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Home / Hobbies / Arts and Crafts
Dress Up Your Crafts with Decals
By:Eileen Bergen
If you’re looking for an economical way to transfer photos (whether scanned or digital) or artwork (whether computer generated or scanned) onto an artifact, you need to know about Lazertran Waterslide Decals.
Think of the possibilities: a quilt with family photos on some of the panels; tote bags with a club logo; custom t-shirts; glass, ceramic, wood or metal plaques, coasters and plates; wood trays and tables; candles; clay or polymer clay bowls and vases … It boggles the creative mind!
This versatile and revolutionary product allows any design to be transferred onto almost any surface with amazing results.
To use Lazertran, simply photo - or inkjet copy - your color images onto Lazertran paper, heat set the toner or ink, cut to size, soak in water, and slide the transparent decal from the paper backing onto your artifact. Smooth out any air bubbles and allow to dry for twenty-four hours.
Or if you are transferring to fabric, iron the “decal” on, let cool, and soak until the backing paper falls away. Beyond that, there are some special finishes you can achieve with Lazertran.
Lazertran currently make three versions of waterslide decals. The original Lazertran is designed to work with dry toner color and the decals are applied to hard surfaces. If you don’t have a laser printer, this means having color copies made at your local copy center. Be sure to take the package instructions with you in case the copy center personnel object to printing on your Lazertran paper.
Most transfer papers are heat-activated at fairly low temperatures and the glues can melt and jam the copier. Original Lazertran, however, is specially formulated to work with color copiers. The film and glue do not melt when run through the hot copier.
Also for hard surfaces, the company has introduced Lazertran Inkjet decal paper; so you can make decals using your desktop inkjet printer. Lazertran Inkjet has some special qualities or quirks. There are some tradeoffs for the convenience of being able to print decals on your inkjet printer in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
And finally there’s Lazertran Silk for closely woven fabrics. Like Original Lazertran, Lazertran Silk is designed to work with dry toners.
Unlike Original Lazertran, Silk does not have a thin film that carries the color to its new home, so it’s not technically a decal. Rather Lazertran Silk is ironed onto the silk or other closely woven fabric. The iron’s heat melts the toners and deposits them onto the fabric. Since there is no decal film and no gooey glue, the original hand and softness of the fabric are preserved.
There is no glue to gum up the copier’s works. However it’s still a good idea to take the package instructions with you to the copy center, in case there are any questions.
Lazertran Silk decorated fabric is washable if the fabric itself is.
Article Source: http://www.dailynewarticles.com
Eileen Bergen was a school teacher and later a vice president of a major financial firm. After being downsized, she has been making and selling crafts and is the editor of The Artful Crafter.
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