- Hello everybody. Jennifer Maker here. It's a beautiful day for
another sublimation tutorial. Today we'll learn how to add
sublimation designs to wood, like this. I've tested lots of techniques
and tools to get crisp, colorful results for projects, like these adorable gnome signs. I'll share my best advice, including what not to do
when sublimating on wood. So let's head in over to the craft table and we'll get started. (bright music) Like many of you, I've been
really into sublimation lately. I've tried it on so many surfaces with lots of different techniques. Sometimes it takes little experimentation, and a redo or two, let's be honest, but, usually, we can
get beautiful results. Sublimating on wood has been
a bit more of a challenge, I will admit. Between the textured
surface, color variations, and, surprisingly high moisture content, wood required some extra focus. But look at the results;
it's totally worth it. And now I can show you
how to sublimate on wood with confidence. First, let's talk supplies. I'll show you the different
materials I tried, but you can pick the one
that works best for you after you see the results. I used the simple 10-inch
uncoated wood rounds in my testing. You can use a different
size or shape, of course. Just make sure to adjust your
design to fit before printing. I'll show you how to prepare
them for hanging too. I also tried my designs
on a blank door hanger made just for sublimation
so we can compare the two. So this is just wood and this
has a sublimation coating. There are lots of materials
to make surfaces work with sublimation dye on the market. For this project, I tried
clear dye sublimation HTV, laminating pouches just like this, a polyacrylic top coat, and a few that just
didn't work out so well. I'll show you those later. Now, like I said, the woods
color can impact the design, so I also tested painting
them with a latex paint in a tray with a foam roller. And I'll show you a trick
with press and seal film to help during cleanup. I printed my designs
using my Epson EcoTank that I converted for sublimation ink using Hiipoo sublimation ink, and I printed them all on the same A-SUB 125
gram sublimation paper. That is my favorite. When we get to the actual sublimating, most techniques will need scissors, a pencil and ruler, lint roller,
some heat resistant tape, and of course a heat press. You can use a Cricut EasyPress
or a Cricut Autopress, or a traditional clamshell
press would also work. We'll also want some white
uncoated butcher paper and cardstock to protect
the machine from any ink. We'll also want a self-healing mat and a craft knife for
some of the materials. The polyacrylic method will
also require a paintbrush, a two-sided sponge, and a bowl of water. And since we're sublimating, there will be some fumes
during the heating process, so please work in a well-ventilated area or set a fan out so that
you have air circulation. And don't get too close to the designs until they've cooled off
and the chemicals dissipate. Now let's go through this
sublimation of wood process from start to finish. I'll show you how to customize
one of my free gnome designs using free Google software. You can find the gnomes in
my free resource library. Then we'll get to the testing. Step one, get or prepare
a sublimation design. If you already have a
sublimation print ready to go, you can skip to step two to
learn how to put it onto wood. But for those who are newer to sublimation and need some help with
the sublimation print, let's talk about that first. Sublimation printing requires
high quality design files for the best results. You can use my cute gnome
designs to get started and practice. They're PNG files and
perfect for these signs. Each has a version with a saying and a blank version you can customize. The four seasons of gnomes: the winter gnome, the spring gnome, the summer gnome, and the fall gnome. To find these files, go
to jennifermaker.com/455 and look for Libraries in
the red bar at the top. Then either click Get A Password if you don't yet have
one, or enter the library. You can find the designs by
searching for design number 455, and then click it to
download the zip file. There are lots of ways to
work with sublimation designs, but today we'll use Google Docs to personalize the blank group
design and then print it. To get a free Google account,
visit google.com/docs/about. First we need to measure the blank so we print the design at the right size. I'll use a plain wood blank. Always double check
your item's dimensions. Mine is 10 inches at the
widest and tallest points. Now we can customize at the right size. On your desktop or laptop computer, go to Google Docs in the
Google Chrome web browser. Click Blank to open a new document. Click File and select Page setup. Set your margins to zero and change your paper size to
match your sublimation paper. Mine is 8 1/2 by 11 inches. I'll leave it in portrait orientation. Under the insert menu, select Image and Upload from computer. Navigate to your file, it's probably in your your
downloads folder, and click Open. To resize it to fit your blank,
right click on the picture and select Image options. Make sure the Lock aspect
ratio box is checked, and change the width or height field. I set my image width to 8 1/2, so there's still room for some text below. If you're using a single gnome image, 4.24 inches wide by 9
inches tall works well. The gnome goes off the edge, but it's a great effect for the sign and fills the space nicely
with text to the side. Select the image and then
click on the second icon from the left and the menu
below it, which means wrap text. Now you can move the image
anywhere on your page. I centered mine so it won't get
cut off at the curved edges. If you want to personalize
your design with text, go to the insert menu,
