Printing on Tissue Paper - Have you tried this!?!

I realize printing on tissue paper is not a new idea, but it is something I had not experimented with until recently.  After making my subway art with a laser print transfer, I knew there had to be an easier way of achieving the same results without having to scrub off all the paper. I tried many different methods and here is what I found to be the easiest way. Printing on tissue paper and then gluing the paper to canvas.  The tissue paper goes almost invisible and it appears the text is printed directly on the canvas.

The actual printing on the tissue paper is simple. Well it is now that I figured out the best method for me :) . Here is the simplest way I found  to print on tissue paper.

I bought the long pieces of tissue paper so there were fewer fold lines.

Lay one piece of tissue paper on a flat surface shiny side up. (I found all the tissue paper I used, had a shiny side and a rough side. For me the printing looked nicer on the rough side. You might want to experiment with this yourself.)

Place a regular piece of printer paper (8.5x11) on top of the tissue paper. Try to place it in between the fold marks.

Cut the tissue paper so there is a 2 inches boarder around the printer paper.

Using clear tape, I folded down the long sides and taped the tissue to the back of the printer paper.

I then folded down the ends of the tissue paper and again taped them in a couple of spots.

Be sure you tuck the corners in so the paper is no larger than the 8.5 x 11 sheet.

This is what it will look like.

Place the paper/tissue sheet into your printer being extra cautious that the right side of the paper is in the correct position.

Print the image or text file as you normally would.

Here is what my subway art looked like once it came out of the printer. Perfect!

When trimming the image, I find it easiest to cut through all the sheets of paper. This gives you the cleanest lines and prevents the tissue paper from bending. Sorry I only took pictures of me trimming another photo I was testing out.

I painted my canvas white and then covered the entire thing with a layer of Modge Podge. I carefully placed the tissue paper over the canvas and smoothed out the image.

There were a few wrinkles but I liked how it gave it a worn look.

Here are some other things I printed on tissue paper. I found that black and white images printed far nicer than color. But give it a try...tissue paper is extremely cheap, that it is fun to play with.

Have you ever printed on tissue paper? What were your results like?

Now that I know how to do this, the possible crafts seem endless. Coasters with photos, designs on candles, customized wrapping, etc.

Let me know what you think.
Stephanie
Linking to some great parties including: Story of A2Z