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How to Print Custom Needlepoint Canvases in Your Inkjet
Print needlepoint canvas in a computer printer? Why not? Here’s how to create dazzling canvases with the help of your inkjet printer Caption: You can even print photos on needlepoint canvas with your inkjet printer. flower.jpg Clipart such as this makes wonderful needlepoint canvases. I love to shop for needlepoint canvases. I love the vibrant colors of the designs and I love the connotations that needlepoint evokes, that a completed pillow or picture will make my home look just a bit more like grandma's. Erma Bombeck, that great humorist of the female condition, used to say that her favorite way to spend an evening, after a long day of hollering at the kids, was to sit on the couch with her husband, watch TV, and needlepoint herself silly. That's one of my favorite ways to veg out too. Needlepoint canvases are pricey, though. And sometimes it's hard to find one that resonates with your inner self. But why not create custom needlepoint canvases with your computer and then print the canvas in your inkjet printer?
You can feed needlepoint canvas through most inkjet printers once you iron the canvas onto freezer paper, just like you'd iron muslin to freezer paper in order to print on it photos. Feeding needlepoint canvas through a printer isn't easy, but it can be done with a little patience. But that inkjet ink, which is usually water-based, will run and spot your thread--and your hands, should water hit the canvas, either while you're stitching it or when you block it. But I figured that there there had to be a way that one could make needlepoint canvases with an inkjet printer, and so I set out to find it. The trick is to pretreat the canvas with colorless stenciling ink before you print on it, then heat-set it. [to be set off as a tip or something] Turn Victorian and Family Art Into Needlepoint Canvases! Using stenciling ink you can easily create needlepoint canvases that are easy to stitch and to see. And they're just as good as any canvas you buy in a store. And the colors are permanent--remarkably so. You won't need to worry about ink bleeding on your needlepoint wool as you stitch the canvas. Nor does it matter what kind of inkjet printer you use to print the canvases. Step 1: Select the Art, Scan It You can print just about any art on needlepoint canvas, but the best art to use, I think, are simple images with good color contrast. I especially like the color Dover Victorian clipart books, but I’m a sucker for the cupids and flowers. The art is copyright-free, which means that no one owns it and you are free to make it into canvases for both personal and commercial use. You can also print photos on needlepoint canvas, but you need to be careful that the photo you select has enough contrast so that you can see what colors you need to stitch when the colors are printed across the wide gaps of canvas. You'll also need to keep a copy of the photo on hand while you're stitching the canvas so that you can match colors and details.
Use your image editing software to boost the image’s contrast and brightness a wee bit if necessary--no more than 10 or 15 percent. But that probably won’t be necessary.
Next you need to figure out how large your art will be when you print it, then expand it or reduce it as needed. There are all sorts of calculations one can make--size in dots per inch (dpi) equals, well, dots per inch. But such things defy me. I prefer to head to the “image size” feature in my image editing software and see what the program tells me. All image editing software has such a feature, although sometimes it can be hard to find. Sometimes you need to look in the File menu, and head to Print Preview to see what it tells you. Sometimes you’ll find this feature in the Image or View menu. Usually when the software tells you the size of your image, you can change the dimensions on the fly. Simply type the new dimensions in place of the old ones. Then click OK to apply the new size. Here’s a Tip: When you want to resize your image, type one dimension, like a new width. Let the software calculate the new height for you. Remember that you’ll need to leave extra space around your art so that you have enough blank canvas for stretching and blocking. Some framers prefer that there be enough extra canvas to wrap all the way around the mounting board and lace up the back like a turkey. If you’re starting to worry that you’re going to need a lot of canvas, read on below. Step 3: Plan to Print on Multiple Sheets If Necessary Most inkjet printers are limited to printing letter-sized or slightly larger sheets. Chances are that you'll want to create a needlepoint canvas that's larger than this. In this case, you'll need to print your art on multiple pieces of needlepoint canvas that's been cut to 8 1/2 x 11" size. Depending upon your graphics software, it may be easy or hard for you to break the image across multiple sheets to print it. What I like to do is to size my image to the final size that I want to print it. Say I want to create a needlepoint canvas that's 3 x 3' (not likely of course, I'd be stitching until the moon came home, but just an example). I would save this version of the art to a new