Two Common Ways of Transferring Images to Fabric

Whether you want to make your fabric postcards, vintage dinner napkins, or keepsake pillows, there are various tricks that can make designing easier and fun!

Here are the two most common ways of transferring any kind of design to any kind of surface or fabric.

Method 1: Designing with Freezer Paper

Designing with the use of freezer paper is cool because it allows you to work on 8.5 inches by 11 inches fabric, have it run to your printer, and print the images directly on the chosen material. This is possible by fusing freezer paper to the fabric to make the former stiffer.

For better results, consider using a laserjet printer to print the images. Inkjet printers are doable, but you have to set the photos first with the use of vinegar. After this, you have to use a commercially-treated fabric that’s printer-friendly. To avoid errors, try printing on a test piece and play around it to achieve the desired results.

To try this method, you have to follow these steps:

1- Prepare all the necessary materials: You have to press the fabric first and cut a piece of the freezer paper. Make sure that you cut the freezer paper larger than a short bond paper. Never use wax paper because both sides of this paper are waxy. You can use 8.5 inches by 11 inches cardstock to serve as your template for trimming both the fabric and the freezer paper. Precision matters here so, make sure to cut correctly.

2- Iron the fabric and the freezer paper together: Make sure to iron the freezer paper’s wax side to the back part of the fabric.

3- Start printing on the fabric: Make sure to change your printer’s setting to “photo” before you print. Also, be careful to print on the right side. Run the fabric through to make sure that printing is done on the material.

Method 2: Iron on Transfer Paper

If you want to try iron on transfer paper, you need to know the basics as well.

All you have to do is buy transfer paper, print images and designs on it, and iron the design on the fabric. For the specific instructions, refer to the details below:

1- Choose what kind of paper to use: Make sure to get the right paper that’s compatible with your printer. Also, consider the type of fabric you’ll iron the design too. It will significantly help if you read the instructions before making a purchase.

2- Print the design and trim: If the models you’ve chosen are images with text, you have to reverse the image by setting your printer in “printing on mirror mode.” Otherwise, your images will be printed backward. After you successfully print the image, trim it correctly. Make sure to add 1⁄4 inches when trimming the edges.

3- Do the iron transfer: Instead of an ironing board, use a pillowcase and place it on a hard surface. Iron out wrinkles and set your fabric from the right side up. Transfer the images by ironing the right-side down.

4- Peel the paper: Do the peeling gently and in a smooth motion.

If instead of making your designs, you want to buy from manufacturers specializing in iron transfers, you can reach out to PrintOnIt. They have been in the industry for quite some time so you can be assured that they only deliver quality products.