Lazertran Techniques

Printmaking, canvas, paper and other absorbent surfaces

Turpentine Method

For any paper whatever the texture, and absorbent surfaces from plaster to wood or cork.

1. Paint the substrate with an even coat of real turpentine (White spirit or turps substitute will not work)
2. Immerse the Lazertran image in clean water (it will roll up into a tube) and allow to soak. Remove from the water and place face down on an absorbent surface to remove excess moisture. Place hand flat on paper and partly slide the clear decal, with the image on, off the white backing paper
3. Lay the image face up on the paper you want to print on, and slide out the white backing paper
4. With a small shorthaired roller moistened with turpentine, expel all air bubbles and roll image flat. The turpentine dissolves the decal and fixes the image to the paper overnight. Some subsequent bubbling may occur but will disappear. Do not touch or over work as the image will be sticky until all the turpentine has evaporated
5. For difficult surfaces such as brick, rough wood, stone, plaster etc. use the above method. To encourage the image to follow the curves, holes and texture apply a fine mist of turpentine occasionally until all of the image has collapsed onto the surface of the object

Problems

If small areas of decal remain on the surface of the substrate after drying then you can re-apply more turpentine to these areas to re-activate and they will be absorbed.

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Acrylic medium method

If you do not want to use turpentine then the image can be applied to paper and canvas using acrylic medium. "Golden" do a good range.

1. Stretch your paper/primed canvas, over a board and apply 1 or 2 coats of acrylic medium
2. When dry apply a further coat of medium to the surface, soak the Lazertran in water and slide the decal onto the wet acrylic medium
3. Use a short haired paint roller (do not use a foam roller as this will produce lots of bubbles) to remove any excess medium and air bubbles. Allow to dry
4. For curved surfaces apply acrylic medium to the surface, then apply the decal onto the wet medium and use a hairdryer to stretch out any creases in the decal.

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Layering and tiling

Lazertran can be layered, one image on top of the other, to give some quite unexpected results. As the images are transparent be careful not to use too dense an image otherwise the overlay will be difficult to see. A good trick is to hold the 2 layers up to the light to get an idea of the final overlay. Use the acrylic method as above, but be sure to allow each layer to dry properly before applying subsequent layers. Colour photo copiers use only up to A3 or 17"x11" paper size. To make an image larger than this you can use the tiling facility on the copier to enlarge up to 16x. Often the tiles have an overlap so trim these off before applying the decals. For canvas, prime with acrylic gesso. Always support the canvas, or best of all stretch the canvas over a solid board, to avoid the canvas stretching when applying the image.

Problems

If (when tiling) the tiles end up overlapping, then whilst the decal is still wet run a scalpel blade through both layers and peel away the overlap. If the edges pull apart or you have a small gap, then heat with a hairdryer and stretch the edges of the decal together. Use wet fingers so as to avoid the decal sticking to them. If after drying you have any air bubbles remaining pierce with a needle, heat with a hairdryer and press flat with a wet tissue.

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Finishing

Lazertran can be finished with either oil based varnishes, including UV varnish, or water based varnishes. If painting on top of the Lazertran image, apply a coat of painting medium first. You can use acrylic or oil based paints. If pooling, or the liquid gathers, then continue to roll or brush the water based mediums or varnish around until they get tacky and begin to hold.

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