How to Create Photo Iron-On Patches

Iron-on patches can be a great craft activity for rainy days or bored summer vacation days with kids. Use your own photos to create iron-on patches as gifts for family and friends. There is no limit to what you can create. Create small emblems to large photos. Put iron-ons on the front and back of your T-shirts. Purchase the appropriate iron-on paper for either light-colored or dark-colored shirts. Buying the right kind of paper provides the best end results.

Things You'll Need

• Iron on printer paper
• Computer
• Printer
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Check the ink in your printer since colored photos take a great deal of ink. Use a new ink cartridge to prevent misprints, wasted paper and ink.

2. Choose your photos. Crop them or touch them up in a special software program for photography, if desired.

3. Use a computer graphics program to help you create different shapes for your photo patches. Make circles, squares, triangles or whatever shape and size patch you desire. Add logos and text to your patches to promote your school, business or special program.

4. Read all the directions that come with the iron-on paper before you begin to print. Insert the paper the proper way to ensure printing on the proper side. Insert only one sheet of paper at a time to prevent two sheets of paper going through at once and possibly ruining both sheets.

5. Click "Ctrl" and "P" on your keyboard to open the print window on your computer. Open the "Properties" tab on your print window. Click the "Advanced" tab. Check the "Mirror Image" box so the printer will automatically reverse the image onto your iron on paper. Click "Apply." Click "OK" to print the image.

6. Cut out the image. Trim as close to the image as possible without removing any of it. Follow all the directions that came with the photo iron-on paper for ironing the patches and photos onto your shirts and other clothing.

Tips & Warnings

• Recycle old or stained shirts by covering up the imperfections with these iron-on patches. These patches work well on jeans and other fabrics as well.

• Use your iron-on paper as efficiently as possible by printing out several smaller images on one sheet. Place all the images on one page of your computer screen. Follow the instructions for printing to prevent the overlap of images by inserting the same sheet of paper multiple times.

References

• Child Fun
• Hewlett-Packard