Transfer with paper

Stamping engobes, oxides, inks or underglazes through a simple sheet of paper is the most accessible and practical process among the various known image transfer methods.

If we make a drawing with one of these materials on a sheet of paper, we can then stamp this drawing onto the clay in a leathery state (the colors will be back to front). We remove the paper and the paint/engobe remains on the clay .

OK.

But if we want to transfer an image from a print or photocopy we use laser printing (jet ink doesn't work). It turns out that the black ink in laser printing toners will repel the engobe (for example), that is, if we print an image in reverse (i.e. black white and black white), and paint that sheet with engobe, it will stay in the white areas of the photocopy where there is no toner ink.

In the last 3 images we see here, a mixture of metallic oxides was used (ox. Cobalt 2, ox. Iron 4, ox. Manganese 4; thank you Magalie @magmastudiodesign for sharing) diluted in water, but not too liquid. This mixture works at 1200ºC; at 1000ºC it does not stay fixed (which can be resolved if we add a little flux to the mixture). Using a soft brush, we gently and lightly apply this mixture over the image, and magically, the paint only sticks to the white parts of the sheet. Works with halftone images.

Before printing, we let the paper dry a little (not completely, just until it loses its shine) so the ink doesn't smudge. The clay should be soft. You have to carry out tests, the issue of humidity varies from clay to clay.

Search suggestion: monoprint ceramics; laser image transfer ceramics