Toner Photo Transfer Tutorial for Polymer Clay – Mistakes to Avoid
Vid #78: Four Things NOT To Do With Your Image Transfer, Pendant Jewelry Projects:
Toner image transfers are fun and fairly easy to do if you follow the right steps. This inexpensive photo transfer method is done using regular photocopies or laser printed images. It does not require the use of special papers.
Here's a link to a quick written tutorial on the technique:
How To Image Transfer To Polymer Clay
In the process of learning this method, I have made some mistakes. Today I'll share a few of them with you so that you don't have to make them yourself:
Mistake #1) Rubbing too hard when peeling away the paper: This can remove ink that has already been transferred to the clay surface. Instead, always use a very light touch, gently rubbing in circles to remove the wet paper from the transfer.
Mistake #2) Water too warm: When rinsing the paper off your image transfer, it is important to use cold water or the ink will warm up and smudge.
Mistake #3) Using parchment paper on top of image while baking: Parchment paper can wrinkle in the oven and leave light and dark areas on the clay. It is best with the image transfers to not put anything on top while the image is curing. This means you have to be extra careful not to get air in your clay because you won't be able to bake your transfer between two ceramic tiles as you normally would to prevent bubbles.
Mistake #4) Waiting too long to bake: Make sure to bake your image transfer as soon as possible after transferring the image. As the ink sits on the clay, it can become very sticky and will smear easily until it is cured.
Have you ever made image transfers this way or do you prefer another method? What kind of problems have you run into? If you have any questions or comments regarding this technique, make sure to leave them below!
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<
The full version of the "Image Transfer" preview video shown above, is available for purchase at my Polymer Clay Bead Making Videos Library in the Volume-006 Back Issue Package.
In the "Image Transfer Mistakes" video I go into detail about problems that can happen due to:
- Rubbing too hard.
- Using water that was too warm.
- Using parchment paper during the baking process.
- Leaving the transfer too long before baking it.
Filed Under: 05: Techniques, 06: Bead Shapes by Comment. 
Leave a Comment
Comments on Toner Photo Transfer Tutorial for Polymer Clay – Mistakes to Avoid
7:04 am
Cindy,
Thanks for the tips–I too have found that a light touch is definitely best! One thing I discovered (been doing a lot of these lately) is that the paper after being burnished and wetted usually come up in layers; to contain the mess of all those little bits of paper, I have been gently removing the top layer of paper, then removing the final layers down to the raw clay under a very thin stream of running water, catching the bits in a sieve to prevent them from going down the drain; the process goes much faster, I seem to get less smudging, and I'm not constantly stopping to dispose of bits of paper sticking to my fingers.
6:04 pm
Very good advice Randee! This is especially true for the thicker papers. The one I used in this demonstration is very thin and doesn't really separate into layers like a lot of papers will. But the better quality papers will work great for your technique! Thank you so much for sharing your experience here!
7:36 pm
I am just about to start experimenting with the transferring of images onto clay. My question is , is there a particular type of paper that my image should be on, or just regular computer paper that I can put in a laser printer. Also does this process work best in the polyclay oven- or does the kitchen oven also do the trick? I am so happy I came across your site. Thanks so much. Lisa Cobb
11:44 am
Lisa, when doing this type of transfer, you only need regular office paper, which is nice because it is cheap and readily available.
A polyclay oven is just a toaster oven with a fancy name. You can use your own oven if you like. If you get serious about working with polymer clay it is nice to have a separate toaster oven to work in. Click the link by my name for an article on the benefits of using a toaster oven over your regular kitchen oven.
5:19 am
Looking for the recipe for skin tones. They are the ones that are listed as bonus color recipes but I have a membership and still not able to find them.
Thank you
Eva
10:05 am
It's great to hear from you here at the blog Eva. I remember our email communications back in Oct'08 when you got set up as a charter member at the library. But I believe this is your first post here on the blog. So… welcome!
Anywho… in regards to your question about the bonus color recipes, I'll take this opportunity to let everyone know how they work.
Every month with the paid library subscription, you get 4 tutorial videos and 4 A-recipes.
The B-Recipes (Bonus-Recipes) are given away for free to those who subscribe to my Polymer Clay Guest List Newsletter. This is the only way you can get the bonus recipes.
I have set up the Bonus recipe system like this because it gives everyone a good "excuse" to come back to the blog at least once a week, if not more often.
I publish a ton of information here at the blog… and it is all free. Those who take the time to read the articles, often make apoint of letting me know how much they are learning from the articles. And that is the whole point :)
The Newsletter edition I emailed out last week [Vol 008-0] provided links to all of the Bonus Recipes I have given away to date. It was a special edition to help everyone get caught after the busy holiday season.
Now in regards to the Skin Tone Recipes you were asking about Eva, one of them has already been given way [Volume-006-4B Recipe: Porcelain Skin]. You will find the link in last week's newsletter email from me. The other Skin Tone Recipes [Cocoa Skin, Fair Skin, Copper Skin] have yet to be posted. They are coming though, so stay tuned.