Printing on Tissue Paper

Ever wondered how to do this?

I did and I found it to be really easy

Printing on tissue paper is an easy way to transfer photographs into encaustic paintings.

I'm sure there are a number of other uses for printed tissue paper for art journals and other art projects.

Its easy.

You will need:

1.  Inkjet style printer (it really doesn't work on laser printers)

2.  printer paper

3. tissue paper

Step one:

Iron your tissue paper if its wrinkled.  You will get a much better transfer if the paper is as flat as possible.  Trim the tissue to about an inch bigger around than your printer paper.

If you tissue has a matte side and a shiny side, be sure the shiny side is facing the printer paper.  You want to print on the matte side.

Step Two:

Fold the edges of the tissue up and over the back of the printer paper and secure with scotch tape.  Do the two long sides first.

On the shorter ends, you will want to fold in the corners of the tissue so that there are no loose ends that could get caught in the printer.  Secure these with tape and finish folding and taping the sides.

  

Now you are ready to print.  Put the paper in your manual paper feed.  Take note as to how to load your printer so that the printing will be done on the tissue surface.  In my printer I load the paper with the tissue side down.

Step Three:

Choose your photo to be printed and choose the size that you would like your finished tissue photo to be.

Select Print

and 

Voila!

Your photo printed on tissue.

For encaustic painting, you then just slightly warm your painting in the area you want to have the photo. 

Trim the tissue so that there is just a small margin of white around the photo.

Burnish the tissue onto the wax surface.

Heat carefully and the wax will come through the tissue and adhere it to the painting surface.  White tissue virtually disappears with this process. 

Its great for adding words as well as photos.