How to Print on Fabric
Today I’m sharing a fun way and economical way to print on fabric, using your home Inkjet Computer! I think this is probably the cheapest method of all. I call it the Freezer Paper Method because … it uses Freezer Paper … and also because … I’m super creative like that when it comes to thinking up names for various craft methods. 😉
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I thought I would show you a photo of the Freezer Paper, because I know in other parts of the world, it might be called something else, so I thought this might help. In case you’re not familiar with it, it’s paper that’s used to wrap up food in order to freeze it. It’s shiny on one side and dull on the other. As you can tell my box is about 200 years old … I guess I don’t freeze a lot of stuff. :/
Anyway, this method is super easy, just follow the steps below!
SUPPLIES:
- Freezer Paper
- Fabric (I used Canvas Drop Cloth HERE)
- Iron
- Scissors
- Printer
Step 1: Start with a freshly ironed piece of fabric. ( I like to print on Canvas Drop Cloth, because it takes the ink beautifully, and you can get a lot of fabric for the money, it also goes nicely through my printer). Cut out a section of freezer paper, approximately 8 1/2″ by 11″, and iron it (shiny side facing towards the fabric) to the fabric until it adheres nicely.
Step 2: Trim up the fabric and Freezer paper to exactly 8 1/2″ by 11″. I use a piece of printer cardstock as a pattern, to make sure the size is exact. You could measure it out and draw lines on it instead. Important: Make sure you don’t have any frayed edges, and that the fabric does not overhang the paper! You don’t wanted it snagging in your printer and getting stuck!
Step 3: Place in your printer. Make sure you have it placed so that the ink prints on the fabric side and not the paper side.
Step 4: Adjust your printer settings. When you hit the print button and get the pop up window, you should have some type of button for “Printer Preferences” click on that and select “Best Photo” and then print. This will put a nice amount of ink on your fabric, for the best quality image.
Step 5: Stay right with the printer and guide the fabric through if needed. For some reason it usually takes a few times for my printer to recognize it, it usually sends the fabric through a few times, with out printing, and I have to keep putting it back in until it decides to accept it. I have no idea why and hopefully yours won’t do that!
Gorgeous right?!! And so easy! The print is amazingly crisp and clear, I just love doing this! You can peel off your Freezer Paper now (I’m told you can reuse it, up to 10 times, so you can save it and iron it on to another piece of fabric. Yay!). I use an Epson Printer with Pigment ink that’s waterproof. If yours isn’t waterproof, you can try to set it with Vinegar using this Tutorial.
I hope you enjoyed this fun method! If you like the Bird Printable in the photos, you can grab it for free HERE, there’s also a tutorial for a fun project that I made with this!
Oh and in case you missed it… we’ve got more great Printing Tutorials like … How to Print on Tissue Paper! And check out How to Print on Brown Paper Bags as well!
And for even more Fun Fabric Printing techniques, be sure and check out our 6 Ways to Easily Print on Fabric Post HERE!
For more information about what Printers I recommend, see my Best Printers for Crafting Post HERE.
Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here! Browse around to find thousands of Stock Images that you can use in your projects or designs! I post new Vintage images every day, as well as projects and DIY’s too! Need more info about my site? Try my FAQ page.
Alice says
I have wanted to print on my own fabric for so long but the methods for doing so are all so expensive. I can afford this method and will certainly be trying it in the near future. I am excited to finally be able to make something I have only been dreaming of making and it’s all because of your post. Thanks so much for the tutorial.
gill Colthart says
This might be useful for people in the UK. I used to have Reynold’s Freezer paper sent from the US, but you can now get it from Hobbycraft or some quilters shops. I also hav a tutorial on my blog if it helps
Karen Watson says
Wonderful Gill! Thanks for sharing that resource!
Laurel says
I’m in the U.K too and I’ve bought Reynolds freezer paper on ebay relatively inexpensively.
