How to Prepare Fabric to Run Through Your Printer

[korifogg]

will the photos come out clear or blured?

[kimmyquevil]

Hi there, really good video but i have one question. Is it possible to reuse the freezer paper after you've ironed it on and peeled it off?

[ricefz]

@kimmyquevil You can try--see if you can get a good tight bond the second time. You may want to use tiny pieces of double-stick tapes on the corners or the leading edge. You just don't want the fabric to come loose and jam your printer. Good luck!

[metaZen]

AWESOME!!! YOU ROCK!!

[HRHYDarchell]

Thanks, I have been looking for a simple tutorial. I used stitch witchery in place of double sided tape. Probably not the best idea, but all I had. Just wanted to test the method. Thanks again!

[LibertyBooksAZ]

OOh you are so creative! Is this how you did your journal jean skirt on your blog? Those are waay cool. Thank you for doing all these great vids.

[DRbebe2017]

are these images washable and the image will be permanent after wash(es)???

[ricefz]

@DRbebe2017 Heatset them thoroughly, let them cure for a couple weeks before washing, turn inside out and wash gently. They will fade some but should be pretty good. I've had them go through many washes with little fading--but you have to take care. Good luck!

[MeriScrapper13]

Thank you so much for this easy tutorial! It's soooo simple. Just cut the fabric, cut the freezer paper. Iron fabric on waxy side. Feed into computer with fabric side facing printer rollers!

This is a wonderful, inexpensive way for us to transfer ANY image on fabric (I only use muslin). It worked like a charm......thanks a million!!

[ricefz]

@MeriScrapper13 So glad you're enjoying it--I've had great results and done tons of things I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

[AFateSoTwisted]

This is awesome ! Thanks for posting !

[ricefz]

@AFateSoTwisted You're very welcome--hope you get to do something fun!

[Neonprettykitty]

Thank you for this tutorial!

[Lycorisladies]

Man this age of computers are making folks stupid. What is so hard to understand? Print any image or photo like you would on any paper . Peel off your fabric( any color fabric) from the freezer paper and use it. Throw your used freezer paper away.

Ricefz, Thanks for all the tutorials. I love that you share all your experiences with us. I would never have been brave enough to do this to my printer before seeing this. Thanks and keep those videos coming!

[ricefz]

@Lycorisladies Thank you--I'm glad it was clear to you. Being able to do this really changed the way I looked at images + fabric, for sure. XO

[Lycorisladies]

@ricefz LOL your fast! I wanted to came back and retract that first line. This computer age also can make it to easy to be rude.

Sending you my kisses and love. This worked brilliantly! I just printed a free design I had saved and am now ready to do some silk ribbon embroidery on it. One Xmas gift down! THANK YOU!

[venicerollerstar]

I've tried this technique with mediocre results. After researching, I found a very reasonably priced company online that prints any digital photo or file on materials as diverse as polyester, satin, flannel or organic cotton. Fabric On Demand dot com

[techigs]

@knitpurlpeace, I wonder the same. So, ricefz, do you print on the fabric side? and what happens to the freezer paper? and the regular copy paper? what is it that you're pealing?

[techigs]

I think this video explains it more clearly UEBozgQAxCE

[ricefz]

@techigs This video is just showing how to make the fabric sandwich. You run it through your printer, printing on the fabric. Then you peel off the paper. The paper is just to stiffen the fabric enough to guide it through the printer. That's all it's for. Otherwise the fabric would bunch up and jam the printer.

[knitpurlpeace]

Sorry, but I do not get it. You printing an image from you photoshop file, correct?

and the image is printed on the fabric. Too bas the sample at the end was white, it confused the whole tutorial.

[ddavis78]

@knitpurlpeace I wondered that too; I would have liked to have seen the whole process, because it does get a bit confusing.

[NeedleJUNKY]

ricefz, great vid. Did you use a inkjet printer? Will this technique work with color laser printers?

[ricefz]

i have no idea--if you have a laser printer that's not essential to your life, i'd say give it a try. but if it's essential (and expensive), be careful, as sometimes the fabric can get stuck. you could take it to the store and ask them to run it through their demo model--i did that. it got stuck, the guy yanked it out and tried again. it worked. i bought the printer (NOT the demo model, but we were all happy!)

