Water transfer printing is a procedure where you print your designs on paper with an inkjet printer, soak the paper in water, and then press it onto fabric. It’s a versatile technique to create everything from custom t-shirts to personalized napkins for weddings or birthday parties! We’ll show you 5 of our favorite items that are perfect to use with water transfer printing in this post.
1- Sponge Applicators
They are for applying water to your project. You can use sponge applicators in conjunction with the brayer instead of hand-applying the water, allowing you to keep all fingers away from wet ink! They’re perfect when working on small or detailed projects like rings and cufflinks. Paper Towels Paper towels help quickly wick up excess moisture after placing it on fabric so that there’s no risk of bleeding through. We recommend using a stack of paper towels folded over multiple times to ensure they don’t rip apart too soon (trust us). Squeegee This is one item we didn’t think about until our first time transferring images onto fabric — an essential tool for this technique!
2- Water Transfer Printing Fabric
We love using our water transfer printing fabric for this project because it’s inexpensive and has a super smooth surface. It allows the paint to be transferred smoothly, meaning you’re able to print crisp graphics with no pixelation. The fabric is also 100% cotton and pre-washed, so there’s no need to worry about shrinking or bleeding after washing your finished product!
3- Squeegee
With this tool, you press down over an image printed with an inkjet printer and push out any excess moisture before placing it into the cold water bath. If too much moisture is left after rinsing off, the screen may tear during the application process! To ensure this step is complete before you place the design into water.
4- Permanent Markers
These markers dry quickly and provide excellent color when transferring onto dark fabrics such as denim jeans, cotton/lycra swimsuits, or sweatshirts. You can also use regular inkjet printer paper instead of plastic sheeting when working with these colors to prevent any bleeding under your printed image. Remember that most permanent markers work best on dark surfaces, so they won’t show up as quickly when transferring onto white or light-colored fabrics.
5- Hand Towel
The texture of these cotton fabric pieces makes it easier to grip and hold your project during the transfer process without worrying about them sliding around and smudging your design! They’re also a great alternative if you want to avoid using plastic sheeting for water transfer printing because they can be thrown into the washing machine after each use.
Water transfer printing is a fun and easy way of creating custom pieces around your house or as unique gifts! Whether you want personalized napkins with your wedding monogrammed on them, unique t-shirts for birthdays with matching mugs from big brother, or something cool like cufflinks with family crests – there are so many possibilities when using this technique. Apart from these items, always wear gloves when working with water transfer printing, keep your hands away from wet paint and enjoy the process!