Photocopy onto fabric: I’ve tried the store bought iron on fabric sheets at Wal-Mart. Didn’t have much luck with them, either my iron was too hot or too cool. I iron cotton-poly blend material on freezer paper that’s been cut into 8 1/2"x11"sheets to fit my printer and print away.  I have made several memory quilts for family. I usually heat set with an iron. This is much cheaper too. I have printed some mini rugs and quilts onto this freezer paper too.

Pat Thompson

Freezer paper:  First I cut my freezer paper into 8 1/2 x 11 inch pieces. I usually do a dozen or more pieces at a time, as I seem to use them rather quickly.  I use bleached muslin fabric, [but have use old cotton bed sheets, if they’re not too worn thin] I get my iron good and hot, then place the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto the fabric, then press the paper onto the fabric, the shiny side has like a wax coating that makes the paper stick to the fabric. I then cut out the pieces of fabric with the paper stuck to them.  When you go to run these threw your printer, make sure there is no loose threads or wrinkles in your fabric paper. Wrinkles are easy to iron out before hand.  After you print on them, you can heat set them if you wish, I usually don’t, as most of the thing are for either minis or for keepsake quilts.

Pat Thompson

Computer printer fabric: Try a large fabric store like Joann's.

Roz Weitzman

Fabric for printing: A company called Pictorico makes a wonderful silk-poly printable fabric that drapes beautifully. It comes on a tear away paper so that additional paper is not needed. My suggestion is that you check the web site and order their sample package which includes a sheet of silk-poly and wonderful other papers. The silk comes in multiple sizes when you order in quantity. The web site also has a location where you enter your type computer and it tells you what to set it at for printing on fabric! www.pictorico.com

Gail

Freezer Paper: For those of you who cannot find freezer paper, may I suggest using label paper.  It comes without pre-cut labels here in the good ole USA, but even so, it works wonderfully to run cloth through your computer.   Iron your fabric (if it needs it), place on the sticky side of the paper & smooth with your fingers.  Trim edges so loose threads can't get caught in the printer.  I use it all the time as I threw out my iron years ago (LOL).

Sharon Begley

Freezer paper: I was told that you can get the freezer type paper from patchwork places. I have not looked as yet as I usually do another method suggested to me by Mary Burrowes. Mary told me to do as follows: Use fine material [lawn etc]-- Take an A4 sheet of ordinary copier paper and spray with spray adhesive. Place this on the material and make sure no wrinkles [can iron on if wished] then trim material to the paper size and make sure no loose threads to tangle. Place in printer material side down and print whatever you wish.

I have used this method several times in my HP printer and never had any problems. The copier paper is always on hand so this is both convenient and cheap.

Maude

Printing on fabric: I recall reading about another method of printing on fabric.  You get the sticker sheets made for printers and stick the fabric on that, print then peel. Obviously this needs to be the full sheet rather than the address label sort.

Charlene

For inkjet decal paper try the following:

http://www.vitachrome.com/vitacal/products.htm - NEW avail at Walthers.com

http://www.paper-paper.com/water-slip-decals1.html

http://www.micromark.com - micromark's inkjet decal paper

However, if you want to paint your own designs, I recommend Tango Papa Decal Paper

http://www.tangopapadecals.com

His decal paper is really thin but you cannot print using an inkjet but you can print on a Laserjet or copier and fill in the colors or print your decals using a color copier.

Hiok, Kuching, Malaysia

I have made "beautiful" hardwood floors with wood purchased with the grooves already imprinted. I just stained, polyurethaned and installed. Cheap and easy.

But the reason I'm posting to the list is because I decided that I would try some printable flooring. I never wanted to before because it just looked so....so... I don't know...unreal? Well, anyway, I went to Eileen's and chose hardwood flooring. She had a nice pattern for parquet(?) flooring. I printed it, used a glue stick and glued it to some thin cardboard (file folder), I then put on three coats of the polyurethane. BEAUTIFUL!!! I mean absolutely beautiful. I think I like it better than the actual hardwood floors. If you haven't tried it, give it a try. I think you'll be pleased. I'm going to try some of the other tile on her site. If you'd like I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sorry I don't have pictures yet, but I will. Just trying to fix up my Beacon Hill after seeing Kathy's (it will never compare.) And thanks so much Eileen. Also, Hope of Hope's printables. I just put some of your wall paper up today. Beautiful

Tonya in Brooklyn

Sealing Printed Materials: Any time you use paper printed with ink (computer or print shop) be sure you spray it with a fixative for inks so inks won't smear when the glue hits. Find these with artist supplies. The matte finish is my preference. If you want to seal it after it is glued into place, use Modge Podge for gloss finish.

