How to: Acetone Transfer

Acetone transfer is a design school technique that has got me out of many tricky situations. Namely, how to print text on to something that can’t go through a printer. The constraints of a printer come down a lot to cost, size and the weight of the paper or card you would like to print on. Acetone transferring is also a great way to add type to original artworks, I’ve used it to put text on A1 illustration boards with great success. Besides the practical advantages to using this method, I personally love the effect it creates – a worn, printed look.

If you’ve never tried it before, here’s a quick ‘How to’.

I’m using a small, simple design. Your design should be black and white (as dark as you can get it) and then flipped so that the image is back to front (I use photoshop for this but most photocopiers also have this function). Then, print your design to the size you like using a photocopier if you have access or a lazer printer (set to black & white only, no colour). This is the most important step, an inkjet printer will not work as you need the acetone to loosen the dry ink particles from the print and transfer them on to your new piece of paper. Generally a photocopied image will transfer more easily.

Tape your backwards b&w print on to a piece of card or paper using masking tape to hold it in place. I’ve used a heavy duty pre-cut postcard that I wouldn’t be able to print on conventionally. The smoother the paper the better the transfer will be. Watercolour and other textured papers can be hard to get a good print on to.

Now, here I use pure acetone which you can buy from any art shop. It is a bit pricey, though should last a long time. It’s worth testing the technique with cheap nail polish remover (so long as it contains acetone) as sometimes this can work just fine and saves you investing in a can of acetone. Wet your cloth with acetone and rub the image with it, be careful to not let the paper move but you will need to put some muscle in to it. Acetone evaporates quickly so you will need to repeat this a few times.

If you have a roller or rolling pin, give it a firm roll while the top paper is still damp with acetone.

Peel up an edge and have a peek. Go back over the areas that haven’t taken as well. Remove the top paper, grab your next set and try something else.