printing patterns

[scrolldon]

Hi Steve, I have been following you for quite some time now and love your site!! Thank You!!
Now, I remember quite some time ago you had info about a printer you had sent out info about, to be able to print out a pattern and use a chemical on the paper and transfer the pattern to your wood, to eliminate tracing with carbon paper as I still do. Can you repost and share this or steer me to the info? And, also did you or do you use this process?  Thanks so much, Don

[Aggrajag]

Just curious, but why don't you just print it out, glue it on and cut around it? I thought that was how everyone did it. (I'm not criticising in ANY WAY, I'm genuinely curious as I'm pretty new to this.)

[julief]

Hi Don,  most of us print the pattern and use a spray adhesive or glue stick to adhere it to the wood.  I have seen photos transferred to wood for other reasons using an ink jet printer (it has to be ink jet).  For your basic cutting, cut through the paper.  It is much easier and faster.  I used carbon paper at first but this way is so much easier and faster.

[Aggrajag]

I used to use a glue stick to stick the paper direct to wood but found it was leaving residue, especially if it wasn't completed/removed quickly. I then read that people did this but on "painters tape" but I never found a good (cheap) source for this in the UK so I tried masking tape and it works a treat. A few strips of wide masking tape across the wood, glue stick the pattern to that and then I can leave it on as long as I want without any residue remaining when I remove it.

[Dannyb]

I use the blue painters tape that they use to not get paint on the walls when painting.  It comes in different size widths.  I put it on my wood then use spray adhesive on the back of the pattern and also on the blue tape.  The tape leaves NO residue behind.

[dirtrider73068]

Laser jet printer will transfer to wood or other media, there is a gel meduim you use and it will transfer the ink to something like wood, ink jet won't work though some say it will some say it just makes the ink run.

I have also seen one video a guy used a heat gun to transfer a pattern from patter to wood, but did state has to be laser jet printer.

[Hawkdave]

I have transferred pictures to wood through the process of ironing the back of the paper with the picture face down.

You will need to reverse your picture when you print.
If your printer is inkjet, get it copied on a laser printer.
Tape down the picture on one edge. You can lift the picture from time to time to see how the transfer is going.
Then use a hot iron to iron the back of the paper.
Or, you can use a product called Mod Podge

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=transfer+picture+to+wood

For all of my scroll saw work, I use the methods outlined by the other members, tape the picture to the wood and work in that manner.

Dave.