[rigidheddleweaving]

What if you printed directly onto the shiny side of the freezer paper and then ironed that onto the fabric after the ink dried...I wonder if that would transfer the ink onto the fabric...that would be awesome for printing on things that won't fit in a printer.There are printer products that you iron onto t-shirts but if this does the same thing, it would be hella cheaper.

[ricefz]

do it! and then let me know, please?

[rigidheddleweaving]

If I had freezer paper, I'd give it a try right now, but will have to wait till my next trip to the store which won't be for a while since the nearest store to me is more than 15 miles (I"m in the boonies).

[ricefz]

if only we'd progressed to the point where i could slip a sheet into a slot here and have it magically appear there--won't be long, i'm sure--

[NoSexualUndertones]

Hi I was wondering would this work for canvas. Also I got a little confused at the end. Are the samples that you show printed on fabric or paper.

[ricefz]

sorry about that--i DO say "paper" at the end, don't i? it's fabric--those samples i show are printed on white fabric.

[NoSexualUndertones]

Thanks for clearing that up. Also have you tried this on canvas fabric or do you think it will work I would love to use this technique to create custom canvas bags

[ricefz]

i haven't tried it on canvas--let me know how it works, though--

[ricefz]

thanks! have fun with this technique--it's fabulous!

[Godzoned]

you are absolutely brilliant!!! love this thankyou

[GhostReconjs]

when you put it in the printer you are making it actually print on the fabric correct?

[m4lvolio]

Where were you when I needed you the most ?

[ricefz]

at the Voodoo Cafe. where were you? we were waiting on you!

[learntosucceed]

I have done this many times - I have never had a sticky side to the fabric afterwards

[pacos33s]

This may be a ridiculous question, but does the fabric have a "sticky" side when you peel it off of the freezer paper?

[ricefz]

oooh--good questions. but i have no idea--every printer is different, and you're just going to have to play with it and see how it goes. knit--if you can get it to adhere to the freezer paper, it might work. i don't know: if you find out, let ME know!

[fomedomez]

oh, one more question. how about a cotton knit fabric, like a T-shirt fabric?

[fomedomez]

here is a dummy question....

can the settings on the printer be adjusted so that an 8 1/2 x 17 inch strip of fabric could be printed?

[fatxkat]

If your printer has options for that then yes.

[KayakChickee]

I've heard about doing this but never seen it in person. Thanks so much for doing a video on this. I'm such a "visual" learner.

[ricefz]

so glad it's helpful--seeing something always makes it seem sooooo much less intimidating than just reading about it.

[x1MissWorld1x]

awesome video! thank you so much :) I will give it a try!

[ricefz]

thanks! have fun with it!

[glennisd]

have you ever tired the "bubble jet set" product?

[ricefz]

i actually HAD some of that that they sent me to test, but i thought, eh, why bother with that when my printer works so well for what i do? have you tried it? did you love it?

[glennisd]

i have tried it as i was told that it was necessary to treat the fabric with some kind of fixative in order to make the inkjet dyes permanent. i basically did what you did except that i treated the fabric first with the solition and dried it. i was only experimenting so i can't say i "love" it but i did try to wash out the image and it held pretty well. have you tried washing out your inkjet printed fabrics? how do they stand up to it?

[ricefz]

i use a Epson Stylus C-series printer with archival inks--it's inkjet, but the inks are "permanent." like everything else, they do fade, but not much--and if you heat set properly and wash carefully (inside out, gentle cycle or by hand), they fade very little and very slowly. the epson c-series printers aren't expensive--i've had three over the course of several years, and none cost over $100. you could get one for about $60 at one time

[chiricahuasuz]

Neat!

[shellyatkinson]

still not quite sure on the process......

when you feed this through your printer...I have an epson c88+.....the fabric would have to be facing up wouldn't it?

[glennisd]

you will need to orient the fabric the same way you do any paper you print. if you are unsure, do a test on a piece of paper first- mark one side and run it through.