Printing—Not Just on White

Today computers are all the rage in paper-crafting—from computer journaling to enlarging, editing and printing photos, it seems rare when a crafter doesn't use technology in some way or another.

What's surprising is that although the capabilities of this technology are endless, some paper-crafters still don't venture far beyond storing photos, printing text and using plain white paper in their printers.

Expert scrappers everywhere recommend using your printer for journaling and titles as well as printing your own digital photos or using a scanner to edit existing images. They also tell you can create your own borders or clip art or other embellishments. What they don't tell you, though is how to make your printer REALLY work for you.

The term "paper-crafting" implies that you can craft with paper—paper of all kinds. If you're going to use your printer to help you paper-craft, you certainly don't have to stick to plain white computer paper. Be a little adventurous...take a little chance!

With a standard inkjet printer, you can print on almost anything, allowing for a lot of creativity and personalization. You're not necessarily restricted to an 8 1/2" x 11" paper size either. Here are just a few new tricks to try with your inkjet.

Before you get started

Though being adventurous does leave the road wide open for experimentation, there are a few key things you should keep in mind before you go printing crazy.

First, different kinds of paper are obviously made of different materials, and when ink is applied to them they react differently. Papers with special coatings such as metallic finishes may not absorb ink well. Papers with fine fibers (such as handmade papers) absorb ink quickly, and if too much ink is applied, it may spread further than you desire (this is called bleeding). Your computer should allow you to set the quality you print at; this quality is what determines how much ink your printer will apply to the paper. For papers that don't absorb ink quickly, you should try the "Draft" or "Low Quality" setting to apply less ink.

Although adjusting the ink output should help, you will want to allow your less absorbent papers to dry thoroughly before handling them. If you're in a hurry, you can try using a hair dryer on low setting or using a heat embossing gun to speed the process. Be careful not to heat the paper so much that it warps or curls.

Second, your printer allows you to adjust the paper setting to accommodate the different thicknesses of papers. It is important that you set your printer properly for this, that way it will be able to efficiently feed the paper through.

Finally, remember what I said about not necessarily being restricted to 8 1/2" x 11" paper? It's true! Many printers are capable of handling larger sizes. Read your manual to see if yours is one of them. If it isn't, no worries—you can easily trim whatever you're printing on down to size! For example, you can trim 12"x12" paper to 8 1/2"x12".

If you're worried about acidity, there are a handful of companies making acid-free specialty papers, though they aren't necessarily marketed for the paper-crafting industry.

Here are just a few ideas of different mediums you can try printing on and how to incorporate them into your paper-crafting.

Vellum

Vellum is a specialty paper—one you do need to be careful with, though it's not so fragile that you can't use it in your printer. Vellum is a perfect example of a paper that does not absorb well. Since it’s not porous, the ink will sit on top for a while prior to drying. Resist handling the vellum for at least a few minutes.

Try printing a photo onto vellum to create a muted effect, or journal onto vellum then use it as an overlay to soften a photo.

Parchment

Parchment is a heavier weight paper that typically has an older, textured and antiqued look to it. The thickness may cause the ink to bleed a little, so pick a lighter ink output level. Also, be sure to set your printer to accommodate the thicker paper.

Parchment paper is great for embellishing and journaling—the antiqued tone makes it perfect for words or quotations. Try a calligraphy-type font, especially for heritage or vintage projects and tearing the edges to give the paper even more texture.

Transparencies

All the rage in paper-crafting, transparencies can be a lot of fun to work with, though they may not be too quick to absorb the ink either. Like vellum, transparencies are great for printing photos or journaling and make incredible overlays—try printing your journaling onto the transparency and placing over the photo for a collaged effect. You can also print clip art images or borders onto the transparency and layer them in your project. Small photos bordered by slide mounts make great project embellishments, giving the illusion of a real slide.

Fabric

Fabric and canvas are also becoming increasingly popular mediums. These are the kinds of materials for which you'll want to be particularly careful about adjusting the paper setting. Set it on "heavyweight" and feed sheets through individually to keep them from jamming.

Fabric, particularly canvas, is great, especially when it comes to heritage layouts or projects. The texture of the fabric gives the image depth and dimension that is hard to create with regular paper. Try printing on a piece and creating a pocket with it to hold special memories, print a black and white image and hand-tint with a colored-pencil or chalk. Embellish a favorite graphic with buttons, beads or charms to make it 3-D. Printed fabric also makes an incredible photo frame for a scrapbook layout, or a fun and unique tag.

Stickers

Tired of buying packs of stickers just for the four or five you want? Make your own! Sticker adhesive paper is great and can be useful in a variety of projects. You can easily print stickers for your child to use in his or her scrapbooking, or to add to your own scrapbooking or cards! Stickers make great photo corners and easy embellishments for any paper-crafting project. Just print them out and cut!

Cardstock

This is another thick paper, but a staple of many crafter's supplies. Print photos, borders, or journaling on cardstock of any color for easy use in your album pages, cards or tags.

Handmade Papers

Using handmade paper can add beauty and elegance to any project. Thin papers like mulberry are perfect for printing images that require a bit of texture.

Miscellaneous items

You're still not restricted to items that are made specifically for printers, though you should exercise a bit of caution when you consider putting something in your printer.

Items like brown paper bags or pieces of thin cardboard could be integral to creating the perfect layout or emphasizing a memory, but may not fare so well in your printer. Don’t try printing anything too thick, and it’s always a good idea to read your printer’s manual—it may offer some information on what specifically you can and can’t print on.

One of the best parts about the flexibility of your printer is the opportunity to experiment. One quick tip, though: print a draft on plain white paper before you print on your special medium. This will save you money and frustration. If your draft is lined up perfectly, simply attach your special paper over the top of the draft using removable tape or Hermafix—if you run the plain paper through your printer the exact same way, perfect printing should be easy. This is a great way to print onto papers that are smaller than 8 1/2". You can attach tags, small pieces of vellum or other papers over the draft, ensuring that your printing gets lined up exactly how you want it on the smaller piece.

Using a variety of papers in your printing can make a big difference in your paper-crafting, allowing for a great deal of personalization and creativity. The most important thing to remember is to think outside of the plain white paper box!