Laser Printing on Fabric
The inks in laser printers are permanent, and it is easy to stabilize a piece of fabric and run it through the printer. The only supplies needed are fabric, freezer paper, and a laser printer. (Most grocery stores carry freezer paper, look near the wax paper.)
Start
with a piece of pre-washed and dried fabric, both synthetic and
natural fibers work well. The fabric should be atleast 1/2"
larger than the size you would like to print. Cut a piece of freezer
paper, also 1/2" larger than desired size. Iron the shiny
side of the paper to the fabric, using the heat setting recommended
for the fabric. When cool cut the stabilized fabric to desired
size. A rotary cutter or sharp paper cutter are nice for straight
edges, but scissors will work also. Re-iron if the paper is not
completely adhered to fabric. Trim any threads from edges.
Place
fabric in paper tray of printer so that the fabric side will be
printed. Make certain that fabric isn't coming away from the paper
at the corners, re-iron if necessary. Print your file at a fine
print setting - 720 is good, 1440 is better. I generally set the
media type as photo quality paper, but experimenting with different
settings may produce interesting results.
Allow the print to dry for an hour before peeling away the freezer paper backing. Wait atleast one week before washing. Frequent washing will fade laser prints, and this technique is best suited to art pieces. For prints that will withstand regular washing, I recommend iron-on transfer sheets that are available for inkjet printers. They can be found at most office supply stores.
Click here to see artwork made with this technique.
