# Breakthrough in transferring your patterns on to wood



## thirsty (16 Feb 2014)

After some time experimenting with away to transfer patterns on to wood rather than taping a paper pattern on I have finally developed a medium to do this. 
As you can see from the picture the pattern is printed directly on to the wood using an inkjet printer and my A4 sheets of medium transfer rather like screen printing.No heating is required and the sheets can be used a number of times. 
The system works with most inkjet printers that don't automatically detect the type of paper used ie:Kodak Printers. 
Just print out your pattern making sure you reverse the image in the program you use or your printer setting and transfer to your wood. sorry the pictures are not that good.
Mod edit:- direct advertising removed.
John


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## bodgerbaz (16 Feb 2014)

You lost me a bit there. You print the pattern on to medium transfer paper . . . how do you then get the image on to the wood? Do you rub the medium transfer paper to transfer the image on to the wood?

If so, isn't it a little faint?

It's an interesting concept but IMHO is it easier than printing out a pattern on paper then sticking it on to the wood using spray mount. The white paper image with black lines would certainly stand out more especially when some dust starts lying around.

You also didn't mention how much you were charging for the patterns and what the patterns were.

Thanks for sharing though.


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## pebbles (16 Feb 2014)

I'm intrigued because I'm still in the dark ages of transferring designs with carbon paper onto whatever I'm working on, but also can't quite work out how this works - I too am wondering if you print the design onto the medium transfer sheets then lay that on the wood and rub/trace through? I was being a bit dense (think fossilised bog-oak) and trying to imagine putting a piece of wood in my printer... it has enough trouble with paper jams never mind anything thicker :? :lol:


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## ChrisR (16 Feb 2014)

Another one here, completely confused, If you are having to print onto a (transfer sheet) what ever that is. :?: 

Surely it is more cost effective to print onto standard paper, paste onto wood blank using prit stick or similar, job done. 

I have been using this method for many years without a problem. :wink: 

Thanks for posting the information, but I don’t get it, probably it is me just being thick. :? 

Take care.

Chris R.


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## Chippygeoff (16 Feb 2014)

This method kicked off in the states some years ago. I looked into it and found it a bit time consuming. For me I just print the pattern off that I want, trim it with scissors and stick it on top of masking tape, simple, quick and effective.


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## finneyb (16 Feb 2014)

I use this method for pyro work - acetone (nail varnish remover) transfers the ink to the wood. 
I use normal photocopying paper which seems to work.

Brian


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## Homerjh (16 Feb 2014)

Chippygeoff":jdalll8n said:


> This method kicked off in the states some years ago. I looked into it and found it a bit time consuming. For me I just print the pattern off that I want, trim it with scissors and stick it on top of masking tape, simple, quick and effective.


That's what I do, blue tape, cover it, glue on pattern, there you go.

Also what I have done is tape a plank, then just cut to size, retake the bare edges, glue, cut.

Also the benefit of the tape method is if you print and get to almost cut then notice a problem you can just take the pattern off and put a new one in.

Also you don't have the issue of trying to remove the pattern from the wood afterwards if you don't cut exact ;-)


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## toesy (16 Feb 2014)

I just print direct to A4 Self Adhesive sheets, which I get 100 at £6.69, so around 7p each.

All I do is print - stick - cut - remove - sand.

Works for me


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## bodgerbaz (17 Feb 2014)

Doesn't sound as though there'll be much of a take up on the offer then as we all seem to be happy with our own ways of doing things.

Toesy, does that self adhesive sheet peel off OK when its been cut into lots of pieces stuck on a sheet of wood? It might be a better way than printing on to plain paper then spray mounting. When you consider the cost of the cost of a can of spray mount, sheet for sheet there can't be much in it?


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## martinka (17 Feb 2014)

toesy":r3wrh492 said:


> I just print direct to A4 Self Adhesive sheets, which I get 100 at £6.69, so around 7p each.
> 
> All I do is print - stick - cut - remove - sand.
> 
> Works for me



Where do you get them at that price?

I gradually moved from using spray mount or glue stick to using double sided tape.

edit: NM, I found 50 for £2.73 delivered on Amazon, so I sent for some to try. Should be especially good for portraits if they stick OK to wood.
edit2: I hope the labels are as good as the service. One hour after ordering I got an email to say the labels have been dispatched.


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## Homerjh (17 Feb 2014)

You need to buy one of these and just print direct onto the wood...

http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Work/Pr ... na_660_XT/

Slightly overkill but does away with paper..


