The first time I made labels using this method was back when I was still studying. It was really fun to make some more in a new design for all my current projects! I’ve seen a number of bloggers also use this technique with different kinds of ribbons and designs, so I thought I’d show you how I made mine. All you need is t-shirt transfer paper ( I bought mine from Officeworks), ribbon, a computer, inkjet printer, iron and a wooden chopping board (or similar, firm, heat-proof surface).
Create your logo using a word processing program such as Word (PC) or Pages (Mac). Or if you want to incorporate graphic elements as well as text, you can use a program like Illustrator. Print out your design on normal paper and measure it so make sure you’re happy with the size and how it will fit on to your ribbon. Once you’re happy with the size, fill the whole page with rows of your logo so you don’t waste any of the transfer paper. When you transfer the design it will be mirrored, so make sure you mirror the text/logo before printing it out, otherwise your labels will be backwards!
Keep in mind that if you are using white transfer paper the background around your transferred design will be white, not transparent. This is not a problem if you are using white ribbon, but if you are using cream or any other coloured ribbon make sure you buy transparent transfer paper. If you are using coloured ribbon, I would recommend sticking to pale colours to make sure your design stands out. Once you’ve printed a trial version on plain paper to make sure the design is printing in reverse, you can print on your transfer paper. Make sure you read the instructions of your transfer paper. Mine recommended cutting around the design to keep it neat and rounding any corners to help prevent the possibility of the design lifting off.
When ironing the design onto the ribbon, you need to use a firm surface, such as a chopping board covered in a clean tea towel. An ironing board is too squishy and you won’t get enough pressure to properly adhere your design to the ribbon. Follow the instructions that came with your transfer paper regarding the heat and length of time required to iron on your design.
The ribbon will be very hot, so allow it to cool before gently removing the backing paper. I really love the texture of the transfer on the grosgrain ribbon that I used – it gives it a ridged, slightly worn feel. I want to try it on cotton twill tape to see how that looks, too. This method does work well on satin ribbon, but personally a prefer the rougher texture of the grosgrain ribbon. Now you can sew your pretty labels into all your projects!
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This idea is a winner, I will try to find the tee shirt transfer paper.
Such a good suggestion, I hate those synthetic labels, cotton ones are much, much nicer.
Thank you!
What a great, fantastic tutorial!
Great tutorial!! How have you found they do after washing??