I enjoy printmaking. Be it etching, silkscreen, or woodcut, I enjoy most every traditional method of printmaking. I also value the tools that technology has bestowed upon our modern world, despite the fact that technology will destroy us all. To that end, SJ Roberts and I began working with Press ‘n Peel laser transfer film. At $1.00 per sheet the film is far more affordable than Imagon or similar techniques. The transfer film allows you to print using a copy machine or laser printer, and acts as a resist during the etching process. Ths method works on both copper and zinc plates; however, my results have been consistently superior on copper.
If you want to try out this method, feel free to download the Instructions or the video demo. If you have any questions, make use of the Contact link above, and I’ll try and answer your questions if I can.
Toner Transfer Plate Etching Instructional PDF
Toner Transfer Instructional Video
- Download AVI (10.6 MB)
Download the AVI if you are using Windows Media Player.
- Download Podcast (25.2 MB)
Mac and iTunes users download the podcast.
Toner Transfer Plate Etching Method
Materials:
- Press-n-Peel Blue Image Transfer Film (available from www.techniks.com)
- Copper or Zinc Plate
- Clothes Iron
- Newsprint
- Packaging tape and Paint Pen / Sharpie for touch-ups
- Contact Paper
Preparation:
Use a photocopy machine or laser printer to print your image onto the dull side (emulsion) of Press-n-Peel Image Transfer Film. After printing, trim Press-n-Peel so it is about 1⁄4” larger than the printed image.
- Line Art and Halftone images work best with this process, large areas of black will make it hard to clean the plate before printing.
- Your transfer should be a negative image. The areas on the plate where the toner is transferred will not be affected by the acid and will thus become the areas of the print that will not receive ink.
Cut your plate so that it is about a half-inch larger on all sides than the image to be transferred. File the corners of the plate to round them. Be sure to remove all burrs left on the edge from cutting as they tend to prevent even contact between the heated surfaces and the transfer film.
Clean the plate and dry it with a lint free cloth.
Heat the iron to the “polyester” setting. Heat the hotplate to 325°, it is recommended that you put an extra piece of copper plate larger than the piece you will be transferring to on the hot plate so the plate will receive more even heat.
Transfer Method:
Place the copper plate you are transferring to on top of the heated plate on the hotplate. Allow the plate to heat for a minute or two.
Spray a light misting of water onto the dull side of the transfer film and lay the film onto the copper plate with the dull side facing down.
Place a piece of newsprint over the top and move the iron over the top to transfer the image.
- Apply light pressure; too much pressure can damage the transfer.
- It can take from 1 1/2 to 10 minutes for a complete transfer depending upon the thickness of copper you are using and the type of toner used by the laser printer or photocopy machine.
- Lift the newsprint frequently to check the progress of the transfer; areas that have transferred appear as a darker blue than areas that have not been transferred.
Once the image has transferred remove the plate from the heat and immediately quench the backside (the side of the plate without the transfer film) with cold running water, this will help to prevent any remaining bubbles from affecting the image quality.
Gently peel the film from the copper plate while running cold water over the front of the plate, allowing water to run between the film and the copper speeds removal.
Touch-ups:
To remove small filled areas, cover the area with packaging tape, and remove. This will pull all unwanted filled areas off of the plate.
Blank spots that need to be protected from the acid during the etching process can be covered using a paint pen. The paint pen will resist acid like any other ground.
Etching:
Wash the board before etching to remove any surface oxidization. Cover the backside with contact paper to prevent the acid from etching it.
Etch with Ferric Chloride.
After etching the transfer film can be removed using a soap-free steel wool pad.
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