Clay Printing Tutorial

This tutorial involves using an inkjet printer to print onto a thin, baked sheet of polymer clay. This technique works best for an item that is going to have a flat finished surface.

Materials Needed:

NOTE: This tutorial is not intended to explain how to use image editing software. The assumption is the reader knows how to resize and print images. Additionally, in my opinion you are taking some risk in feeding anything other than paper through your printer. (This is a risk I am willing to take because my printer isn't particularly expensive.) If you have an expensive printer, you may want to reconsider this technique. Also, some printers have a "straight" feed system where the paper feeds from the top and comes out the front or bottom. A straight feed is probably the least risky system for this technique. Other printers have a "U" feed system, where the paper feeds in from the front, goes through a roller system that turns the paper in a "U" and the paper exits to the same side it entered. This is perhaps the most risky feed system for the clay printing technique. That being said, I have been doing this technique on a "U" feed system for about a year and I've not yet (keeping my fingers crossed!) had a jam. I think the key is THIN THIN THIN sheets of polymer clay and no jagged edges. If you want REALLY thin sheets of polymer clay, use cardstock to make your sandwiches rather than regular printer paper.

Step 1: Printing a test image

Open your image file, size it to the desired dimensions and print a copy on regular printer paper. Try to have about a 1" margin at the top of the image.

Step 2: Conditon approximately 1/2 ounce of white (or light-colored) polymer clay.

(Note: Exactly how much polymer clay you will need depends on how large an image you want to print. I generally find that about 1/3 an ounce is enough to print a 3" x 4" image.)