(very) simple inkjet transfer

Posted by Nitsa on May 24, 2012 in inkjet transfer, Photo-craft projects, Tutorials | 1 comment

This is one of the simplest and easiest ways to transfer an image, mainly because (1) the transfer is done without applying any transfer medium and (2) it is an instant process.

What you need:

• Inkjet Printer
• Standard Sheet Protector
• Receiving surface such as a photographic paper.

Inkjet or printer transfer is a very simple process. It works because the photo is printed on a nonabsorbent surface, like glassine or wax paper, the back side of the sticky labels paper or my favorite; a standard sheet
protector.
As you print your photo into a non-absorbent surface the ink will remain wet for a while. All you need to do now is transfer the image onto any type of photographic paper by pressing the print face down into the receiving paper.

Now, a few words of wisdom:
1) It is recommended, especially if you have text in the photo, to print a mirror image of your photo – otherwise the final transfer will appear to be backwards.
2) If the sheet protector does not go smoothly through your printer, try inserting a piece of standard printer paper inside the sheet protector before printing, and then try again.
3) You can set your printer to any of the paper/media type options available for your printer, but keep in mind that unless you wish to have the ink-smudge effect, the “plain paper” option will work quite well (not to mention it will help you economize the use of precious ink).
4) The ink works well on most surfaces I tried, but if you choose to transfer to a surface that is not so smooth such as canvas it is a good idea to increase the amount of ink by setting the printer to a photo paper printing.
5) Using inkjet transparency film for inkjet transfer won’t work since this type of media absorbs the ink rather quickly. However you can still use inkjet transparencies for gel medium image transfer.