Vickie says
Thanks Karen for showing this tutorial. I was always frustrated because most transfers call for a laser printer and I have an inkject printer. Now watch me go:)
Karen says
This is fantastic!!! I have never tried this. Have tried other transfer methods. Looking around to see what I can print on. Sharing on my FB page this afternoon!
Karen Watson says
Thanks Karen!! I appreciate the share!
Nancy Stone says
Karen: I use Freezer paper frequently in quilting. You do not have to throw out a piece of freezer paper after you use it, as it is reusable. I like to use it when making quilt labels by drawing dark lines on the non shiny side and then ironing muslin to the shiny side. You should be able to see the lines so that you can keep your writing straight on the quilt label. Then the save the freezer paper for the next label.
Karen Watson says
Hi Nancy, So do you mean you can iron it and it will stick again on the next piece of fabric?
Rhissanna says
Yes. I reuse the same piece of paper once it’s cut to size. I’m told it can be reused up to ten times, but I can’t verify that. More than twice, for sure! That huge roll of freezer paper will last quite a while.
Karen Watson says
Oh that’s great!! Thanks to you both for the info!!
Rhissanna says
You’re welcome!
Renee says
Hello, I see you print on fabric for quilts. What type of printer and ink do you use to keep the ink from fading in the wash?
Catina says
Does the picture hold up when washing.
graphicsfairy says
I use waterproof ink so it will hold up to some point. This method is best for things that rarely require washing.
Debbie Knight says
I have a Xerox Phaser 8560 which uses wax squares for printing instead of ink or toner? It’s a marvelous finish! Has anyone every tried to use this printer to print on fabric? Any and all comments appreciated! Thank you!
Debbie Knight says
Hi, does anyone know if you can buy Swiss batiste, and other very fine fabrics to print on at JoAnn Fabrics? I think that I read Swiss batiste doesn’t ravel and is very thin for very small projects. Any other recommendations for the ease of printing on many other kinds of fabrics? Would anyone have, or know of a chart for this information?
Karen Watson says
Debbie you can find it at sewfancy.com Here’s the link http://www.sewfancy.com/batiste.htm
Pat C. says
I’ve seen this tutorial before, but never one as easy-to-follow as yours!! I love the screenshot and all of your top-secret, insider tips! Thanks, Karen!! xoxo
Karen Watson says
Thanks Pat!!
Carolyn says
Will this work with a color laser printer? Thanks!
Karen Watson says
Hi Carolyn, I wish I knew! I don’t own one, but maybe someone that does, and has tried this, will chime in and let us know!
Carolyn says
Thanks! 🙂
Carolyn Tix says
Thank you for sharing this, I have heard of it before, but never did try it. I make MANY gifts for Christmas and this will come in handy and be much less expensive than using the transfer sheets.
Wesley Williams says
You might not want to print this with a laser printer, that style printer uses heated rollers to set the toner onto the paper you are using, it might get hot enough to melt the bond you have with the freezer paper and the fabric, and get caught up in the rollers.
Edwina Beard says
I have read in other discussion groups that laser printing on paper works well. It requires that you print a single sheet at a time. You then put it in a warm, dry location for at least two hours to allow the ink to dry. I plan to try this later today. I will post my results.
graphicsfairy says
Thanks Edwina, we would love to see your results!
Erin says
Yeah! How did it go? I’m having this exact question.
Eloise Erwin says
Hey Karen,
I am a quilter and I really believe in putting little labels on my quilts. I have bought iron on labels and sew on labels and they all come out stiff and yucky. This item was a blessing as I just finished a baby quilt and did not want to hand sew(I have done that) a label on. I tried your method on my husband’s cannon printer and it worked beautifully.
btw, my HPOfficejet 4500 is great and I love it! But it won’t work do this. I don’t know if I am doing it wrong or what. My husband’s works great.
Have a blessed day.
graphicsfairy says
That is wonderful Eloise! I think adding a label makes it all the more special 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
connie says
I want to do this for a family quilt but when I asked to buy an Epson printer with pigment ink they thought I was nuts. didn’t know what I was talking about. What exact printer are you using. Thanks
graphicsfairy says
Hi Connie,
Here is a link to my favorite printer for crafting, https://thegraphicsfairy.com/the-best-printers-for-crafting/
The ink I use is,DuraBrite Ultra ink
I hope this helps 🙂 Good luck with your quilt project!
