gramscracker

I want to start printing on fabric. I've checked on printers to see what kind I need, but this is all new to me. Does anyone know what I need to be looking for and how to go about printing? do I need a certain type of printer or what I need to do to the fabric too get it to go thru the printer? Help!!!!

ctrysass2012

I believe you need an ink jet printer. Check out All About Inklingo, lindafranz.com. This site is all printing on fabric. She has some free links & patterns to purchase. She also has all the steps involved.

ManiacQuilter2

I would do some research on Google or Amazon to find out what type of printer you need. There have been posts here with ink washing out on quilts.

MarionsQuilts

An ink jet printer is the best to have (I've done lots like this!)

BUT ... you can also use a laser printer if you already have one!

Onebyone

Just remember never put freezer paper sheets in a laser printer. You will be buying a new printer. The wax will melt inside the printer.

works4me

I use an older (at least 12 years old) Epson ink jet printer. I have been buying quilt label fabric sheets but notice some are too thin to go through the printer properly. So, I use a glue stick and glue a sheet of card stock to the back of the label (or other fabric). Make sure you have just over 1/4 inch of card stock showing at the top so the printer rollers have something to grab to. And adjust your design position accordingly. Also, don't glue the entire sheet, just around the edges and maybe one in the middle. I find this works really well.

Another thing to consider is that fabric label sheets are treated to hold the colour. I am currently making my own sheets using Bubble Jet Set. I'm thinking that soda ash might work just as well but haven't tried it yet.

You may also want to play with your colour saturation settings on any design as printing on fabric tends to mute the colours. I have never bothered. Do a couple of test runs on paper first.

I wonder if any of the newer printers might actually have a setting for fabric labels like they have for different qualities of photo paper. Otherwise, use the heavy stock setting.

From what I am understanding Epson uses archival ink still, which has a longer permanency. This probably only matters if you want someone to be able to see the printed photo 150 years from now. Any ink jet printer will probably be fine.

Have fun, and show us what you print.

ghostrider

Epson does use pigment based ink in some of its printers, but not all pigment inks are archival. Most other manufacturers use dye based ink. Pigment based inks are designed for fade resistance, though 150 years is probably pushing it.

Below is a list of the printers that use pigment based ink and another site for more info on the differences between ink types.

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/infoc...-printers.html

http://www.oddparts.com/ink/faq19.htm

Buckeye Rose

I am watching this thread as I think I want to try to print the sewing lines on muslin for paperpiecing, so I don't have to worry about picking out the little bits of paper when done

husker67

I do it all the time. Yes, you need an ink jet printer. Very easy to do. Once the sheet comes off the printer I tear the back off so it doesn't stick to the fabric (been there, done that). Then I run the sheet under cold water to set it. Good luck.

QuiltnLady1

I have been printing on fabric for over 10 years -- I make my own labels but also print favorite pictures out and incorporate them in the quilt. You need an ink jet printer (laser printers use lasers to burn the image in the picture -- I have seen some special fabric to use with the laser printers but have not tried them).

I would say start with the commercially prepared sheets and do some test runs -- the different sheets have different hands (the way the fabric feels). I have an inexpensive photo processing program and use it to over saturate the pictures before I print them because I like my images vivid and want them to look like the photographs on which they are based. The fabric absorbs the ink from the printer -- the photo paper does not absorb the color. I play a lot with the level of saturation until I am happy with the result then make notes. I have tried Bubble Jet Set, but I am usually in tooo much of a hurry to take the time to prepare the fabric. I follow the directions that come with the paper, but before I use the pictures in a quilt, I also heat set them with an iron even if the directions don't tell me to. I think it stabilizes the colors.

Most of my picture quilts have held their color fine -- as long as I keep them out of the sun (but then regular fabrics have issues too).