Photo on Wood Render - DIY Guide for Photo Potch

• Basic tips for potching
  • The Fotopotch agent
  • The Fotopotch printer
  • The formatting
  • The motif size
  • The underground material
  • The surface
• Instructions for the Potchen
• Practical information about photo transfer
  • Printer and paper
  • Tip for painting
• Ideas for design

DIY photo transfer is the latest hit - no wonder, the special technology can conjure up all sorts of beautiful things. Whether you want to transfer your favorite motif on wood or canvas: With our guide you will get a great result. In this guide we explain step by step how the potchen works with wood glue or other glue!

Fotopotch is on everyone's lips. The DIY technique allows you to "print" images and / or text on wood and other surfaces. Fortunately, the procedure is not particularly difficult, so you can follow our instructions without any problems. Apart from a detailed explanation of the implementation of the project, we also provide you with valuable general tips in this article, which you should consider for an all-round convincing result. We answer questions like: "Which printer is the right one">

Basic tips for potching

The Fotopotch agent

The photo pot trend has made it easy to buy specific photo transfer Potch. It is a transparent, adhesive agent that has the property of imparently transferring the toner to the desired surfaces. Photo transfer Potch (and other adhesives) is also referred to as a transfer medium. Depending on the provider and , it costs between four and 15 euros.

They are not necessarily dependent on the use of photo transfer Potch. Here is a list of potential alternatives:

• waterproof wood glue (only on wooden surfaces!)
• napkins glue
• Craft glue (diluted with the same amount of water)

Tip: Our experience shows that the results are the most beautiful with Potch, closely followed by napkin glue and wood glue. The version with diluted craft glue is more to be considered as a stopgap, which you should only apply if you want to start immediately and have no time to buy a more appropriate remedy. Please do not expect too much from the craft glue version. We only mention them for the sake of completeness, but advise you explicitly on the other means.

If you opt for Fototransfer Potch, you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging.

The Fotopotch printer

The Potchen succeeds optimally only with printouts of laser printers. If you do not have a corresponding printer at home, it is best to go to the nearest copy shop and have your chosen motif printed there.

Note: Also note that the technique with a real photo (on photo paper) does not work at all!

The formatting

In order for the subject to land correctly on the targeted surface, you must print (leave) it mirrored. Otherwise, the image or font will be reversed.

The motif size

We recommend that you print your desired motif (image or text) in the size of the "recipient" (piece of wood, canvas, etc.). Example: If the receiving surface is 30 x 20 centimeters, the motif should be printed in the same size. Thus, the paper to be transferred over the entire surface of the piece of wood or the canvas, which means that any paper edges are not visible in the end.

The underground material

The ideal material for photo transfer is undoubtedly wood. In addition, you can still put your motives on other elements - for example on the following:

• Cotton items (such as canvas or fabric bag)
• glass plates
• Candles made of wax

The surface

Regardless of which base material you ultimately choose, the surface should be as light as possible. This is because the photo transfer is always accompanied by a slight loss of color and contrast. Especially with pictures, the result of the photo pooch on a dark basis is not as nice as on a white, cream or light brown. Furthermore, the substrate must be dust and grease-free - so easy to clean. If necessary, clean it first.

As far as the basics to Fotopotch. You are now ready for our detailed guide to the Potchen!

Instructions for the Potchen

You need this:

• piece of wood
• Image / text as laser printout
• Transfer medium (photo transfer Potch or wood glue)
• soft brush (hard bristles can scratch the print when brushing)
• small sponge
• water
• paper towels
• abrasive paper
• Underlay (newsprint or a piece of cardboard)
• optional: white acrylic paint (liquid with brush or spray can)

Step 1: Print out your desired motif mirrored in the size of the piece of wood. Attention: Print with a suitable printer (laser)!

Tip: To avoid having to cumbersome the photo with a photo editor, simply select "Flip Horizontal" in the print preferences.

Step 2: Grab your (clean!) Piece of wood and sandpaper. Sand the wood thoroughly, because the smoother the surface, the better the photo pot result.

Optional intermediate step: After sanding, you can prime the wood with white acrylic paint. This is especially recommended for colored photos that have little to no white . If you want to transfer a very bright picture or a black and white photo, you should omit the primer. But: Our tips are of course not obligatory. Try different variants - so you will soon find out what you personally like the most.

Note: In the case of a primer, you must first let it dry completely until you go over to the actual pot.

