Replies

1. 
   wrudiger | Feb 11, 2004 08:12am | #1

   I've never tired it.  The best resource I know of on all things ink-jet is:

   http://www.inkjetart.com/index.html

   Epson does make "Cool peel iron on" paper which may meet your needs.  This site has it as well as great prices on the inks.

2. 
   jjf | Feb 11, 2004 04:14pm | #2

   If you use a lazerjet create the document in mirror image then use an iron to tranfer the image to the wood.

3. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Feb 12, 2004 12:26am | #3

   Depends on whether you have an inkjet that will feed what you're trying to print on.  Also, inkjet dyes spread and fade.  Iron-on inkjet decals (like used for T-shirts) have a plastic carrier coating that will interfere with finishing.  Get a silk screen made and screen it.  Or a branding iron.  Or decals.  Lots of options.  None of them especually cheap.

4. 
   daveg | Feb 12, 2004 01:18am | #4

   I have seen people print on thin veneer with an inkjet printer.  It looks a little washed out, but could be useful for certain things.

   I've also tried the iron-on transfers, and they don't take to the wood very well.  The image slips around a lot while ironing it.

1. 
   Robin | Feb 12, 2004 01:34am | #6

   Just a hint from a girl who sews as well as "woodworks" - when transferring you should use the iron to "press", ie, don't slide the iron around - press it down on the transfer.  That should help a lot with the sliding.  Needless to say, it's something to practice on a scrap first anyway and it won't necessarily improve the quality of the image."Well-behaved women rarely make history." from the Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love

5. 
   jvs | Feb 12, 2004 01:28am | #5

   Don't know of any reliable and light-fast way to do full color easily, but monochrome line art does well when printed in reverse on standard a standard laser with black or even colored toner. Halftones are iffy, unless at a very low screen (50 lines are about the limit).

   /jvs

6. 
   SCFrankland | Feb 12, 2004 02:08am | #7

   Don a guy back home used to build cedar strip canoes and in the bow how would place a inlay of a figure head that was his company logo. He said that his brother did the inlay work and it was taking up to much of his time to do so he gave up making them. His brother then photocopied the inlay and now uses a paper one and once it is epoxies into the bow you would never know the difference between the wooden inlay and paper copy.

   Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website

   "He who has the most tools may not win the race of life but he will sure make his wife look like a good catch when she goes to move on."

7. 
   TXJon | Feb 12, 2004 03:44am | #8

   Scott Frankland is right.  A step further maybe, if you print on vellum (it will run through an inkjet just fine) the paper will just about disappear when set in epoxy.  It does have a tendency to curl, though.  You can get it at scrapbooking stores.

   I have heard that inkjet ink fades.  I did some canoe paddles this way about three years ago, and so far there is no sign of fading.  The ink is under pretty good marine varnish, though, and maybe that helps.

   I have heard that rice paper works even better than vellum, but have never been able to find any locally.

8. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Feb 12, 2004 09:22am | #9

   I've tried transfer paper to move images from an ink-jet to wood. It is pretty dodgy. The image melts and squooges around. Next time I'm going to try water decals. Remember making models as a kid? They had water decals which you wet and slid on to the model. You can print your own decals with an ink-jet. For example, look at http://www.supercaldecals.com/. You can probably buy similar products at your local hobby shop.

9. 
   theRev | Feb 12, 2004 03:54pm | #10

   The first thing to see say is you will need to to a bit of testing, but it can be done. Rice paper, thin tissue paper, thin white wrapping paper. I'd suggest you spend a little bit of time searching around the site below. I've linked you to a discussion on this issue, with the specific link about suggested printer inks to use. If you have time, try searching "rice paper" and see what comes up.

   http://www.kayakforum.com/cgi-bin/Building/index.cgi/read/77683

   Scott

10. 
    Clay | Feb 12, 2004 07:17pm | #11

    I believe that you can just print the image out on regular paper (thinner is better here) and using your mirror image settings (like you would for an iron-on transfer) then turn the paper upside down and iron the image onto the wood surface.  You will need a smooth fine grained wood to be successful and you must put several coats of oil base clear on top of the image.  Don't use transfer paper just melt the inks .  It will help if you increase the saturation of your prints to get a bit of extra ink on the paper.  You might try this with a wash coat of shellac either as that may increase the adhesion and clarity of your image ... maybe.  You could also print your image on fabric and then decoupage it to the wood.  Quilters are doing quite a bit of this sort of printing for quilt squares.  They adhere a piece of fabric to thin butcher paper with an iron (the plastic liner on the butcher paper gets tacky when heated with the iron and allows the fabric to stick lightly to the paper ... so that it can feed properly thrrough the printer).  There is a guy here in Saint Louis who sells a chemical formula for treating the fabrics to make the inks waterfast but I don't think that you'd need them for a piece that will be decoupaged over with varnish or something similar.  After printing the cloth is peeled off of the butcher paper and you are ready to varnish it to the surface.

11. 
    AlanWS | Feb 12, 2004 10:38pm | #12

    Here's how it was done on a canoe "The butterfly picture on the forward deck was first ink jet printed on tissue paper, a piece of which was scotch taped to a standard sheet of printer paper. Some of the ink bled through, but it was of no consequence. The picture was then cut out fairly close with an Exacto knife. A brush full of epoxy was put on the deck and the picture placed in it, followed by brushing it down with more epoxy." That's from http://www.michneboat.com/Building%20the%20Wee%20Lassie%20II.htm

    Here's the image: http://www.michneboat.com/images/MVC-209S.JPG