- How can I print the printables, I don’t have a printer at home?
If you don’t have a printer at home, check with your local library, OfficeDepot, OfficeMax, Kinko’s, FedEx office or anywhere similar if they can print the PDF file/s for you. - I have a black and white printer but don’t have a colour printer
One way to work around it is to print the templates out in black and white, put it over a paper of your choice (coloured, patterned – even flattened thin boxes) and cut the pattern and the paper together.
Voila! You will have the outline of the patterns cut out.
You can also colour the print out which is fun to do. - Which paper is best to use?
High resolution photo paper is best in printing crisp images, so I recommend using them where possible.
It also helps if you can use the same brand of paper as your printer – for example, Canon paper for Canon printer, Epson paper if you have Epson printer.I have heard that the printer companies develop their own paper to enable best image outcomes and from my experience this has been true – I’ve used different brands of paper to my printer in the past and they turned out somewhat blurry.
I love using glossy paper where shiny surface is required – such as tiles, tins and some packaging.
I use matt paper for the rest as I find it easier to fold.These are the paper I use in my projects:
– Thin matt: Canon High Resolution Paper HR-101N, 106g/m2
– Firm matt: Canon Matte Photo Paper MP-101, 170g/m2
– Semi gloss: Canon Photo Paper Pro Luster, 260g/m2
– Glossy: Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy ll, PP-301, 265g/m2 - Why do you use Canon printer and paper?
Simply because they are readily available in Australia!
We tend to have smaller choices than major cities in other parts of the world, so choosing a paper brand that is easy to get in different sizes is really important for me.
I have used Epson in the past and their printer and paper were just as good.
I haven’t used other brands but have had friends who were happy with HP. - What sort of glue is best?
With matt paper I love using Mod Podge the most. Make sure to apply it thinly as too much of it can warp the paper with moisture.
Strong paper glue stick (The types that look like lipsticks) also works well.
Avoid using wet glue like glue paste as the moisture will crease the paper and the crease will be near impossible to flatten out.
For glossy photo paper, hot glue works best.
With matt surfaces hot glue doesn’t seem to work well at all.
