Dark color with decals, what do you do ?

[Samy]

I´m getting a hard time to find a way of applying decals in dark colors without the annoying air bubbles !
My first try was in a dark blue box with laser decal, the result was not very good, the were very small air bubbles ... that was not pretty like you must know.
My second try was also in a dark blue but with laser waterslide decals. The result was excellent after placing the decals, but after some hours drying the bubbles appeared .  That was a huge disappointment.

What do you do to avoid that very small air bubbles ?? I don't have that problem in lighter colors because they are not visible, the bubbles are really very small but in darker colors,  they are very annoying and ruin all the artwork!

Thanks.

[GibsonGM]

I add 1 capful of white vinegar to my warm water that I soak the decal in...don't leave it in TOO long, just til it comes off easy.   Slide the edge of the decal about 1/2" off the paper, and try to lay it flat onto one side of the box.  Then ease the paper out from behind little by little, laying the decal down as you go.    When it's on, take a wet, clean rag and gently wipe the decal in 1 direction only, flattening it.   You can do this a few times as it dries. 

Are they really bubbles, or bumps under the decal?  Sometimes you get bumps if you don't sand the box or the undercoat is grainy.  0000 steel wool will knock them off in between coats...keep dust off the paint when painting, too! 
Practice makes perfect  )

[Samy]

Applying the decal was not the problem, everything was perfect until it dried.
The box is powder coated and i cannot sand it or the color will get scratched or might come off ( or i think so ). The surface it's not irregular but it's not 1000% perfectly flat.
There is a contrast between the some bubbles and the blue color, there are some positions that looks perfect like you can see in the folowing photos:


 

[danngreen]

Here's a trick: use a rubber spatula from the kitchen. You know, the thing your mom used to use to scrape out the last of the cookie dough. Remove the handle if possible and just squeegee from the center outwards towards the edges immediately after applying the label. use the softer rubber kind, i dont know if the hard plastic kind will work without tearing the decal