Three Fun Photo Transfer Techniques

Transferring photos to items these days is all the rage when it gees to crafting or memory projects. The following information gives three different methods for transferring images to projects.
The Packing Tape Technique
You will need:
Aphotocopied image; clear packing tape; a burnishing tool such as a bone folder or popsicle stick; a shallow dish; tap water; and a dish towel.
1) Make a black and white or color copy of the image, reversing it if necessary to the image when turn out correctly when reversed.
2) Lay a strip of packing tape sticky side down on top of the photocopied image. Use the burnishing tool to go over the image and make sure it has fully adhered to the tape.
3) Immerse the tape-covered image into a shallow bowl of tap water for up to 15 minutes. Remove the image and pat it dry with the dish towel. Use your fingers to rub off the paper. If you experience difficulty getting the paper to rub off, submerge the tape into the tap water for a few more minutes and repeat the process.
4) Once the paper has been removed, you will have a transparent image left on the tape. Allow this to dry. Once dried, it can be used in numerous projects, such as scrapbooking, decoupage, jewelry items and altered art projects.
The Gel Medium Transfer Technique
You will need:
Matte gel medium; a magazine image or photocopied image; a brush for applying the gel; a shallow bowl; and tap water.
1) Select the desired image which you wish to transfer. Place the image on the work surface face up.
2) Brush the gel medium over the top of the picture. Allow it to dry. Repeat this process 3-5 times, depending on how thick you would like the transfer to be. Allow the final coat to dry several hours or overnight.
3) Soak the image in a shallow bowl of tap water. The image should sit for a minimum of 15 minutes, but it can be left safetly in the water for several hours without any damage occurring to the image.
4) Use fingers to rub the paper off of the gel medium. Be careful not to tear a hole in the medium.
5) Once all paper has been removed, allow the image to dry. If the image shows signs of curling up, place a heavy object over the image to keep it flat.
6) Like the packing tape technique described above, this image can now be used for scrapbooking, altered art, jewelry and other craft projects. Themain difference between the two techniques is that the tape method will result in a glossy surface; the gel method will result in a matte surface.
The Acetone Transfer Technique
You will need:
Recently printed color laser images; pure acetone (this can be found at hardware stores or nail salons. Nail polish remover is not pure acetone and will not work in this technque); a soft, clean rag; a bone folder or burnishing tool (optional).
1) Work in a well-ventilated area.
2) Place the color laser image on top of the item it will be transferred to.
2) Soak the rag in acetone. Quickly rub the soaked rag over the image, working in small areas at a time. Acetone dries quickly so it may be necessary to resoak the rag.
3) Optional - Rub a burnishing tool over the back of the image to help it transfer.
4) This method results in soft images which might be nice for a baby or romance themed project. This can be used on fabric or paper. Since there are all different types of fabric and paper, the results will vary, depending on the medium used.
As with all craft projects, you may wish to experiment with the different techniques to see which works best for the project you have in mind.