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## bodgerbaz (17 Feb 2014)

martinka":5r62u1xt said:


> edit: NM, I found 50 for £2.73 delivered on Amazon, so I sent for some to try. Should be especially good for portraits if they stick OK to wood.



Hi Martin, I noticed that there are some 'James Labels SL1' now showing on Amazon at 50 for £2.92 . . . . are these, they? If so I'd be keen to see how easy they peel off the wood after being stuck down for a few days then cut out. I noticed on the feedback for those quoted that they seem to be extremely sticky. I hope they peel off fairly easily as this is a much better way of sticking patterns to wood.

Barry


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## toesy (17 Feb 2014)

bodgerbaz":6qdw0vg3 said:


> Toesy, does that self adhesive sheet peel off OK when its been cut into lots of pieces stuck on a sheet of wood??



The previous ones I had from Staples where much easier to remove, and did not leave any sticky residue, the ones I have now from sensible supplies on eHay, I have to use a heat gun gently whilst removing and they leave sticky residue, so a light sanding is required on the front,. but I always do this a matter of course, so that doesn't bother me.

I think the staples one where quite old. as I had them in my filing cabinet for years and only stated using them when I started scrolling.

But I do like the fact, I just print and stick them straight onto the wood, If there's a large area of nothing to be printed, I have even started adding patters/words/letter to be cut in the future, to minimise the waste aspect.


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## martinka (17 Feb 2014)

bodgerbaz":121iepja said:


> martinka":121iepja said:
> 
> 
> > edit: NM, I found 50 for £2.73 delivered on Amazon, so I sent for some to try. Should be especially good for portraits if they stick OK to wood.
> ...



Barry, the labels I ordered are sold by Labels4U. I generally cut as soon the pattern is on the wood, I don't think I have ever had a pattern stuck on more than 24 hours.


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## toesy (17 Feb 2014)

martinka":1bjvil3l said:


> bodgerbaz":1bjvil3l said:
> 
> 
> > martinka":1bjvil3l said:
> ...



+1 me too


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## bodgerbaz (18 Feb 2014)

martinka":yp70v6ng said:


> Barry, the labels I ordered are sold by Labels4U. I generally cut as soon the pattern is on the wood, I don't think I have ever had a pattern stuck on more than 24 hours.



Many thanks for that Martin. Yeah, I think it makes a lot of sense to stick then cut - good tip, thank you.

I've tended to print out an A4 sheet of Christmas Tree hangers (each positioned carefully to avoid as much dead space as possible) then spray mount it onto 5 sheets of thin ply. Some times there may be 8 ornaments on a sheet and I may not cut all of them in one session of cutting. The result is that they may be stuck on the wood for a week or so until I go back to them. By then the wood is starting to bend a bit and the pattern can be difficult to remove.

So, the labels route seems the way to go in that, especially if I cut out each shape from my sheet and only stick it on the wood when I am about to cut it out.

I've got some A4 labels here somewhere from my office days so will give it a go. Many thanks for the advice.

Barry


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## bodgerbaz (18 Feb 2014)

toesy":3jk2mxrv said:


> bodgerbaz":3jk2mxrv said:
> 
> 
> > Toesy, does that self adhesive sheet peel off OK when its been cut into lots of pieces stuck on a sheet of wood??
> ...



Thanks for that toesy. I'm really getting around to the ideal of using A4 labels. My main concern is getting the labels off the wood after words. I also tend to give a quick light sanding to give a smooth finish.

Barry


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## martinka (18 Feb 2014)

I've not used heat to remove patterns, but there's been a couple of times i wished i had. Sometimes it lifts the grain a little, easily cured by sanding of course, but a couple of times I have had it pull out a thin strip of the top veneer. Luckily it's not yet been on anything I was too bothered about.


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## bodgerbaz (18 Feb 2014)

It's my admin day today so like all conscientious people I spent the morning . . . . . in the workshop!!

The A4 label routine worked a treat. I printed out an A4 sheet of some of my favourite hangers on to an A4 label then stacked six A4 sheets of 1.5mm ply together and only cut out one hanger at a time. It worked a treat and was easy to remove the remnants of the label after use.

Many thanks for the tip as I would have never thought of it by my own, or on myself :shock: 

Barry


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## toesy (18 Feb 2014)

\o/ Result .... Glad to have helped \o/


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