select drawing and new. In the drawing dialogue box that appears, click the text box icon near the top, the square with a T in it. Click drag and release in the drawing area to create a text box. Type in your phrase,
I'll add Welcome Gnome. Then select it so you can
change the font and size. In the toolbar, look for the font box, it probably says Arial right now. You can use any of the typefaces listed or select More fonts to browse
Google's free collection. They're all free to use. I'll search for Luckiest Guy, which is similar to the
font and the other designs. That font, by the way, is
called Wonderful Display. Use the font size menu
to increase the size. A font size of 50 works well
for my phrase and script, but you may want yours bigger or smaller. Click Save and Close. Now just click on your new text and choose the fifth icon from the left, wrap text in front of
text from the bottom menu. Now you can place a text
anywhere on your page too. I centered mine by eye below the image. If you need to change
anything about your text, click Edit in the menu below it. When your design is ready, follow the steps from my
printing sublimation designs with Google docs at jennifermaker.com/ print-sublimation-designs-from-google-docs. Remember to mirror the designs
so it'll read correctly once you transfer it too. If you have a blank larger than mine, follow the print and tiling instructions in my how to sublimate
large designs tutorial at jennifermaker.com/442. Step two, prepare your wood blank. For the wood signs, the most
important step is preheating. Leaving any moisture
can really mess you up. So don't skip this step. Turn on your heat press, and set the temperature
to 380 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 50 seconds. Place a clean piece of white
cardstock on the pressing area and put the wood blank on top of it. Add a clean sheet of
white butcher paper on top and press when the machine
comes to temperature. If you notice what looks like smoke coming out of your press, don't worry, nothing is burning. That's actually steam. Plain wood works but
painting the blank white kept the sublimation colors and limited the warping of the wood, which we'll talk about later. So paint is worth it. Now protect your work
surface with butcher paper. For easy cleanup, place a large piece of
press and seal food wrap on the bottom of your paint
tray and adhere it to the sides. It will peel right up and take the excess paint with it later. Pour a bit of white latex
paint into your paint tray. Using a foam roller, spread the paint evenly on
the front of your wood blank. mine took about an hour
to dry once I painted it, so be sure to let it dry. Step three, sublimate your designs. First, since sublimation creates fumes, open a window and turn on a gentle fan to improve your ventilation. Now let's try each of
the sublimation methods you can use for wood. First, lamination pouches. Set your heat press to
375 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 15 seconds. Open the laminate pouch, and cut one side large enough
to cover the entire circle. Place a clean piece of white
cardstock on the pressing area. Put your dry painted wood
blank on top face up. Then place the laminate
sheet dull side down on top. The laminate can go over
the edges of the sign, but make sure it doesn't exceed
the size of the cardstock. Cover everything with a
clean sheet of butcher paper and press for 15 seconds. When the time is up, remove the
butcher paper and the blank. The laminate might stick to the cardstock. Just gently peel away the paper. Place the blank face down
on a self-healing mat and trim away any excess
laminate with a craft knife. Now we're ready to sublimate it. Set your press to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit for 90 seconds. Then feather the edges of the transfer by gently ripping around
the designs edges. This will help smooth the transition, because the cut edge of
the sublimation paper can actually indent the laminated surface. Note the center of the design on the back with a little pencil mark. Place your print face down
on the prepared blank. Then use a ruler to find
the center of the sign, and roughly line up the pencil mark. Secure the print with heat
transfer tape to the blank, and put it face up back on
the cardstock in the press. Cover everything with a
clean sheet of butcher paper and press the design. When the time is up,
remove the butcher paper and let the design cool before
removing the tape and paper. It's still sublimating if it's really hot. And there we go. Clear dye sublimatable HTV. Use clear dye sublimate HTV
for a less shiny matte look than the laminating pouch. And since it's thin, you don't
need to feather the edges. Set your press to 320 degrees Fahrenheit and your time to 20 seconds. Cut a piece of the HTV a little
larger than the wood blank. Lint roll the wood blank to remove debris. Place a clean piece of white
cardstock on the pressing area. Put your dry painted wood
blank on top, face up, followed by the clear
dye sublimatable HTV. Be sure you put it dull
side down like this. Don't let the vinyl exceed
the size of your cardstock. Again, it's okay if it goes
over the edges of the sign. Cover everything with a
clean sheet of butcher paper and presser foot 20 seconds. When the time is done, carefully remove the
butcher paper and blank. The vinyl might stick to the cardstock. Just gently peel away the paper. Let the wood cool completely,
about 5 to 10 minutes. Then trim away the excess vinyl. Peeling the carrier from
the vinyl can be tricky. Gently pry it from the
edge of the wood blank with your fingernail or the craft knife. The vinyl might lift, but just
hold it down with your thumb and carefully remove
the rest of the backing. It will be more secure after
