Most artisans who use digital stamps print their images onto plain white paper to work with. Your photo can only be printed on what runs through your printer, but there are many other alternatives to plain paper. Allow me to share a few ideas that will enable you to get the most out of your digital stamp collection.
A note about printing digital stamps: It is always best to use a standard laser printer or copier. This is because the ink is heat set on the paper in the printing process. By contrast, inkjet printers spray ink onto the paper and the method can sometimes smudge your image when colored or exposed to water. If you only have an inkjet printer, try heat setting your image with a heat tool before working with it. Now on to the alternate surfaces for printing…
Colored or patterned paper
The most common use of digital stamps is for coloring. However, you may want to unroll the paper instead. Print your photos on colored or patterned paper, then cut out all parts of the photo to put them together in different patterns. This is a great technique that adds a lot of texture to your work.
Watercolor paper
For those who like the soft look of watercolors, try loading your printer with watercolor paper. It is often helpful to feed each sheet of paper into the printer and check your settings to match the paper thickness. You will be able to paint your digital photo with traditional watercolors and create beautiful works of art.
Canvas paper
Did you know that Canvas paper exists specifically for home printers? When looking for printer paper, check the specialty section for other types of paper designed specifically for use in home printers. You should easily find canvas paper that will give your photos a nice artistic texture. This will enable you to actually paint your digital pictures if you choose or use other traditional coloring materials.
Transparency paper, parchment paper, or adhesive paper
While browsing the specialty paper section, you may even find materials such as transparencies, cardstock, and sticker paper to use. These are great alternative surface types that you can try out with your digital photos. Imagine the possibilities when you are able to create photo collages or transparent versions of your own design.
fabric
Although you can also buy special printable fabrics that can run through a printer, the homemade idea is to stick the fabric onto sheets of parchment. This way, you will be able to run it through your printer. You’ll need to experiment with the settings, in order to find the right balance of ink for the specific fabric used, but it’s a great project to try, and get your stamp on sewing projects.
Print for transfers
An alternative solution to getting your digital image onto a non-flat item is to print the image for transfer. This means that you print your image on store-bought transfer paper, iron-on transfer paper, or plain paper to be transferred to a finished surface using artistic transfer techniques. There are many different techniques you can try so it all depends on your preference, but it is possible. You can, for example, print your photos on thin paper to transfer them onto candles to decorate the house. A little experimentation will open up a whole new world for your digital stamping and wording.
As printing technology develops and more materials become available, the world of digital stamping will grow more exciting and diverse. Try some of these alternative surfaces for yourself and see what you can make of them. You’ll soon find many new ways to make use of your digital stamps.