A Guide to Printing Your Own Images, Text, and Designs on Glass Surfaces
Glass decorating techniques vary as much as the potential glass projects themselves. Here are a small number of popular projects you may be considering:
Windows
Stained glass effects and simple designs are popular, especially in period-style properties, small alcoves, porches, and entry doors, as well as adding finishing touches to glass windows on stairs.
Wine and beer glasses
Stylish and colored text printing is often seen on many pub glasses and the effects can range from frosted to brand logos, engraved and embossed.
Mirrors
Decorated mirrors tend to be a bit more subtle, perhaps a design in the corner of the mirrors or small sets of drawings with mirror fronts can often have silhouettes printed on them.
Frames Clip
Clip-on frames often have printed border embellishments to enhance the beauty of your favorite images. Flower borders and corner designs are common.
Vases
Beginners embarking on their first glass painting projects often start with a selection of simple glass vases to decorate. Once again, flowers top the list of popular designs, as they lend themselves well to glass and contour color inks.
Glass decoration: techniques, options and expectations.
Glass printing techniques vary as much as potential projects, but surely certain techniques are much simpler than others. It all depends on what you need to achieve. For example, let’s say you needed to print “Congratulations, Susan and James” on several glass vases for your wedding day. As this is a one-time event, this project could easily be accomplished with waterslide papers.
Waterslide papers are great for transferring any image, image, or text you’ve printed to just about any hard surface. The projects are not dishwasher safe, but since the effect is only required for one day, this would be the right choice as the flower images or other images could also be placed alongside the text without any extra effort.
How to use water slide decal papers to decorate glass
Slide paper packs often come in 5 or 10 A4 sheets, which is enough for hundreds of sticker designs. If you have an inkjet printer, you will also need to buy some clear spray varnish. If you have a laser printer, no clear varnish is required.
Start by printing your text and / or image onto the glossy side of the slide paper. The water slip paper acts like normal paper and will travel through the printer in the same way.
After the design is printed, allow about 30 minutes for it to dry before applying a coat of clear varnish. (Inkjet only) Apply a couple more coats of clear varnish in fast, even bursts to seal the print on the paper. This is necessary as the next stage is to immerse the design in water for about 30 seconds.
The backing paper will begin to slide off, allowing you to lift the film containing your design out of the water and slide onto the surface of the glass. You will have several moments to reposition your design while gently wiping the remaining water from under your design with your fingers and thumbs. The design will begin to harden on the glass for the next two hours.
Reasons not to use waterslide decal papers on glass
If the glass surface that you want to decorate is going to be exposed to the elements or is going to be washed with water, you may want to consider other permanent options if possible.
Decorating glass with glass paints
With a little artistic skill, a permanent effect can be achieved with tracing paper, eyeliner, and glass paint.
If your glass surface is flat like a glass coaster, for example, place the glass horizontally and trace the outline of your design on the glass. If your glass is rounded, you will need to fix the design to trace it on the inside of the glass.
Get some glass paint and eyeliner from cern. Vitrea as a brand is a good choice and both the glass paint and eyeliner are dishwasher safe once placed in an oven at around 150 ° C for 30 minutes.
The purpose of starting with the outline is to prevent the colors from fading into each other. Take a simple design like a flower, for example, and imagine drawing a stem and several petal outlines around the top of the stem.
Your cern eyeliner comes with a precision tip. Create your outline by squeezing some of the eyeliner onto a tissue to check for blockages or air bubbles at the tips of the nozzles. As you work, keep cleaning the tip. This will help prevent the lines from getting too thick.
The next step would be to fill each petal with color.
Start by applying the paint generously by making a puddle of paint or using a pipette. This will give you a flat stained glass effect. For a lighter colored paint, dilute with water. For non-water-based paint, use a gloss varnish.
Brushes can be used to fill in color or, as a simple option, glass paint markers can be used. Bullet point markers are ideal for detailed work and quick projects. Markers are especially smart for beginner painters and children. Baking markers, like paints, are very durable once baked. Synthetic brushes allow more brush strokes, while natural hair brushes allow more paint to be applied for smoother coverage.
Printing on transparent window film
Adhesive window is a transparent film that uses static to adhere to glass. Car window stickers, for example, are made from window stickers. Now it is possible to get a transparent window to print your own images or text. Transparent designs and stained glass effects are quick and easy to achieve.
Adhesive window printing is a single sheet of film with a backing sheet that peels off after printing. Once you print your design, cut out your images or colors, close to the edge before removing the backing sheet. Now place your design directly on your glass surface. You can move the window until you are satisfied with the position, but be careful not to touch the static side, as finger marks can ruin the finished work.
Window stickers can also be used to decorate indoor mirrors and are popular in children’s rooms.
Glass decoration with transparent adhesive paper
Probably the fastest way to transfer virtually any image, design, or text to glass is with clear cling film. This is a sheet of a4 clear film with a clear adhesive backing. The process to use is very similar to that of the adhesive window, except that you cannot reposition your designs after applying them to the glass.
Where to buy glass decoration products
Your local arts and crafts store will always carry a wide range of glass paints, whether in tubes, as a powder, or as a paint. Ask for advice on which one is best for the project you have in mind.
Google and eBay purchases are also stocked with a wide variety of glass paints and eyeliners. Pebeo is a leading brand and eyeliners can often be picked up in 20ml tubes at a fairly inexpensive price with a bit of shopping.