Use Freezer Paper and a Printer to Make Frame-able Art (and a Reusable Printable Stamp)

In this instructable you will learn how to use freezer paper and an injet printer to make stamped inked art on fabric. This technique works particularly well with typography and looks great in matted frames. I found this particular print on Etsy. I inquired of the artist if she had any more available and when she said no I decided to make my own. I used photoshop to create the image but you can use any image or word-processing software you are comfortable with.

Brief overview: We are going to glue to piece of freezer paper to an normal sheet of paper, trim it to size, then run it through the printer so the image prints on the plastic side of the freezer paper. We will use the "mirror" setting on the printer so that when we set the plastic side of the paper down on the canvas it "stamps" the image on the fabric. The freezer paper can then be wiped off and reused several times.

Materials needed:

newspaper, or something to protect your work surface from the spray adhesive
Freezer Paper
8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper
spray adhesive
scissors or an exacto knife, straightedge, and cutting mat
computer and printer
canvassy fabric
black india ink (or any type of permanent ink. I found it necessary to go over my "stamped" image once the printer ink had soaked into the canvas.)

Step 1: Glue Printer Paper and Freezer Paper Together.

Lay a large sheet of freezer paper, plastic side down, somewhere to the side of your spraying area.

2. Lay a sheet of printer paper (I'm using yellow here to make it easier to see) down in the middle of a protected work surface. (It's much easier to trim the paper later if you spray glue only onto the printer paper.)

CAUTION: FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS PRINTED ON THE CAN OF SPRAY ADHESIVE INCLUDING ENSURING ADEQUATE VENTILATION. FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN FLASH FIRE OR RESPIRATORY AND NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSION

3. Spray a light coat of adhesive on the printer painter. Immediately pick up the sheet of paper and lay it (sticky side down) onto the sheet of freezer paper. Smooth it from the center outward to ensure there are no bubbles.

4. Let paper dry and in the meantime, finalize your image. (Should only take a few minutes to dry.)

Step 2: Trim Paper and Load in Printer.

Trim your freezer paper to the size of your printer paper. This can be done with scissors however I find that using an Xacto knife and straightedge makes it easier for you to get a nice smooth edge. The paper won't run through the printer easily if it has a jagged edge.

Make sure when you put the paper into the printer tray you orient it so that the ink will come out on the plasticky side of the paper.

Step 3: Print Image Using "mirror" and "draft" Setting.

Print your image using a "mirror" setting so that it will be legible once you've "stamped" it on your fabric. You may also want to use the "draft" setting or some other setting that reduces the quantity of ink so that it doesn't smear. (You can see mine is smearing slightly.)

As soon as the image is done printing, feel free to soak up any smears with a q-tip, then invert the paper and carefully lay it on the desired location on your fabric. Press firmly on all parts of the paper, but take care to not slide the two surfaces or this will smudge your ink.

Carefully remove paper from fabric. What you will then have is a faint stencil of your final design.