Susan Grier says
Is your a regular printer? Mine is and want to try this
Andrea D Stevens says
Everything I’ve read thus far says ‘no’. For a couple of reasons, 1. A laser printer uses a dry toner, not liquid ink, so it will not absorb into fabric. 2. A laser printer uses a different paper than an inkjet in that it is thinner. This is opposite when transferring photos or printed words onto wood or canvas in that a laser printer is required for the same reasons (i.e. dry toner won’t smear or absorb). I’d love to get a definitive, clear answer and explanation too! Thanks for posting so I could add!
graphicsfairy says
Hi Andrea, I posted how I use this method to print on fabric using my inkjet printer, I use waterproof ink and it works. I am sure there are other ways but this is what I know and what works for me 🙂
Debbi says
I have used this method for quite a while and I agree Karen, it is hands down the best and most inexpensive way to print on fabric! The only thing I would add to this is to roll the fabric/paper combo fabric side out just before printing so there are not any curled edges, That way it feeds smoothly through the printer and you won’t pick up toner ink on the edges.
Penelope says
Fantastic tutorial. I will definitely put this one to use. Thank you.
Adi says
This is a real wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try this on my future fashion projects!
vegcourtesy.blogspot.com
Mitzie says
Thank you for the tutorial but I think you missed a step or two. I don’t see anything about how the bird pic relates to the freezer paper. Do you copy the bird image onto the freezer paper, or just printing the image? If the latter, what is the freezer paper’s purpose? I’d really like to know because I’ve been wondering how to print images from your awesome website onto fabric. Thank you.
Debbie Knight says
you add the freezer paper to stiffen the fabric to work in the printer. She printed the image right on the fabric.
Andrea D Stevens says
But, if the only purpose is to stiffen the material so that it feeds smoothly through the printer, why also use cardstock? I may have missed something or added, but I read use cardstock as a guide…a guide for feeding into printer, right? So, if I do not have freezer paper but do have cardstock, I can use cardstock as a printer guide and don’t have to do anything to the fabric? Is this correct? Thanks!
Lin says
The only reason for the cardstock is to use it as a ‘pattern’ so you can trace out your sheet of fabric/freezer paper to exactly 8.5 x 11 inches. You don’t actually use the cardstock itself.
Karen Watson says
Mitzie, Yes, what Debbie said. There’s no missing step, you can’t put fabric into your printer without something stiffening it, or it will bunch up in your printer. The freezer paper is there to make it stiff, so that the printer thinks it’s paper and slides it through. I hope that helps!
Carrie says
Hi I know how to on fabric but what if you want to make a larger pillow like the insert for a standard pillow is 13 x 20 is it just what your printer will do?
Karen says
Yes Carrie, it would depend on the largest size paper your printer accepts. Some printers will print on tabloid paper, which is 11″ X 17″. If your printer is a standard one, you might try using a legal paper size piece of fabric, which is 8.5″ X 14″. You might need to do a transfer to larger fabric. We have several methods you can find by clicking “Transfer Methods” in the black menu bar above. I would love to know what you decide and how it works.
lori hemminger says
freezer paper is to give it shape of paper so cloth has consistency. i have done same thing by spraying adhesive on paper, then set on fabric, cut out paper size, print on fabric, peel off paper..
Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces says
Great tutorial, Karen! Thank you!
Laurel says
Have you tried setting your printer to take thick paper/envelopes? It may stop it pulling the fabric through without printing on it. It’s the setting I use when I want to print on thick card.
Karen Watson says
Great idea Laurel! I’ll try that next time!
Aitch says
I never thought of that! I have the same problem with printing thicker things like cardstock and fabric on my Epson printer that Karen has with getting her fabric/freezer paper sandwich to roll through. I will give that a try, thank you.