Mock Up's & Trials 2

close up of the transfer

 So this is a very first attempt at using hand gel sanitizer to transfer inkjet print outs to other surfaces. I am trying it out to see the kind of affect it gives on nice paper that might otherwise be difficult to put through the printer or just simply to create an effect different to that of normal digital printing.

transparency with inkjet printed image

 This method I followed is from the Natural Dye Journal here; very clear instructions, and I would like to reiterate the need to apply the gel to the thing you are transferring to, NOT the transparency, and try not to have too much gel as the ink will slide and smudge, but too little gel and it won't transfer clearly.

transfer drying; the paper was too thin, cartridge paper is not the best as it curls

transfer; some areas worked, but you can see that big smudge in the middle

 Its certainly something I want to do more experiments with, to try to get it right. I am pleased with the clarity of some areas of the image, and disappointed at the smudging in others. But for a first trial I think it has potential.

close up of transfer

 I think that the darker the image, the more contrast there is, then the clearer the transfer is going to be; the image I used is quite a pale image and so its quite hard to tell from these photos how well it worked; but I can say that patches worked well, you can see that in the image of the pink pin above.

transparency after the transfer

The image I was transferring by the way is a photo of this work-in-progress textile piece called Apricot Wax, and as you can probably tell, I didn't flip the image before printing it, that means the image is the wrong way around.... not a big problem for a test, but certainly if there is text it is going to be really obvious. If I do more trials (and I am sure I will), I will post more.