How to Make Home Transfer Paper

Transfer paper is a specially coated paper that will transfer an image that has been printed on it with an ink jet printer. You lay the printed image on a fabric item, press with an iron, and the image is magically transferred from the paper to the fabric. You can make your own transfer paper at home with a few readily available ingredients.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid starch (available in laundry supplies section at supermarket) Powdered gum arabic (available at craft stores or artist supply stores) Alum (available in the spices section at the supermarket) Paint brush Plain white bond paper Telephone book or other heavy book or weight Iron

Instructions

1. Add 6 ounces of starch to 6 ounces of warm water and mix well. Add 2 ounces of powdered gum arabic to 8 ounces of warm water and mix well. Add 1 ounce of alum to 2 ounces of warm water and mix well. When all three solutions are well mixed and the solids are dissolved, combine all three solutions in a clean container.

2. While solution is still warm, apply it with a paintbrush to one side of white bond paper. When dry, apply a second coat. Let that dry, and then apply a third coat.

3. When the third coat is dry, press the sheets of paper by stacking them and placing them under a weight such as a telephone book. Allow the sheets to sit under the weight for several hours, until they lie relatively flat when removed from under the weight.

4. Print the image you want to transfer on the painted side of the paper using an ink jet printer.

5. Transfer the image to a fabric item. Work on a hard surface such as a laminate countertop. Cover counter with an old towel. Make sure your fabric is clean and dry. Lay it flat on top of the towel. Place the transfer paper with the image side directly on the fabric. Using an iron set on the hottest setting, without steam, place the iron over part of the design and hold, without moving the iron, for about 10 seconds. Lift the iron, move it to another part of the design and repeat. Continue until all of the design has been pressed with the hot iron. Let it sit until the transfer paper is cool to the touch, then slowly peel the paper off the fabric.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to use image manipulation software to print a mirror image of your picture on the transfer paper so it appears "right side up" when you transfer it to your fabric item.