the next round of heat. Set your heat press to
380 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 50 seconds. Place a clean sheet of the
white cardstock on your press and put the wood blank on top face up. Place your print face down
on the prepared blank, This time, don't feather
or trim the design. Just let the edges of the paper hang over. Mark the center to align it like before. Secure your print with
heat-resistant tape. It really sticks to vinyl, so attach the tape on
the cardstock instead. Now press at 380 degrees
Fahrenheit for 50 seconds. When the time is up, let it cool before trying to
remove the paper and tape. If the paper sticks, use a damp sponge to clean off anything that's stuck on there. Polyacrylic coating. Lint roll the blank again so no debris gets stuck in the clear coat. Then use a paintbrush instead of a roller to get a smooth surface with the liquid. Let it dry completely at least an hour. The surface should be dry
to the touch and not sticky. One coat was enough for me. Set your press to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 90 seconds. Use the same steps as the HTV to secure and sublimate the design. (pleasant music) When the time is up, let
it cool to avoid ghosting and remove it from the press. Paper tends to stick to the polyacrylic, but dampening the surface helps. Most of the paper came up with
the soft side of my sponge. If some paper is stubborn, use
the scrubber side but gently. Sublimation blank. If you want to skip all
the preparation steps, you can purchase sublimation
blanks just like the signs. Set your press to 365 degrees Fahrenheit and the time to 90 seconds. Make sure to peel the protective plastic off both sides of the blank before you put it in the press. Then preheat it for 10 seconds. Prepare and center the
design face down on the blank just like the others. The design doesn't need to be feathered, but remember to tape it into place well. Protect the machine with
cardstock and butcher paper, and then press it. When the time is up, you can remove the butcher paper. Let it cool before removing
the tape and paper. Step four, add hangers. Hanging these signs is easy. For the wood rounds, I added a picture hanger to the back. Looking at the front, note the top center and place a piece of tape over
the edge to mark both sides. Now the hanger will be
centered and not lopsided. On the back, measure three inches down
from the top edges center and mark with a pencil. Peel off the backer from
the hanger's adhesive and place the bottom
on the three inch mark. Remove the tape, make sure
it's stuck to the wood, and gently bend the top
tab back just a bit. The sublimation blank comes
with a nice rope hanger. Tie a small knot in one end, and thread the other end
through a hole from the back. Then put it through the
other hole from the front and tie another knot in the back, and you are all done. I love how all the signs came out, but there are some
differences between them. I'm sure you can see them. For the wood blanks, I encourage You to paint them first. You can sublimate on the
natural unpainted surface, yes, but you lose a lot of detail. The color is muted and they can warp. Painting them white first
helps with all of that. If your heart is set on an unpainted look, try for a thicker wood
blank to prevent warping. Now about the warping. If your wood blank warps, use a sponge and water to
dampen the unfinished side. Set the sign on a couple
of sheets of butcher paper and place some heavy books on top. And leave it overnight and the
sign should straighten a bit, but it's really worth using
a thicker blank instead if this is a problem. Now let's see how everything did. This is the one that we made
with a spray subly glaze on the wood rounds. There are a few extra
steps like curing the blank in an oven that you're not using for food. The smell was really bad, and the end result was unimpressive compared to the other methods I just don't think it's worth
the effort, just so you know. This here is the wood with polyacrylic. The polyacrylic works well enough, but there is a lot of extra work trying to get the paper off the wood. Next up with the wood is
the clear dye sub HTV. I like this method because
of the matte finish. It's not as shiny as the other two. And here is the wood with
a lamination pouch on it. It's easy to prepare and
the colors are really vivid. But overall, the clear winner
is the sublimation wood blank. The colors were crisp, and it's the fastest
way to make cute sign. Sometimes using a product specifically made for a
technique is the best option, but it does look different
from the real wood. So the best option really
depends on your ultimate goal. Overall, I'm thrilled
with what we've learned, and I can't wait to see the wood projects you'll decorate with
your sublimation designs. If you need any help getting
set up for sublimation, definitely check out my
sublimation startup mini course at jennifermaker.com/sublimation-startup. I walk you through choosing and setting up your
printer with the right ink. Show you in more detail all
of the tools that you can use and the variety of things
you can sublimate onto. And then I show you how
to use software to print and press beautiful sublimation projects. You can sign up right now
and learn at your own pace over at
jennifermaker.com/sublimation-startup. Now, if you have any questions
about sublimating on wood that didn't get answered here or anything else craft-related that you think I can help
you with, please let me know. Just leave your question below this video, or ask over in our sublimation group at jennifermaker.com/sublimation-startup I love to help and see you succeed. And that's it for today. Until tomorrow, this is Jennifer Maker reminding you to craft a life you love. (bright music)
