Heat Embossing With Your Computer

Create Professional-Looking Designs!

Heat embossing with the computer is one of the techniques that I use the most, and it’s easy to do! It’s so versatile that I’ve pretty much given up store-bought stickers, rub-ons, and the like.

When you print on certain kinds of paper, such as vellum, glossy photo paper, transparency film, or any paper with a glossy finish, the ink from your ink-jet printer stays wet long enough for embossing powder to stick to it. Once the powder has been heated, the result is a beautiful, professional-looking raised design.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Create a design on your computer using your word processing, photo imaging or other software.

2. Your printer options will have Draft, Normal, and Best printing quality options. Print using the Best quality. This lets your printer deposit more ink onto the paper. The more ink there is, the longer it will stay wet, allowing you to sprinkle the powder over it before it dries.

   If you are familiar with your advanced printing options, choose the High Speed setting, as it will give you a bit more time to get the powder on.

3. Immediately remove your design from your ink jet and apply your powder. Tap excess powder off on a sheet of paper and put back into jar.

4. Melt embossing powder with your heat source. The powders melt around 200-300°; You will know it is melted when you can no longer see the granules of the powder.

Some heat sources you can use are a heat gun (suggested), or hold it over a toaster, light bulb, or hot plate.

• Have your embossing powder ready and nearby so that you can immediately sprinkle the powder over the wet ink.

• Let the powder sit on the ink for a few seconds before shaking off the excess powder.

• While heating, make sure to constantly move the heat source back and forth. If you leave the heat in one place too long, you may scorch your paper and have to start over.

• When cutting out a finished image, do not cut into the embossed lines. This will cause the powder to flake off.

You can really have fun with this technique- the possibilities are endless! I like to use parts of my pictures and make coordinated embellishments with them.

I couldn’t find a wedding cake sticker that I liked, so I used this method with a picture of my actual wedding cake. I printed it out on vellum and sprinkled a beautiful holographic embossing powder on (also one of my

This technique is also a great way to make custom "raised" print invitations that your friends will think were professionally printed! So give it a try and see what you can create!

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