Laurie Sisson

Sealing Printable Wallpaper: Marker Fix fixative spray for marker drawings-stops color bleed VAPOR HARMFUL---use outside and leave paper there until fumes dissipate. I know you will want to rush back in the house to use it. DON'T. When dry, spray the reverse side, leave outside until you almost forget it is there.

Laurie Sisson

Sealing Printable Wallpaper: I bought this in a craft store, so most craft stores probably have it. Design Master Super Surface Sealer. Clear sealer and satin finish 656. This is great stuff. Use a very thin coat the first spray. Let dry well, then spray again two times. Really works good. You can even wipe the paper afterwards with a damp cloth as long as you are gentle. It seals the ink right up. Supposed to last and preserve and never yellow. For wallpaper, I would spray the back also. I think a good idea would be to print on very light card, for the wallpaper. It would give it more strength.

Barbara Del Duco

Texturizing Catalog Prints for artwork:: I liked Marc's reverse engineering answer to you about adding "brush strokes" in Paint Shop or similar programs. I would also have you check out your local computer paper supply store as there are some textured papers which might add something different to the "look" of your artwork. If you are going for Old Masters, give them a coat of gloss protective spray as they were all into varnish finishes. If they are supposed to be watercolors...non gloss. For modern art: buy canvas board, cut it into sections and paint your own originals in acrylic paints.

Laurie

Beatrix Potter images: I'm working on an Easter theme roombox and wanted some Beatrix Potter images for pictures. I searched a number of sites and discovered these pictures of stamps to be the best for sizing and printing out.

http://www.stampnmagic.com/stampnmagic/beatricepotter.html

Jane, Little Rock, Arkansas

Spraying printed items: There are probably many types of spray that you could use to keep the water based ink used in the inkjet printers from smearing. I would not use a water based spray as it will cause the ink to run. I use Design Master Super Surface Sealer. You can find it in most craft stores. It is used for all crafts and also for artificial flowers. It can also be used on delicate fabrics and ribbons to keep them from soiling and to preserve them. Apply a very light coat first (it is important to use a very light coat first and let dry to seal the ink.) then another couple of thin coats. It really works. You can wipe glue off printed material after using this spray and letting it dry. I have even wet the surface a little to wipe some soiled spots off. It also makes the paper much stronger.

Barbara Del Duco

You can find velvet (or velour paper) at the arts supply store, too. They have it in different thicknesses.

Nertha

50's Kitchen: I've enjoyed the 50's memories so much. One item that comes vividly to mind as Christmas approaches is an automatic potato peeler my dad gave my mom one Christmas in the 50's. It attached to the faucet and the pressure from the water was to cause an abrasive action in the machine and remove all the peel. We all stood around the sink once the gifts were exchanged, inserted the potatoes and watched the action begin. In a matter of seconds the skin was off those potatoes but so was half the potato in the process. We laughed till our sides ached. I found the box with the machine still in mint condition while moving mom. I have made a printable of it and an old drinking straw box and some 50's tiles like the ones we had in our kitchen.

Under printables 50's items at

http://jdayminis.com

Jean Day

Printables: I just copied over some of those printables from Jim's pages. You right click and save the item. Then I used Word and brought them into there and put about 15 on a page and then printed them out. My FIRST Time to try it and it worked!

Jo A Cohrs

Printable problems: Pick out the image you want and Right click on it. A box should pop up with a number of options; you want to "Save Image As..."

It's easiest to put it in your Picture file, if you have one set up. The system will save it automatically as a jpg or gif file, so just type in Star Wars or whatever; it'll add the suffix, so don't worry about it.

Now, on your toolbar, along with the big "W" for Word and the "P" for Publisher, you should have a tilted, multicolored square that is "Photoed.exe". Open that program, and then go up to File and click on "Open". It should go straight to your Picture file. Open the poster, and then click on "Image". Click on "Balance" and you should be able to lighten the picture, change the contrast, etc.

Dani

Reduce regular sized fabric: I just scan as I usually do and then insert the scan into a Publisher document, grab the corner and shrink it to about 1/4 the size so you can still see the detail. Then copy and paste it 3 more times to fill up the page. Print on paper or computer printer fabric or fabric lined with freezer paper or a full page label.

Roz