How To Print On Fabric At Home – Easy Tutorial

Today, I am teaching you how to print on fabric using a home printer to make fantastic, uniquely customized sewing projects.

I will not be using the popular freezer paper method. In fact, I will show you an even easier method that I have been working with for years, which is quicker and less messy.

In this tutorial, you will also find tips and tricks for succeeding with printing fabric at home, such as which printers are the best and how to keep your designs from fading after washing.

This will help you to have the best quality results with this technique.

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase using one of the links in this article, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (To know more about this, click here.)

Disclosure: Home printers are not technically made to print fabrics, so follow this tutorial at your own risk, taking the proper considerations.

The Spray Glue Method.

Believe it or not. I discovered this method on my own way back in college.

I have always wanted to make designs that stood out from the competition. So, at one point, I found this tutorial on how to use freezer paper to print on fabric with an old regular printer.

The thing was, as strange as it may sound, no one sold that material/product around my neighborhood.

At the time, I didn’t have a car to drive far from where I lived, so I had to improvise.

I didn’t have freezer paper, but do you know what I had?

Spray Mount!

This spray glue is meant to temporarily mount paper on different surfaces. In my school, it was used to “hang” artwork on the walls without nails or tape.

The beauty of this product is that it leaves no residue on the surface you don’t apply the glue one…

Are you following me?

The rest was so easy. Using this glue to replace the need for freezer paper was just the thing that worked. And I am so glad it did. Because later on, I did tried the freezer method, and let me tell you. My method is way simpler, quicker and mess-free.

Oh, and this spray lasts so long! I still have the same bottle I had when I was in college! I mean, I don’t print fabric every day, but still! It has been over ten years.

So, let me show you how to do it.

Best printers to print on fabric.

First of all, the most important thing to know is that this method works only on INKJET printers. Laser printers will not print on your fabrics.

The printer I am using is the HP Deskjet 4152. So far, I have been printing fabric with this printer just fine for the occasional fabric/paper jam, which I am able to fix pretty quickly.

That being said. Let’s talk about the type of printers.

In my experience, the best printer is not so much a matter of the brand as of the style.

I have used many brands and types of printers to print on fabrics, and the best results differ. 

The printers where you feed the paper from the top (instead of on a tray below, like the printer I am using in this tutorial) are way better for grabbing the fabric and paper layers. 

In my HP, whenever I put different materials on it, like fabric. I need to try a few times before it works. In the end, it always works. But I haven’t had the same issues with the other printers I am mentioning.

Troubleshooting common issues with printing on fabric 

Here are some tips and tricks that will help you tackle this project.

1. Use 100% cotton fabrics always. Acrylic fabrics won’t print well.
2. Choose fabrics that are stiffer and without a lot of texture. Medium-weight fabrics work best.
3. If your printer gets stuck, follow the factory steps to unstuck the paper. Don’t pull desperately! You can damage the printer. Then, reset the printer and start again.
4. Triple-check that all the edges of the paper are well stuck to the fabrics so the printer “thinks it is paper.”
5. Avoid colors when you can. Black ink will infuse and stay longer on fabrics.
6. Don’t let any raw edges with loose fibers go into the printer! This will cause it to get stuck.
7. Don’t pre-wash the fabrics.
8. Always apply the glue on the paper, not on the fabric. Otherwise, the fabric will stay sticky.

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How To Print On Fabric Using A Home Printer

Materials:

• 100% Cotton Fabric (I used muslin)
• Scotch Spray Mount Repositionable Glue
• Ink-jet home printer
• A design to print (I am using our free lavender sachets pattern)
• Regular printing paper

1. Prepare the fabric.

The fabric you use for printing at home should be 100% cotton. This type of fabric will handle the ink better than acrylics. It will also allow you to fix the ink at the end so it won’t fade away.

Now. I must confess that I always advise you to pre-wash your fabrics no matter what project you make. 

But in this case, I think it is better not to do that.

Usually, fabrics come with starch from the factory, which makes them stiffer. For this project, a stiff fabric is much better for the printer to handle. 

2. Mount the paper on the fabric.

This step is so easy and satisfactory that it makes me want to do it constantly.

Apply two coats of the Scotch mounting glue to your paper. Make sure to apply it to all surfaces without missing any spots. 

If there’s even just a tiny corner that’s not glued down properly, the fabric could get stuck in the printer – and nobody wants that! So, take your time, and make sure everything’s even.

Let it set for about 40 seconds, and then press it against a piece of fabric slightly larger than the sheet of paper.

3. Trim the edges.

Now, let’s get this neat and clean.

Trim the fabric edges to match the size of the paper. To achieve this, you can use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, depending on your preference. 

Whichever tool you choose, make sure it’s sharp and well-maintained to ensure clean cuts. 

Once you’ve trimmed the fabric, inspect the edges and remove any fibers that may be sticking out. 

We don’t want to give our printer any reason to get stuck, so take your sweet time with this step. While you are at it, double-check that the whole piece of paper is stuck to the whole piece of the fabric.

4. Print the design.

Feed the sheet of paper into the printer paper case. 

Make sure to put the fabric side on the side that will get printed. If you don’t know which side it is, do a test.

To test which side of the paper the printer prints. Make a scribble on one side of the paper and set it to print whatever you want. Then, you will see if the printer prints on the side of the scribble or on the other side of the paper.

This will help you know how to position your fabric sheet on the printer.

5. Peel the paper from the fabric.

That was it!

The most satisfactory step of this whole process is to peel the fabric from your sheet of paper. 

The great thing is that you won’t have any glue remaining on the fabric because the spray glue will only stay on the surface you first applied it to (in our case, the paper). 

Isn’t that just amazing?!

Now, let’s see how to prevent the ink from washing off.

How to prevent the inks from fading after washing.

This is such an important step.

You probably won’t need to wash the fabrics you print every time. 

In this case, I am making lavender sachets, and I know they won’t be going near a washing machine. So I can leave them as they are and just sew the project as it is. 

But if you need to make this design waterproof, there is a simple solution. White vinegar.

White vinegar will act as a natural dye mordant for your inks. To make it do its magic to this.

Wait for the printed design to dry and set for at least 24 hours. After that time, you want to soak the printed area completely in white vinegar. I like to leave the vinegar around 4 or 5 hours before rinsing the fabric if you have the time, do 24 hours! 

After that, your ink will be all set, and you can wash your project normally.

And that was it, my friend!

How to Print On Fabric-Conclusion.

Designers can get really creative and experiment with how to print on fabric to make unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. This is a great way to be innovative and express yourself through your work. Don’t be shy to try something new; you never know what amazing stuff you might create!

Let me know in the comments what you think about this method; I’m curious!