Brands of T-shirt transfer papers that peel apart for image transfers to polymer clay?

Question

I found an awesome, inexpensive brand of shirt transfer paper (White Cap brand) that I used to transfer images to polymer clay. The big advantage was that you could print your picture, peel apart the layers and place the image face-up on raw polymer clay and then bake. Perfect transfer, no bubbles. Unfortunately, Big Lots no longer has it. The company won't reveal who else sells it because they make the same paper for big names at higher prices and have some deal with them.

I've tried the same method with PrintWorks brand, but it bubbles badly. My Avery brand doesn't peel apart. Is anyone familiar with this method and know of another brand that will peel apart and NOT bubble when baked? Please!

I am aware of the methods Diane mentions. Thanks for your feedback. I am writing specifically about a method where one used t-shirt transfer paper for light fabrics, peel it off the backing, lay it on raw clay and backe. This method works great for certain brands, does not work without bubbling with others. I am hoping to discover which brands work well without having to spend $10-15 per package first.

Answer 1

I believe you're thinking of the type of "t-shirt" transfer paper that's used for *dark* fabrics. There are various brands, but Lazertran makes one too called Inkjet Textile Dark.
These are different from the various other papers used to make polymer clay transfers and decals... you can simply peel them off (no water involved), then place the decal onto raw or baked clay.

These are not water-slide type decals created from transfer papers.

Here's some info on them from my website:

Transfer papers intended for use on dark fabrics will create an opaque transfer rather than transparent ones
....these yield "decals" which can be basically decoupaged onto polymer clay (...rather than having only the ink transfer into the clay as with the transfer papers intended for light fabrics)
LESSON:
...print image onto transfer paper with inkjet printer (ink will be embedded into a plastic carrier on the transfer paper)
........do not use printers which apply heat during printing (e.g., HP DeskJet 1200C or 1600C)
........best to use a printer setting for Photo Quality Paper, or Transfer Paper (or 360 dpi?)
...after printing, cut out around the exact edges of the image (so no "plastic" margin will show outside the image later)
...peel the image+carrier decal from its backing by making a small tear at one edge (no burnishing or heat required first)
...the image should be printed in the correct orientation --not reversed (...liquid clay decals, however, can be printed and used in either orientation because they're transparent)
...decals made from opaque transfer papers should be able to be put onto raw or baked clay since they're intended to be set on fabric with 350 F heat
...they probably need to be sealed to prevent wear on the image (which is on the surface), and to hold them down
.......could use an acrylic finish (Varathane, etc.) or an epoxy resin, or I assume even liquid clay if the object were later baked.

(There's loads more info on doing transfers onto polymer clay in all kinds of ways, using all kinds of materials and techniques, if you're interested on the rest of that page: http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/transfers.htm )


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

Sorry my Transfers page at GlassAttic didn't help. It actually does have a load of good info from many clayers who have done transfers successfully over the years (with many different techiques/equipment/materials), as well as troubleshooting what the problems can be, but there is almost too much info there. (And, doing transfers successfully are one of the hardest things to do in polymer clay, unless you just happen upon a right combination of materials/equipment/technique right from the beginning--which does happen to some people-- or you use one of the "easier" methods, using magazine-page images for example). I'm not sure where you've seen articles that say an inkjet printer should work (well) when used with regular paper, but in general to make a nice saturated transfer you'll need: ...either a toner-based image (created on a laser printer, a photocopier, or an inkjet printer that uses *permanent* ink) onto regular paper (or onto other slick papers like parchment, etc) ...or you'll need an inkjet image printed onto one of the special kinds of paper that are clay-coated including some photo papers (or very slick) and function as "transfer papers." Otherwise, you'll get a pale image, or none at all. You don't say specifically whether you're using the liquid clay just as a helper and transferring "directly" onto clay, or using it to create an intermediary "decal" transfer which you can later put onto clay, so I'm not sure what else to say about that. (When a decal is made --which is reversible since it's transparent-- the liquid clay is usually poured onto a sheet of glass, so if that's what you're doing the main problem you may be having is the type of paper you're using, *in combination with* the type of ink or toner you're using. Or it could be a technique factor like how long you're letting the image sit, how well you're burnishing, whether you're using a helper like heat or a solvent, etc.) HTH, Diane B.