Gone are the days when you only used 80gms paper in an inkjet printer. Now there is a vast array of papers and fabrics that can be fed directly through an inkjet printer. Businesses and schools and other hobby enthusiasts are discovering the artistic ability of the home inkjet printer to help them create their own personal media or enhance an existing hobby.
One of the companies encouraging creative use of printing is Crafty Computer Paper Ltd. Charlotte Gaisford founded the company in 2003 and started trading out of a spare bedroom at home. Now the company is turning over ¼ million a year and selling specialist inkjet media to customers all over the world via the internet.
With the introduction of the digital camera, more and more people want to display their photos on different media and surfaces. They want to make one-off projects without having to go to a print shop or buy the minimum print run. The variety of customers who buy this paper is endless, from young children to OAPs.
One of the best sellers is 100% fabric, which can be fed through the inkjet printer. A backing paper is peeled off and the fabric can then be sewn. Textile designers, quilters and fashion designers are all enjoying the ability to add their own images and photos to fabric. The fabric is available in plain cotton, silk, linen and voile. According to the company, this can be used with any type of inkjet printer.
Another paper which sells well is the water-slide decal paper. It is like the old fashioned water-slide paper which came with model kits many years ago. Ardent Productions is a regular customer and buys this paper for the production of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and other animations. It can be applied to almost any hard surface.
Badges and jewellery can be made using the inkjet shrink paper. This is printed off, then placed in an oven for two minutes and the paper turns into a hard three dimensional object. Inkjet tattoo paper is popular and is used by many companies for promotional purposes.
All the papers are tested on cheap printers and if it doesn’t go through them, the company doesn’t sell it. No specialist knowledge is needed to create using the inkjet printer.