file. Important! Always keep a copy of your original scan in “pristine” untampered form so that you can go back to it if necessary. I then use the cropping tool--that's the editing tool that looks like a dashed-lined box--to cut parts of the image, “copy” them into the clipboard (check the Edit menu) and “paste” each portion into a new image. I cut them so there’s lots of overlap between the different parts of the image. That way when they’re printed on canvas they’re easy to piece together. I save each sheet individually. I’m careful not to resize the different sections of the image in any way. Step 4: Test Print on Paper Before you print your image on canvas, always test print it on paper. I like to print with my inkjet’s black-and-white cartridge first because those color cartridges run out fast and they’re expensive. Once I’m satisfied with the black-and-white image, I test print a color one on paper. Step 5: Cut and Iron Plain Needlepoint Canvas to Freezer Paper You can purchase plain needlepoint canvas by the yard in most fabric and craft stores. It’s not expensive, so I like to keep at least a yard-sized roll on hand at all times. Cut the canvas into 8 1/2 x 16” sheets or the largest size sheet your printer can accomodate. I like to cut the canvas with a few inches extra on the end so it’s easier to feed it through the printer. Sometimes too, as you feed the canvas through the printer, the printer doesn’t start printing as soon it should. It starts printing further up on the sheet. If the sheet is a bit long to start with there’s more room for the printer to print the full image. Iron your canvas on to freezer paper. Leave 1/4” tail of freezer paper on each end of the canvas. Sometimes this helps feed the stiff canvas/freezer paper combination through the printer. Iron your sheet well on the front and back. Tip! Make about a dozen canvas/freezer sheets. You may have to print several canvases in order to get one canvas that looks right. Glitchy things happen as this thick sandwich feeds through the printer. Ink runs. The printer may not start printing soon enough, or else it may stop printing. You want to have a lot of extra sheets on hand. Step 6: Pretreat the Canvas with Clear Stenciling Ink Using a paint brush, paint a coat of clear stenciling ink onto the canvas. I recommend Deka-Print Colorless Textile Screening Ink, #600. You can find it at most art stores. Use a large paint brush to slather it on--one of those cheap $1 house-painting trim brushes works great. Paint the canvas thoroughly, making sure you coat the full canvas. Don’t worry if the canvas starts to separate from the freezer paper a bit. If it does, DON’T IRON IT! You don’t want to set that stenciling ink just yet. Step 7: Let it Dry Place your wet canvas/freezer paper somewhere where it can dry thoroughly undisturbed. Give it at least 24 hours to dry. Once it dries, do not iron it! No, no, no! Step 8: Print the Canvas in Your Inkjet Printer You can print your treated canvas/freezer paper in your inkjet printer just as you would any paper. Some printers have a “fabric” setting that you may want to use (although it’s not necessary). You may have to use your thumbs to gently guide the canvas through the printer--computer printers were not designed to print on needlepoint canvas. When your canvas comes out of the printer, handle it carefully. The ink will be wet for a long time--especially where it beads on the freezer paper. You don’t want to smear the image. You may have to print a couple sheets before you get one canvas that looks right. Do not separate the canvas from the freezer paper just yet. Let it sit in a safe place for an evening or two to dry. Step 9: Heat-Set the Canvas Once your canvas has dried, carefully peel off the freezer paper. Get a super-hot iron ready--I like those big chrome irons from the ‘50s. You can find at garage sales. Heat it up to its hottest setting. Place a clean sheet or rag on your ironing board to protect it. Place another clean sheet or thin rag over your canvas. IRON, IRON, IRON! Iron both sides of the canvas. Remove the sheet. Continue to iron the canvas on both sides, pressing down hard with the iron. IRON, IRON, IRON! Iron until steam smokes from your ears. Don’t scorch the canvas, of course. But after you’ve ironed fast and furious for a bit your canvas will be waterproof and the image will be permanently set. Step 10: Stitch Multiple Canvas Pieces Together If Necessary You can stitch multiple pieces of treated canvas together. Overlap the canvas and stitch them together with needlepoint thread in a continental stitch. Stitch two rows together at each joint before you stitch the rest of the design, to give your canvas stability.  Cats Who Quilt is a trademark of Fruitful Plains. Text on this Web site Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Judy Heim. May not be reproduced in any form--in either e-mail messages or on Web sites without written permission. All illustrations are copyright 2000, 2001, and 2002 Irina Borisova. They may not be reproduced without permission. Photos and quilts are copyrighted by their respective artists, and may not be reproduced without their permission. |
This is the finished needlepoint canvas that was printed in my inkjet printer. Pretty cool, huh?