Transfer Inkjet Photos to Wood - Last Minute Christmas Gifts!

Hello everybody and Merry Christmas!

Coming up to Christmas fast here and do you still not finished your shopping for presents? Well I have a quick and easy tutorial here for you to make a amazing custom printed wood piece!

I made one for my Uncle for a family gift exchange! He loves sailing and owns his own sailboat, so I got a photo of it and edited it a bit and pasted it on some old plywood with a sailing quote!

This also can make great ornaments if you have small circular pieces of wood, you would just drill a hole in the top and hang it on the tree.

I hope you enjoy and voting is greatly appreciated!

Step 1: What You Need

There are very few things you need for this.

Some sticker paper (8.5" x 11") or wax paper cut down to 8.5" x 11"
Inkjet printer
Ply wood
Sand paper
Clear gloss wood finish (I use Polyurethane clear gloss) - Optional
Foam brush

Step 2: Printing

First, find a photo you want to use for this.

Next edit it until you are satisfied with how it looks.

Print it out to whatever size you pick, if it is too small or too big just adjust it to the right size. Do not print on wax paper/sticker paper.

Once you get the photo printed out to the size you are satisfied with cut out a piece of ply wood so that your photo will fit it. I suggest keeping a inch extra on each side rather then exactly perfect fit for your photo.

Next invert the photo horizontal, when you print it out make sure it comes out mirrored. Once again fit the photo to the wood to make sure it fits right.

Step 3: Prepping the Wood

Once you have your ply wood cut out to the right size to fit your photo use sand paper to make the surface smooth.

Sand down the corners and make sure there are no sharp edges.

Note: If you skip this step the ink might not look right on the wood and will have streaks of ink.

Step 4: Applying the Ink to the Wood

If you are using sticker paper, peel off the stickers and place it face down in your printer so that the ink prints on the glossy side.

Next print out your photo onto the glossy wax paper or sticker paper. Optional: You can cut the wax paper/sticker paper to match the size of the wood to make sure it is aligned correctly

Grab the prepared wood and place the wax paper/sticker paper face down on the wood. Use a credit card or in my case and old gift card and firmly smooth the ink into the wood, make sure the paper does not move while doing this or it will smear.

Go over the paper with the card several times, slowly peal a small corner of the the print and make sure the ink has applied on the wood. If it is then peel off the paper, if not then spend another minute or two using the card to push on the back of the paper.

Once you peel off the paper let it dry for about 30 minutes to an hour. Optional: You can use the sand paper again if you want to fade the photo a small amount but is not advised because you can ruin the print.