I often get asked about printing on sheers and the best way to get sheer fabric through your printer.
When I first started experimenting with sheers I tried using Extravorganza which is available in stores and is sheets of organza cut to size and backed with a sheet of paper. This worked well enough for small print jobs, but when I tried to print a full size sheet I ran into trouble.
After printing my image and removing the backing paper I found that the fabric had been attached to the backing paper crooked so my resulting print had an extremely noticeable wavy edge on two sides that couldn’t be straightened without distorting the image and after trimming the edges straight, my design was considerably reduced in size and the effect I was looking for was lost.
So while I might recommend Extravorganza for the convenience of doing small prints, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for anyone wanting to work with large prints, particularly since it is so expensive and there exists the risk of ending up with a lopsided print.
So I still had to find a way to print a large image onto a sheer fabric and as it turned out, it was an easy fix after all. I do a lot of inkjet printing on cotton fabric and have found that the best way to get it through my printer with 100% success every time is to adhere it to a full sheet size label. Freezer paper is ok but sometimes it slips and sometimes it doesn’t feed through properly. Full sheet size labels are guaranteed to get it through the printer each and every time – I’ve never had a misprint using label backings. And the best thing is that each sheet can be reused up to approximately 8-10 times if you’re careful.
So using full size labels as backing, I decided to try it with sheer organza using a little extra care to ensure the sides adhered straight. I stopped off at the fabric store and picked up a yard of white organza ($5.00 on sale – don’t you just love a bargain?). So now the challenge was not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to ensure that the fabric adhered to the backing straight on all sides.
First I cut a piece of organza slightly larger than the label.
Then to ensure that the edges adhered straight on all sides, I frayed away the edges on two sides of the organza until I had two perfectly straight edges.
Then I aligned the two straight edges with the lines on my cutting mat, and taped all four sides of the organza to the mat using masking tape. I then peeled the backing from the label and positioned it along the “straight” top and side edge and pressed it down firmly on all sides.
Using a brayer I then pressed the label to the fabric to ensure it stuck properly all over and after removing the masking tape I turned it over and brayered from the fabric side to get rid of any bubbles.
Update: I use a brayer with a hard roller to ensure that the sticky label is stuck really well to the fabric.
I then trimmed the edges of the fabric to size and could see that it was perfectly placed. Now for the moment of truth – printing out my design and it was a perfect print with perfectly straight edges – ahh success!! And although the backing paper ended up with a ghost image transfer it was still quite sticky and useful for additional print jobs so success all the way round.
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Linda, Thanks for the great tutorial on adhering organza to label sheets. I plan to try it out very soon. I have the Jacquard Extravorganza sheets and they are great to add an extra layer to the same print done on silk or cotton sheets…. almost holographic.
Thanks Louise, working with sheers is a lot of fun – and much more fun when it doesn’t cost a lot of money
Thanks for your tutorial on printing on sheer fabric. I was wondering if you have to treat the organza, like with bubble jet set? I have an Epson printer with pigment inks, so perhaps that would work fine on the organza without the bjs.
Hi Annette, I also use an Epson with pigment inks and you don’t need to use Bubble Jetset when using this printer because the print is quite permanent. I’ve heard some say that the colors are more vibrant when using the Bubble Jetset with pigment inks, but I personally can’t notice a difference and I’ve never had any problems to date.
Very interesting way of getting a print on organza, thank you for sharing. I will have a go, as I have an intricate Celtic swirling design I wanted to try out.
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Brilliant! You are a very generous source of inspiration
Thanks for posting such detailed instructions. Funny – I just did some printing this morning before I saw your article and I also used whole sheet labels as you suggested. They work great – I’ve tried just about everything – freezer paper, wonder under, fusible interfacing – but the labels work the best so far.
You said you use a brayer. Never heard of one, so I looked them up and they come in hard and soft – which is best? I try smoothing the fabric by hand, but it still leaves little bubbles, so I’m going to try a brayer.
Thanks again!
Cathy, I use a brayer with a hard roller. I don’t know why I didn’t include a photo in my article (scratching head) but I’ve updated it now and added a photo of my brayer so you can see. Works great!
Hi Linda
I too use the whole label sheets for printing but have never printed on sheer organza or any other sheer fabric. It looked beatiful on your Fleur one. I will have to get some and try it.
Thanks for sharing your info so generously.
Hugs
FredaB
Thanks for the great post, Linda! I have some of the Extravaganza that I haven’t tried yet but I have printed on various fabrics using freezer paper as the backing. I too find that you can’t rely on the results. Can’t count the number of times that I’ve had to work at extracting the fabric when it got snarled up and stuck in the printer. I am definitely trying those full sheet labels. Thanks for the tip! Cindy
I am new to photo transfers…please, tell me what a label sheet is. Thanks.
Rosie, these are ordinary sticky labels that you get from the office supply store. Used for printing labels on envelopes or packages.
So would you un-peel the sticky part of the labels and lay the organza on top? Not sure I’m understanding the exact technique.
Thanks, Linda.
Rosie
Well, I finally read your post. I got it. Thanks for sharing. I might have to try this for some of my journaling and art projects. Sounds like fun.
Rosie
I’m glad you got it figured out Rosie
The article steps you through it so you shouldn’t have too much trouble.
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I finally took some time to hang out in your cyberspace and browse. Wow! You are just amazing – so many great tutorials from your experiments. And you are so generous with your knowledge. I’ll be back soon!
Thanks Cris – I’m glad to know you were inspired
Linda, thanks so much. A friend referred me to your blog and I wsa happy to see that it was you. I purchased some organza to make labels. The label sheet is a great idea and I can’t wait ti try it.
Diana
Thanks Diana – I hope this technique works for you
Linda, your tutorial is phenomenal! First, can I ask how you use the final product ?
I’m guessing the full sheet labels at 81/2 X 11; I’m looking to transfer a photo image to a larger surface (bit smaller than a pillowcase). Do you have any suggestions on how to do this? Your followers so appreciate your generosity! -Smittie
Hi Smittie, these prints would be used in art quilts or other types of textile art as an overlay so that the fabric underneath shows through.
The only way to print a larger size would be to use a wide format printer or to print smaller sheets and piece together. Sorry, no magic formula I’m afraid.