How to Make a Ceramic Decal with a Laser Printer

Decal paper made for laser printers can be used to make a permanent image on ceramics. Some toners contain iron, which bonds with the glaze and becomes permanent.

The materials needed for this technique are decal paper and a laser printer. Note, this works for laser printers or copy machines, not ink jet printers. Iron in the toner bonds with glaze in the ceramics. Brands of printers with toner that contain iron include HP and Apple. Beldecal makes a decal paper that can be used for this process. Use the laser water slide decal paper. The decal should be the last step, and placed over a light-colored or clear glaze. The glaze underneath needs to be fired before the decal is applied. This provides a smooth, non-porous surface for the decal to stick to.

Choosing a Ceramic Decal Image
The final image will be a sepia-tone, like an old photograph. Hint, there are many public-domain old photographs on the Library of Congress website. The photographs can be downloaded in various sizes and resolutions. The image does not need to be a photograph. Drawn images can be scanned. Black and white or gray toned images work best. Use your imagination to create something unique.
Images can be sized and set up in Word, Publisher, or any image processing software. The darkest image will be produced print side down on the project. Therefore, if your image contains text, you will need to reverse the image. It is possible to reverse the decal, the image looks fine, just not quite as dark. Remember that partially used sheets of decal paper cannot be fed back through the printer.





Print the image on regular paper first and try it out on the project. If the image looks good and is sized correctly, print on the decal paper.
Applying the Decal
Cut out the image. Cut close to the image to avoid excess decal to smooth out. Soak the image in a bowl of water. The decal paper will separate from the backing in about 60 seconds. If left for a while, the decal will separate from the backing and float on top of the water. This is perfectly fine. The decal is not damaged, just a little harder to work with.


Place the paper, image side down, on the project and slide off the backing. Hold the edge of the decal in place with the thumb. Smooth with a dry or damp cloth. Work out any air bubbles. Air bubbles will leave a blank spot in the image. Very tiny air bubbles, smaller than soda bubbles, will not affect the image. Fire hot enough to soften the glaze.
Firing Schedule for a Cone 04 Glaze:
1. Lid open
2. 1 hour low
3. 2 hours medium
4. Close lid
5. 45 min high
Experimentation yields the best results. If the image wipes off, it was not fired hot enough. If the image is faded, it was fired too hot.





Printing Instructions For Alps Printers, Laser Printers, Color Copiers
Introduction:

Create your own decals with this high quality, inexpensive water-slide decal paper for laser printers. This paper can be used with most laser printers, ALPS printers and color copiers. It is recommended to test a couple of sheets with your printer or copier to ensure compatibility prior to producing multiple copies.

The main use of this paper is for creating waterslide decals for various uses such as: model rockets, planes, trains, cars, soap plus other surfaces.

Copy any pre-printed design or create your own artwork with ink and paper or a computer drawing onto the blank, water-slide decal paper using an office copier, laser printer or ALPS printer.

How to print:
Begin by printing your image(s) from your computer onto your laser printer, color copier or ALPS printer with the use of our blank laser printer. Print on the glossy side of the blank paper. Note: the laser paper may have a protective sheet of tissue or plastic over the glossy side. Make sure to remove this before printing! Note: You should feed your printer one sheet at a time to avoid jamming the printer since this paper is thicker than regular paper. If you take it to a copy center, instruct the operator to feed the copier one sheet at a time through the manual sheet feeder.
1. Allow the toner/ink to dry and set into the paper for at least five minutes and it should be ready for application. If you wish to make a slightly more durable decal while applying, spray the surface of the decal (in LIGHT mist coats) with an acrylic varnish such as Krylon Crystal Clear finishing spray.
2. Cut out the image(s) as close as possible to the actual design and place them in lukewarm water for approximately 30 seconds. Hold the decal carefully to avoid tearing. You will begin to feel the printed image start to slide off the backing paper. This means it is ready to apply onto your surface to decorate.
3. Gently slide the decal into place. Use a clean damp cloth or paper towel to wipe off excess water and remove any air bubbles that may appear. Allow setting time of about 3 hours. Your decorated object is ready! Note: You can speed up drying time by placing your decorated object under/near a fan.
4. If you wish to protect your decorated item from surface scratches, moisture, or fading then spray your dried decorated surface with an acrylic varnish such as Krylon Crystal Clear finishing spray.
For blue paper users:

You can use clear decal paper for most lettering. However, most printers or copiers do NOT print white except for the ALPS 5000 printer. If you are using ALPS and printing white with this printer then we suggest our blue decal laser paper (with clear coat) so that the white print will be easier to see on the blue background than on the white. The ALPS MD-5000 printer is compatible with our blank water-slide decal paper. It utilizes dry ink to print single colors or multiple combinations of white, gold, silver and many other colors. However, if you do not have an ALPS printer, you can use our "white" paper that may be used for all artwork that has a white color background. For printing and application please follow the same steps as above.

For white lettering / white artwork / white paper users:

In order to print the color "white" successfully you will either require an ALPS printer that has the ability to print opaque white, or our high performance WHITE DECAL PAPER. If you do not have an ALPS printer, do not worry; this alternative product is perfect for you. Now you can use our white decal paper and get the same excellent results for all of your artwork that includes the color white.

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