This diy comes from www.thedesignercoop.net . Now go out there and make something!
- Artwork
- Carrier Board
- Heat Gun or Hairdryer
- Small Laminator
- Foil transfers
I’ve had many requests to know how I am able to add custom foils to my projects. The good news is that it’s pretty easy if you have the right tools, or at least have access to them. The basic principle to this technique is that these special foil sheets will transfer onto laser printer toner through heat and pressure. Beyond that it can get a little tricky.
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Tools needed (clockwise starting with the artwork):
- Artwork
- Carrier Board
- Heat Gun or Hairdryer
- Small Laminator
- Foil transfers
All of the above can be purchased from PulsarProFX. Tell him John sent you and he’ll… have no idea who I am. If you don’t have access to a small laminator or for some reason don’t want to drop $130 on getting one then you can try using a clothes iron. I’ve never tried it myself but I’ve heard of people doing it with varying levels of success. There are also other items for sale on the site that don’t apply to this technique so don’t bother buying a starter kit unless you also want to make decals. The foils are sold separately or if you want to try all of them there’s a sampler pack (you know you want to try hologram).
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Print, in pure black, the artwork you want to be foiled on to any paper that can go through a laser printer. With the tools I have the largest size I can make is 8 x 10 but I’ve never needed to foil anything larger than a few square inches anyway.
If you live in a humid climate you may need to dry the paper. Any moisture in the paper will latch on to the foil and cause spotting. A heat gun will make quick work of this and a hairdryer will make much less quick work of this.
If you live in a humid climate you may need to dry the paper. Any moisture in the paper will latch on to the foil and cause spotting. A heat gun will make quick work of this and a hairdryer will make much less quick work of this.
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Place the artwork on the Carrier Board and then the foil on the artwork making sure that the dull side of the foil is touching the toner.
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Make sure that the foil folds over the Carrier enough so that you can get a firm grip on it both top and bottom. This is to make sure that the foil doesn’t shift as it enters the laminator.
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As the project enters the laminator you’ll feel it begin to pull it in. When this happens focus your attention on smoothing out the foil as it moves through.
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It’s important to keep the foil taught so that no wrinkles are formed.
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After the project comes out the other end of the laminator it’s going to be fairly hot but it won’t burn you (maybe). Next, peel back the foil to reveal your artwork.
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Congratulations! You just made your first home-brewed foiled thing. Now sit back and amaze at the shininess of it all.
Hi, thank you for this interesting tutorial. Would you happen to know if i can do this same technique but use Vinyl Sticker instead of a foil transfer? I'm not sure if they're the same but the store owner where I bought the materials said it was Vinyl Sticker. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi, I really don't know. I have only started do this. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteHello
ReplyDeleteCan someone tell me where I can find the actual stamping foil. I'm having a hard time locating a place online where I can purchase the peper.
Thank you
It is actually called foil transfer paper, kind of like the stufff you use to make transfers on to tshirts and clothing.
ReplyDeleteThanks and I hope this helps you.
Would an ink jet printed image work by chance?
ReplyDeleteI don't see why it couldn't. Thanks for the comment
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned a hair dryer or heat gun. Can you use these as a heat source instead of a laminator (which I assume is used for pressure)?
ReplyDeleteA laminator also presses and keeps the object flat where another heat source will probably curl your project and it won't be as flat.
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason that the foil only sticks to pure black print? What if you wanted only some parts of black print to be foil stamped? Would there be a method to go about doing this?
ReplyDelete