Twill Tape Week: Printing on Twill Tape

Would you like to try to print on twill tape? Okay, I say "try" because there are quite a few variables. Before I get into them, I will say that the printing that Twill Tape Guy has done for us has been great, and we've ironed it to be sure that it's heat-set before washing, then washed in cold water and it's turned out well. It loses a little color, but still looks good in my opinion. He'd be happy to help you. (And he can print in 40" lengths. No way am I trying that myself. I'd have to explain my sudden random bald patches to people with that level of frustration.)


If you'd rather give it a go yourself, and I had to try it too, here're some tips that I gathered while DIYing.
Materials:
- card stock
- lightweight twill tape 
- adhesive tape
- computer/inkjet printer


Use your fancy dancy computer to lay out what you'd like to print and print once onto card stock. I suggest leaving a healthy bit of room on the side where your paper will feed into the printer from the manual-feed tray. Depending on your printer (I have a Canon) the parts that move to grab the paper and feed it through can catch on the edges of your twill tape which can result in a paper/twill tape jam. That's sad, sad, sad. Lots of room helps avoid that. And I suggest marking the side that feeds into your printer with an arrow. Because I always forget and do it the wrong way. And then I get super cranky. Almost tantrum cranky.

Now that you've got a template, carefully lay your smooth twill tape on top. If it has wrinkles, iron it first. You want this to be as smooth and flat as superhumanly possible. Carefully tape the edges down, keeping an eye on how your twill tape is lined up with your template. And be prepared to do this repeatedly, because depending on how your particular printer handles paper, it will likely line up horizontally but not necessarily vertically.

Print. Peel the tape off. Iron to heat-set. For projects that don't require washability, you're golden. If it needs to be washable, you'll need to do some testing. Different printers and inks and washing machines and detergents and water will all affect the outcome. 

Scan 'em. That's fun.

Maybe we should have used the red one? 

P.S. The giveaway is still open at Everything Etsy. You can have your own stash! And make Twill Tape Guy do the printing for you!