Step 3: Transfer the printed motif to the prepared piece of wood.

3a) For this purpose, first of all spread out the base and place the piece of wood on it.
3b) Also equip your workstation with some paper towels - it will be a bit mushy right away.
3c) Take the transfer medium (photo transfer Potch or wood glue) and a soft brush to hand.
3d) Spread the piece of wood generously and evenly with the transfer medium.
3e) Paint the front of your subject with the photo transfer potch or wood glue.
3f) Immediately place the image on the wood with the painted side and smooth the paper with your hand.

Important: Here you really have to be fast because the paper softens quite quickly.

3g) Wipe away the excess glue with kitchen paper.

Step 4: Let the resulting wood image dry thoroughly.

Note: This may take a few hours. The paper must dry properly until the motif is no longer visible. Help with a hair dryer or just wait until the next day before you continue your work. In any case, it makes sense to wash the brush carefully in the meantime.

Step 5: Once the paper is dry, wet it again.

5a) Grab a small sponge and moisten it with water.
5b) Carefully walk the paper over the paper with the damp sponge - until the subject comes out again.

Important: To avoid damaging the wood, do not keep it under running water or immerse it in water.

Step 6: Scratch the paper gradually. Start at the edge and be careful so that the photo stays on the wood.

Note: This step requires patience and some experience. Do not grieve if the first attempts are not 100 percent successful. Only a few of them manage to achieve a pure result without blemish at their Fotopotch premiere. And: small irregularities are absolutely normal even after the thousandth time. They are part of the technology - after all, you create something handmade!

Step 7: Allow the piece of wood and the motif to dry a little when you have freed it from the paper.

Tip: Your first attempts may leave behind a white veil. Do not worry, these are only residual paper fibers. It's best to leave it that way and not scratch it anymore. Alternatively, try rubbing the fibers gently with moistened hands.

Step 8: Grab the sanding paper again and work the edges of the piece of wood.

Step 9: Seal the motif. To do this, paint a thin layer of the transfer medium on the soft brush. How to protect your artwork. In addition, the white streaks of the paper fibers disappear as a result. On request, you can paint two layers on it (the second only when the first is dried!).

Tip: Instead of the transfer agent also clear lacquer comes into question.

Step 10: Wash the brush carefully again. Finished!

Tip: On other surfaces, the principle is the same. So you can apply it to any surface (with the only difference that you do not need to sand anything).

Practical information about photo transfer

Printer and paper

That a laser printer is a basic requirement, we mentioned several times in this DIY guide to Fotopotch. Unfortunately, the use of such a device is not an absolute guarantee of a perfect result. Not every printer of this kind provides equally good results. Frequently, the quality of the toner determines the high quality of the final creation. That's why we advise you to use an original toner for your Fotopotch project. It also shows time and again that large office all-in-one devices (printers, copiers and scanners in one) lead to worse results than small home printers.

In addition to the printer, the paper also decides whether your work will be completely beautiful or not 100 percent convincing. Use plain 80gsm paper, which is absolutely enough. Thicker paper is not suitable.

Tip for painting

If you look at the guides to the Potchen on other pages, it turns out that some of them recommend that one should rub the paper with the motif after step 3f again with the transfer medium (wood glue, etc.). We strongly advise against this because: Many agents dry out waterproof. Assuming that you would rub it on the back, you could not do the sixth (and almost most important) step - scratching. So says: Follow our strict instructions and can not be deterred by such strange recommendations, then nothing can go wrong.

Ideas for design

Of course, you can let your imagination run wild when it comes to choice of subject. Everything is allowed. Nevertheless, we would like to give you a few more inspirations - maybe you like one or the other idea and you implement it.

Idea # 1: Travel Photos

Design a collage with your best travel photos. Of course, you need a sufficiently large surface, so that every picture is also well presented.

Idea # 2: Animal Photos

Captivate your pet in a special way using the Fotopotch technique - or give that special frame to an esteemed zoo or wild animal.

Idea # 3: Couple photos

It's a beautiful idea to transfer a nice pair of photos on wood. The best way to do so is to leave a small area of ​​the wood surface free and scratch an infinity sign or heart into it.

Tip: The couple photo variant described is also a witty gift idea for Valentine's Day (to the partner) or for the wedding of a friendly couple.

Idea # 4: Black and white pictures

In general, we recommend that you (at least) design one of your photo transfer works with a black and white image. The classic look promises fantastic results.
We hope you enjoy the Potchen!