What kind of printer will work on canvas net for needlepoint pictures?
ch...@adnc.com
Nah.... I'd say the better thing to do would be to use a graphic
program that allows you to print out the picture in pieces (making up
the 16x16), printing up that file on a laser printer, then _ironing_
it onto the net. Make sure you mirror image the picture so it will
"read" properly when you reverse it during ironing. You might have to
experiment with heat settings (start with Dacron and go up toward
Cotton, or whatever similar range your iron supports). Lasers use
"toner" powder to make the impression. This is melted with the laser
to produce the impression on the page. For the purpose you describe,
you don't need extremely fine detail anyway. You're producing line
art, not a halftone or something.
Even if you used a service agency to do an actual 16x16, it
shouldn't cost a whole lot. Find a Kinko's and see what they offer.
We can get a full color laser output on poster size for around $20.
Line art is much less, I'm sure.
All I can say is that hand screening is NOT the only way to do
this.
she...@poboxes.com (fernandez) wrote:
> Help....I would appreciate any info on how to print on canvas
>net. This is a stiff cotton fabric net with ten holes to the
>inch------ colored yarn is then looped through, following the printed
>design for hand needlepoint. I have spoken to one craft firm in the
>business of producing products like this for kits and have been told
>hand screening is the only way---which justifies their hefty
>cost----with the many types of printers now available I find this hard
>to believe. Any ideas?? The canvas would be pillow sized-about 16
>by 16 inches
>Thank you,
>Yolanda Shebeko
Stephen Zisk
> Help....I would appreciate any info on how to print on canvas
> net. This is a stiff cotton fabric net with ten holes to the
If you are using a cotton or cotton/poly canvas, it can withstand fabric
ironing temperatures, so you can use T-shirt printing kits for many
inkjet and wax-thermal printers. You can also get kits for older color
dot-matrix printers, so if you have access to onew of these, it's a
cheap-and-dirty solution. Print on the supplied paper, then heat
transfer from the paper directly onto the canvas. This works with
standard needlepoint canvas, Aida cloth, etc, but not for the modern
plastic canvas, which will melt and stick to everything!
You will need a fairly spongy backing cloth (such as a heavy cotton or a
high-temperature rubber) or a proffesional T-shirt press to assure good
contact between the paper and canvas. You also need to be very careful
about alignment and not stretching the canvas. It is best if you use
bright colors and start with a low-resolution image or drawing. Set your
driver to mirror printing, low resolution, and full saturation.
In theory, you could also use one of the "crayon jet" or "solid inkjet"
printers from Tektronix, Dataproducts (if they still make them?) and, I
believe, Seiko. I have seen the Tek (Phaserjet 340) and DP (Jolt) print
on sandpaper (only as a demo... would be murder on the pinch rollers!),
so canvas should be no problem. However, you would have to worry about
backing, durability, and cleaning cotton dross out of your printer. I
have never tried this, however, and I think the T-shirt transfer is a
safer/better idea.
Just as a side question, anyone know how the big companies do this? I
can imagine flexo or gravure could handle it, and one could do it on an
Iris, but I'm interested in the actual method.
Regards,
Steve Zisk