper corner. A banner slogan decal can be placed across the windshield upper area in front, or anywhere on the rear window. Decals can also be placed on the body of the vehicle. They will not stick well on rough surfaces, such as some rubber bumpers. By placing decals in the upper corners of your front and rear windows, you can spot your car easily in a parking lot!! (NOTE: you may need to check with your local police dept. regarding any restrictions on placements of decals. Some areas have more stringent rules about decals than others.)

7. When done, my decal has lots of tiny bubbles under the decal. What should I do?

When you have finished the installation, you may see lots of tiny little air bubbles under your decal (especially if there is a lot of solid vinyl surface). THIS IS NORMAL. Tiny bubbles (the size of zits) will simply disappear after a week or two, as they "leech out" thru the vinyl, molecule by molecule. If you have any larger bubbles (the size of an M&M) you should use a pin to poke a couple very tiny holes in the bubble, then squeeqee again. If you use the WET METHOD to apply your decals (see above), you will find that the installation will be free of air bubbles.

8. What if I want a decal image that you don't have on the charts?

Just contact us and let us know what sort of decal you want. We have literally thousands of images available to be converted to decals for Kartattooz.com™. If you are looking for a decal image that we don't have online - just ask!! At no extra charge, we will create that decal image if we have it. This site has been growing, but we have been doing decals like these for nine years, and have tons of images. We have been adding more decal images to our pages, and will continue to do so over time, based on popular requests. If you want something special for your car decal, it may take a few days, but we'll try to find it. If you want an outline of a photographed image that you have, contact us...we can discuss what it would take to convert your photo into a decal. If you have a design that you want us to duplicate, you may send it or fax it to us. Just contact us - we will be happy to work with you for your special decals. One warning, though....we decided we don't look good in orange jumpsuits, so we will not knowingly create any trademarked image. So no Donald Duck or Betty Boop or CALVIN or BART SIMPSON designs. Sorry.