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I'm sure some of you must do this? I went and ordered some material for this and then when I went to print them my inkjet printer just made a mess of it. I guess you need to use a laser printer?
So I'd like to pick up something that can do this but I want to keep it as cheap as possible without buying garbage.

Any suggestions? what works well that wont break the bank? I'm pretty much strictly hobby level so I don't need something that would be for mass production or anything.

You have to use the right paper with inkjet. Otherwise what little ink does stay, just sits on top and doesn't adhere. I literally just went through this a couple days ago cause it'd been forever since I used them and forgot I had two types of waterslide paper.

Also, MAKE SURE you clear coat it before applying. You will ruin your artwork if not. When using a laser printer, you need not worry about that.

Transparency film works great too, but the colors aren't as deep and it's a bitch to cut nicely...and it leaves a definite edge. Brian and Tom seem to not be affected by this cause they use stuff like that very well

Yes, as mentioned the key is spraying a clear coat. Krylon Crystal Clear works fine. This stops the water from getting to the ink.

See if there is a local copy shop that will let you print files using your own paper. Maybe there's a Kinkos that isn't always busy, or a Mom & Pop version of Kinkos. You don't necessarily have to tell them it's a decal if they seem uptight, just say it's heavier card stock (the fancy printers can make adjustments for different grades of paper). All you'd pay for is the print… maybe a quarter?

If you prefer to buy your own printer, there are lots of inexpensive ones (60-80 dollar range, last time I looked). The printers are cheap so that they can screw you on the ink.

You already haz a printer, just buy the correct type of decal paper.

Thanks guys, I was under the impression that laser was the only way to go. I'll look into getting the right kind of paper. The stuff I had it just smeared around on when printing.