Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Craft Geek DIY: How to Print on Glass Jars

Print-making art has been around for a long long time, and it's versatile, easy and fun. There are various ways to make a print ie. stamps, linoleum blocks, wooden blocks, and even potatoes (remember that primary school art project?)

In this post, I will show you how to decorate your unused, unwanted glass jars and bottles.

You need:

1. Your glass jars of course. Washed and wiped dry.
2. A printout of your design. Either print it on a laser jet printer or have your design photocopied. Do not use inkjet printers.
3. Clear sticky tape.
4. Mod Podge. There are a few types, get the hard coat, or check if it is suitable for glass surfaces.
5. A paint brush.
6. A bowl of warm water. Preferably a pretty little bowl because it makes you happy.

Here's how you do it:

1. Stick the clear tape over your printed design. NICELY. FLAT. SMOOTH.


2. Cut it out, near the edge of the design.


3. Soak it in the pretty bowl of warm water for about 20-30 minutes.


4. Rub the paper away using your thumb. The paper would be pulp by now. Rub away until you see a clear sheet.


5. Stick it on your glass surface. it's pretty hard to shift position once you place it on the surface. The tape would still be sticky.
Press and wipe away all excess water. Leave NO air bubbles between the tape and the glass surface.

6. Do a few if you like.


7. Open a jar of Mod Podge. It is WHITE but don't worry, it becomes clear when dried.


8. Paint an even coating of Mod Podge over the design and around it.



9. As you can see, Mod Podge is clear when it's dried. But I wonder why my tape is not entirely clear. You can see the uncut whitish area around my design. I will use another brand of clear tape next time.

Have fun!!

12 comments:

Ellen Yeo said...

Looks like fun! Me gonna cuba :-)

Ally said...

Yeeaaaah!

Jennifer said...

What happens to the modpodge and tape when I need to wash my glass?

Anonymous said...

Hey Ally

Great post, nice and easy! I was wondering about the air bubbles, any hints and tips on how to make sure you don't have any?

Thanks,

Alex

Anonymous said...

I realize this is like two years late but if you use clear shelf liner you won't have air bubbles or the cloudiness with the midge podge

Anonymous said...

Clear shelf liner can leave a matte finish unless you find the one that specifically states it is clear and glossy.

I used 3M Carton Sealing Tape and it didn't leave any cloudiness at all. Make sure the packing tape you use is clear and that you can see right through into the bottom of the roll (some has a yellowish tint to it.. don't use those).

Avoid bubbles by placing the beginning of the tape down only, then pulling the tape taut as you press it down from left to right.

Thanks for this amazing technique!!

Anonymous said...

Can they be washed or go in the dishwasher? The

Anonymous said...

hello, I am trying to print something on to a ceramic coffee mug and was wondering if i could use this method to do so? i am trying to print the periodic table on the cup. i would highly appreciate it if you could let me know as soon possible.
thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Why not inkjet?

Anonymous said...

This kinda didn't work so... I don't know if I did it wrong or what???

Anonymous said...

Don't use an inkjet because the ink will run in water. It's a water-based ink. A laser printer (or copier) is not and there is why they work.

Unknown said...

what kind of paper do I use. I have a hp printer I try to do that and it never comes out like that. I even seen people do a color pic. and it comes right off the paper perfect.