How to Make Glass Transfer Rub-ons

Rub-on designs can transform a simple sheet of glass into art

Putting your own unique design on a glass craft or pane is an easy way to make a beautiful, custom art object. Whether your design is to create a faux stained glass look or to add decoration to a glass box, a rub-on transfer design will be the perfect way to bring an elegant touch to your project. You can make your own glass transfer rub-on with just a few supplies and your own unique design or one of the millions of free designs available. You can purchase a CD with a library of clip art designs or visit any one of hundred of free sites on the Internet to find the one that expresses you perfectly.

Things You'll Need

• Design
• Transfer sheet (Rub On or Press On)
• Blank paper
• Pencil
• Laser printer

Instructions

1. Select the design you want. Keep in mind that the more delicate the design (the thinner the lines and the more complex the drawing), the harder it will be to successfully transfer the rub-on to glass. For your first attempts, choose a design that has a larger pattern. There are many Celtic or Art Deco designs available as free clip art online that would be a good choice to start with.

2. Buy a pack of blank transfer sheets made for a laser printer at your local office supply store. Make sure the packaging lists glass as one of the items the transfer can be applied to and the transfer sheet is compatible with laser printers.

3. Open either a word processing program or any art or design program you have. Create a new document. Insert the design you wish to print and save the file.

4. Put a pencil mark on one side of a sheet of blank paper. Insert the piece of paper into your printer with the pencil mark facing up. Depending on your printer, you may be able to do this through the manual feed slot or simply make your marked sheet of paper the first piece of paper in your automatic feeder. Select the "Print" option in your program and press "OK" to print your design.

5. Open your package of transfer paper and read the instructions to determine which side of the paper the transfer should be printed on (there will be two sides: one shiny and one dull). Look at the piece of paper you just printed your image on and note the side your pencil mark is on. If your package instructs you to print the image on the shiny side and the image you just printed is on the same side as your pencil mark, you will load your transfer paper into your printer with the shiny side facing up. If your image is on the unmarked side of the paper, insert the transfer paper shiny side down. Once you have loaded your transfer paper correctly, print your design again, and your rub-on transfer is ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Transfer paper can be expensive. If your design is not that large, try to fit several on one piece of transfer paper because once you cut the paper to apply the transfer, you will not be able to run it through your printer again.

• Most glass transfer rub-on papers require a special ink; make sure that you have the correct ink to print the transfer.

Resources

• A Comprehensive Site on Glassworks
• Glass Types and Forms