5 Ways to Print on Wood | DIY Image Transfer

Wood print and DIY image transfer are great tools to customize your woodworking projects or to brand your work. I’ll show you 5 different ways to print on wood and the pro’s and con’s of each of them.

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[Fixthisbuildthat]

Also, all prints were mirror image from a laser printer and normal multipurpose copy paper. I do not own an inkjet printer anymore so couldn't test those methods.

[VictorPoulin]

Huge tip for anyone watching this. If you want a really clean transfer with all of the color transferred don't use paper. Use Label paper. What I mean is if you have shipping label paper laying around you will use the shiny backing and not the actual sticker. Print your image onto the shiny side. When you transfer it to the wood all the laser ink will transfer to the wood with none left behind. You do not have to wet it either. Just peel it off. It will work with inkjet as well. I still need to experiment with wax paper as I think it may work well.

[GeorgeIreton]

I could not simply move along without telling you how much I appreciate the effort you put into this for the benefit of others. I am working on an idea for a craft project and wanted a decent method of transferring a simple image to a piece of wood. The polycrylic method is MONEY! Thanks again.

[JamesDoylesGarage]

This is when YouTube is at it's best. Thanks for sharing and teaching us this print method.

[julieb]

This is by far the BEST comparison video for what I was looking for! THANK YOU!!!

[RamaSivamani]

The clothes iron method is useful if you want to transfer an image that you are using as a guide or a sketch for pyrography. If you are into woodburning art I know some woodburning artists use that method for transferring images for that use.

[jojoe]

I like the acetone because it looks more rustic. Great video. Thanks.

[patofgold]

Thank you for this video! I'm from the Philippines and I can say that woodcraft has been part of our culture even before our pre-Hispanic era. However, we didn't move forward to these modern methods and it's rare to find mentors that can teach new techniques. More power to you and your channel!

[kenringsen]

Another method to consider if you're doing a thick clear finish is printing on rice paper and embedding it into poly. The rice paper becomes transparent and anything printed on it remains sharp and crisp. Look for other videos for Rice Paper Under Fiberglass, which is commonly used on skateboards and surfboards. You don't need to use fiberglass and resin, the same method works under poly but requires extra coats to make the finish thicker than the rice paper.

[kerrygibbs]

Wow, a life time of craftsmanship information in about 10 minutes!! Thank you! You also presented it in a way that was to the point. Didn’t waste any time. Yet gave all the good tips. excellent video production skills!

[chestbech]

The polycryllic seems perfect for transferring letters for wood carving. You get the letters transfered, plus the surface is sealed so you get less tearout from the router. I'm going to try this. Thanks 👍👍👍

[azngurlex]

Just used the polycrylic and it works amazing!!! The trick is to make sure the paper is real wet before rubbing. Thanks for sharing!!

[Makebuildmodify]

Wow! The Polycrylic worked way better than I thought it would. Thanks Brad.

[Derokorian]

Polycrylic is probably my favorite one to use. Simple and effective. Nice glaze coat and it looks beautiful. Thanks for this!

[frankligas]

Thanks for the video. I have some experience with the heat transfer, and acetone method to metal. Laser printer (and some photocopiers) use a high temperature wax based ink that is very finely powdered. In the laser printing process, the toner is placed on the paper, then it passes by a "fuser". The purpose of the fuser is to melt the toner onto the paper. If you deactivate (sabotage) the fuser, the toner is clearly still powder and smudges easily. I sabotaged a used laser printer and would make transfers to copper plate. I heated the plate with a paint stripper hot gun from the back, and then latter used a large printmaker's hotplate that was 24" by 36" square and capable of temps over 400 degrees. After that I would etch the plate in ferric-chloride acid to etch the copper plate. Wash it all off with acetone, then rub ink onto the plate and run the inked plate and paper through an intaglio printing press.

[johniemos]

Hello Brad, thx for the great video!I tested your method but instead of polycrylic I used wood glue, and the result was very satisfying

[YouCanMakeThisToo]

I’m super impressed and surprised with the polycyclic, never seen that technique before.

[upstatecre]

I can’t tell you how many times I have rewatched this video or how many friends I have shared it with. Excellent lesson!!!!

[PaulaJoW]

I use Liquitex liquid matte medium (instead of a gel). Whenever you use this transfer method it will always have a bit of a paper haze after the first "scrub". Just dampen a cloth, your fingers (or your toothbrush) and GENTLY rub in circular motions to remove as much of the remaining haze as possible. The areas that need the most attention, I find, are larger black areas. Finishing with a matte, satin or gloss varnish will bring the photo to life.

[sknryhd]

Wow!!! What a great video!!! Quick to the point and 5 different options and the results!!!! Love it, saved me a lot of trial and errors so I can get right to it. Awesome!!!