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I See Through You…
Maria Garcia - Stamping Deck CrewmemberThis month, we are going to be adding depth to our paper arts with the aid of our inkjet printers and transparency sheets. Transparencies allow us to place text and/or images over textured backgrounds that would be otherwise difficult or impossible to print directly on.
The sheets are available at any office supply store-just make sure you are getting the kind specifically made for ink jet printers. They have a textured side that grips the ink-keeping it from smearing and assuring a clean print.
You can use any graphics or word processing program you like. When you are ready, select "print" from your file menu. It is especially important to select from the file menu instead of using the icon in your toolbar, if you are printing from a word processing program because printing from the toolbar will not give you the setup window that you need. When you have the setup window open, go into the properties section and choose "inkjet transparency" from the media list. Load the transparency sheet in your printer, and you are ready to go! When it has finished printing, let it sit for a minute or two until the ink loses it's tackiness.
Generally speaking, the image or text you print on a transparency is sharper if you view it from the "back" side. This means, if you are printing text, you will need to reverse it in the program before you print. I have, however, forgotten to do this on many occasions, but have been completely satisfied with the outcome. My first two projects are for my scrapbook enthusiasts out there! Now, before you place any plastic over your photos, you want to make sure it is safe. I have not, on any of my packages, seen what exactly the transparencies are made of, so I can't steer you to a specific product. I can suggest to you, that if the transparencies are giving off any kind of plastic-chemical odor, don't use them in your scrapbooks. And of course, making copies of one-of a kind photos is always recommended. I have transparencies made by Hewlett Packard, and do not have a problem with them.
My first page is a mini, 6x6" layout. I used fabric for the background, so printing the quote on a transparency was the obvious choice. Now I can see the vellum and the fabric below my text-this effect would have been difficult to achieve any other way. Using brads is my favorite way to attach transparencies
The second page is a full 12x12" layout. I scanned, enlarged and printed the photo of the church on the transparency. I loved the paper with the round window on it, but it was too busy behind the clear photo. To remedy this, I sponged beige paint on the paper-only where the image of the church would lay. This allowed a semi-solid background for the photo and still left the beauty of the paper intact.
My third sample is a collage card. I found free butterfly clipart online and printed out an entire sheet of wings!
If, for whatever reason, you cannot print your own transparencies, there are many online collage and scrapbook sources where you can purchase them ready made. The two ATCs in my fourth sample were made with transparency images from our friends at ArtChix Studio.
My last sample was not printed, but rather stamped with Stazon ink. It was a great way to use some of the scraps from the previous projects!
The last thing I will say about transparencies is merely restating the obvious. The beautiful thing about them is seeing through them to the layer(s) below. With that in mind, don't go to the trouble of creating transparent images only to put them on a plain white background! Now where's the fun in that??
From my art to yours,
Maria Garcia
mariagarcia@ssreflections.com
Stamping Design Team
S.S. Reflections, Inc.
See more ideas, techniques and product reviews at our sister site Scramping Central