Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Toner foil/ domestic iron trial update

Well, said I would update you on the toner foil, laser print, and the domestic iron technique....... WELL, IT WORKS!!!!!! Much to my surprise I managed to get the temperature just right first attempt. My paper didn't suffer too much either.
This is definately a technique worth a trying if you have a laser printer and want to spend £6 on a roll of toner foil.
This technique is easy, you print off your design or your greeting using a laser printer or photocopier (that uses toner, not ink jet. ) place your foil over your design ( shiny side up, dull side touching your design )
Lay a sheet of paper or very thin card over the top and iron the top sheet of paper/card for a minute or so. Do not press down too firmly , it's the heat you need to get the foil to transfer, not lots of pressure. You will damaged your paper if you press too hard. If you are using a steam iron.... use it as a dry iron ... NO STEAM.
Allow the foil and paper to cool , just a few seconds should be enough, then gently remove the foil sheet. Providing you have got the temperature setting right you should end up with a beautifully foiled design .
You will probably have to play a round and do some tests to work out what the best temperature setting is on YOUR iron.
On mine it was around the medium heat mark.
One final word of advice choose your designs carefully. Try black and white clip art, make sure the edges/ lines in your designs are crisp and clear and they don't have too much shading . Remember the foil will stick to every toner line in your design if there is alot of shading you will lose your design. Practise on very small designs to start with so you don't waste too much foil.
Hope you find this helpful.

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