Watercolor Paper?

[Navy Blue]

Can I print digis on watercolor paper with an inkjet printer? I have distress markers on order and there are some digi images I'd love to play with.

[Cathy H]

I hope someone answers this question -- it sure would be nice to have it as an option

[ailhelen]

I'm always printing images up on my watercolour paper. Havent had any problems at all. I use lots of different types of paper both expensive and cheap watercolour pads from the $2 shop and havent had anything go wrong. I love watercolouring.

[Cook22]

I have done this successfully, yes.
My printer isn't good with thick paper, but I have some Clairefontaine 90lb watercolour paper which goes through it perfectly.
However - as you are planning to colour with distress markers, remember that they are a water-based medium. So unless your printer prints with a waterproof ink (mine doesn't), you will probably need to spray the printed image with fixative (I use the spray sold for as a fixative for chalks and pastels, but I think that there are similar products on the market) before you start colouring. Otherwise the image will smudge if you get the printed lines wet at all.

This one I used fixative before colouring with watercolour pencils and cutting out.
MMTPT73 Out in the Cold

This one, I printed and sprinkled it with clear EP the moment it came off the printer. No need for fixative then as the heat embossing stops any bleed.
DTGD12 Love Tree by

Just experiment a little to see whether your ink is waterproof - you might be lucky. We used to have an Epson printer that had a black waterproof cartridge, so as long as I selected to print with black only, it was OK.

[Cathy H]

Thanks for the info. Love your cards Sabrina

[cat_woman]

I've used watercolour paper successfully each time I've used it. I have a Canon MP560 that I use off brand ink in and I haven't had any problems with the ink smearing or running with the waterpaint. The water colour paper I used for this card was Canson brand I got at Michaels.

[Cathy H]

That is a great card! TFS

[stamphappy1650]

One thing to consider is the weight (thickness) of the paper. My old HP would struggle with cardstock and cold press watercolor paper is even thicker so you may have to use a thinner watercolor paper.

[sarahbe492]

Here's an idea I use often for vellum or other projects where I know specifically what I want and don't want to run a whole sheet of paper through the printer. Print your image on regular paper. Cut a piece of watercolor paper down to the right size. Line it up with the image on the copy paper and adhere with Dotto. (You can see right through the paper with light so that'll help you get perfect positioning. Run it through your printer and now you haven't wasted any paper! Just a quick tip!

[cat_woman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahbe492

Here's an idea I use often for vellum or other projects where I know specifically what I want and don't want to run a whole sheet of paper through the printer. Print your image on regular paper. Cut a piece of watercolor paper down to the right size. Line it up with the image on the copy paper and adhere with Dotto. (You can see right through the paper with light so that'll help you get perfect positioning. Run it through your printer and now you haven't wasted any paper! Just a quick tip!

I use this all the time so I don't waste paper or if I want to use my larger pieces of scraps. It works great.

One other thing I was thinking about as I was daydreaming at the stop light last night was that if you don't have watercolour paper or your printer won't take heavier papers, you could print your image on regular cardstock and then use a workable fixative over the image. That lets you use other mediums over the image without it smearing. It would also stop the water from penetrating into the paper and cause it to pill. I've used this quite a bit with my digital images when they were smearing for some reason. It works quite well, but you do have to spray it outside - its quite stinky.

[JoBear2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cook22

I have done this successfully, yes.
My printer isn't good with thick paper, but I have some Clairefontaine 90lb watercolour paper which goes through it perfectly.
However - as you are planning to colour with distress markers, remember that they are a water-based medium. So unless your printer prints with a waterproof ink (mine doesn't), you will probably need to spray the printed image with fixative (I use the spray sold for as a fixative for chalks and pastels, but I think that there are similar products on the market) before you start colouring. Otherwise the image will smudge if you get the printed lines wet at all.......

Fantastic to know this Sabrina as I have been wondering this very question that the OP posted. I just found some fixative in the cupboard so I'll do a test to see what happens. I have a Canon Inkjet printer which is a couple of years old. I print images and colour with OMS and Prisma pencils but I heat-set the images with my heat-gun and they don't smear - but I had wondered about the watercolour paper.

[toyabrown]

Thanks for sharing the info!!!!

[Mzteaze]

Glad to find this information.

[Cat K]

I love water color paper and after having used it a while I will probably never go back to regular cardstock. I print out my digi's on there and they come out perfect and my Copic colors look so much better than they ever did on watercolor. I just put a card I made with a water color/copics image in my gallery. I have a cheap 29dollar printer because we are traveling and sometimes I have to put the paper with the image on it in the microwave for a minute to set the ink. Yes it will give off an odor but watch to see that the paper doesn't start to burn depending on the heat of your mico.

[Mari_Rockabella]

That is what I was searching for...didn`t want to buy a laserprinter or go to the copy shop to print my digistamps with a laserprinter. Will try a fixative next time.

[cheermom]

I have an Epson printer and this is what I use for my digital images. I just tried this today so I was excited to see someone had just posted this info here. Someone told me to get a product at Michael's called Fix it so I am going to get that.

This paper fits through my computer just fine but still have some bleeding going on when I use my TH distress inks.

[hoptownracer1]

Thanks for all the info and tips! Might have to try this later...

[CherylQuilts]

I too have printed digis on watercolor paper (not too stiff depending on your printer) and have been successful with watercolor! Hope you try it!