Thursday, January 10, 2013

"Act Upon These Values": Printing Text Fabric Panel

 The text strips for this project can be printed onto fabric using many high-quality home inkjet printers. Select a good weight white or off-white solid cotton fabric. Cut a letter size fabric rectangle (8.5x11"). Layer backside of fabric over "plastic" side of freezer paper. Use appropriate high iron setting to "fuse" layers. Take care NOT to allow iron to touch plastic layer.
 Use rotary equipment to trim excess paper to match cut fabric size. This finished size should be IDENTICAL to a regular printing paper sheet.
Explore and test your printer so that you know how it loads a sheet of paper, specifically, if paper is FACE DOWN or UP when placed in the paper supply tray.

Once you know how this is to be done, load your fabric and carrier paper sheet into the tray so that ink will print onto fabric face side. Place the pattern print master sheet on the glass for a regular print. Program settings for highest quality black print, single copy, then hit "enter". The sheet should feed through the printer normally.

This image shows the master being unloaded from the glass, along with the printed fabric page ejecting from the printing process.




 As a precaution, treat the printed page with a solution of vinegar and water, applied with a fine spray. Allow to dry, then heat set by pressing with a hot iron and press cloth before proceeding with trimming and other construction steps.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for posting this tute! Text fabric is so expensive, was thinking of buying stamps and ink...like your idea much better!! Amie :o)

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