I do not know what the big manufacturers use, however, I have been experimenting with waterslide decal paper you can use in your inkjet printer. I purchased mine online. I think I paind about $16 for 10 8"x10" sheets, including shipping. I found a bluegill pattern I liked and used Adobe Photoshop to print both sides. You must seal the paper with a acrylic clear coat first, then dip in water and the image slides right off. I placed it on the bait, it wrinkles some and needs to be worked in order to curve it. I still got some creases. After it dried I used Devcon 2-Ton to clear coat the lure, sanded down the high spots, and clear coated 2 more times. I will try to post a pic as soon as I can. I really liked the results, but it was a fair amount of work.