How to waterproof printed pictures?
 

My quilting friend and I are printing pictures onto fabric using the freezer paper method. Other than pre-washing the fabric (trying muslin right now) and then heat-setting it, is there anything else we can do to make the pictures not run?

pre-treat your fabric with 'bubble jet set' or, soak in soda ash - then hang to dry- then press to freezer paper-allow the inks to cure for 24 hours before heat setting; always use good quality permanent ink---not inexpensive refill, water soluble washable ink. set printer at best resolution settings; use retayne (follow instructions for either the retayne or bubble jet set products. visit Dharma Trading Company website & read about the techniques, hints, tips, available products. I've been printing pictures on fabric for years- sometimes no matter what you do they fade- I always use good quality *expensive* ink, choose pictures that are not deeply saturated with colors, pre-wash my fabrics with detergent- no fabric softener- dry, press to freezer paper- print- then I set them aside to *cure* = allow the ink to saturate the fibers for at least 24 hours- then I peel off the freezer paper & heat set-sometimes 2 or 3 times with cool down times in between- sometimes I spend a week curing/heat setting my pictures- then I take to sink & run cool water gently through them- there is always a little bit of excess ink to wash away- but generally the picture remains crisp & clear. after rinsing I hang to dry- then heat set/press again before using in my project....that's just the way I've found the most success with years of experimentation. muslin is one of my favorite fabrics to dye- some of the heavier fabrics do not seem to accept the inks as well- even with careful preparation

What a great how to. Thanks ckcowl.

Thanks for the thread and great instructions!

Thank you so much ckcowl!