Foiling Laser Printed Images

It has been AWHILE since I have made a new free printable that is meant for foiling. But recently I have noticed an uptick in those downloads on my blog, so I thought it’s time to start creating those again! Since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, I thought this free foiling printable was PERFECT to start with! Download the image below!

FREE Foiling Printable for Valetine's Day or Love Card

Love Heart Foiling Printable Download

And because I really wanted to test this little guy out before I offered it up to everyone, I did create a very quick card! You can check out the video tutorial below.

The Video Tutorial

Some of the products used in the video above were sent to me free of charge for design purposes. I only ever design for companies I can stand behind 100%! To see who I currently or have previously designed for head HERE.

Foiling a Laser Printed Image

Let me break down the steps I take and what programs and tools I use when I foil my laser printed images!

What Program I Use

There are a lot of free programs to use to print off your images. HOWEVER, I don’t use them. I already use Photoshop Elements everyday to create PDFs, edit my photos, etc, so that’s what I use to size and print my digital stamps. I have a video all about how I do it! It is an old video, so I think it’s time for an updated version shortly!

My Printers

That’s right, printers as in multiple. I have two laser printers to be specific. The first, and one I use most often is my Brother HL-L2300D. Let’s break down the pros and cons of this printer.

The Brother 2300D Monochrome Laser Printer. I have had this printer for years. it works great for foiling and has a great price!

Pros:

It accepts heavyweight cardstock and watercolor paper. I’m talking 110 lb. paper here. Just be sure to change your settings so the toner gets set!
The price – At $80 it’s one of the cheaper laser printers on the market
It takes after market toner cartridges. This can cut down on the price of toner considerably!
It has both a manual and automatic feed option. I use the automatic for normal prints, but choose the manual option when printing on heavier weight paper.
This printer also has two places where the paper can eject from. The top and also the back, if you open the door. This can help cut down on the paper curve you can get with laser printers and heavy weight paper.

Cons:

This printer does not work wirelessly. You do have to physically connect it to your computer that you are printing from. Also, you do need to buy the cord, it doesn’t come with one.
It only prints in black and white. This was fine and worked for me for years before I bought a color laser printer, but just something to keep in mind.

My second printer is a new addition so I’m still playing around with the settings and functions of this printer, but let me tell you what I’ve learned so far about the Xerox Phaser 6022 Wireless Color Printer.

Xerox Phaser Color Laser Printer. I use this laser printer for printing color laser images or if I'm too lazy to walk upstairs for my black and white printer!

Pros:

It prints in both black and white and color. This is a major bonus for my family! We are always needing to print things for work, school, normal everyday documents, and just crafty things to do!
It’s wireless and connects to my network at home. This means I can print not only wirelessly from my computer, but also my phone and tablet. Any device that is connected to our wireless network can print!
It does take after market toner cartridges. Again, this cuts down on the toner cost over the long run.

Cons:

It doesn’t take super heavy weight paper. The thickest I can safely put through this printer is 65 lb cardstock. That’s ok for most situations, though!
Price. I bought this printer on MAJOR sale, but because it is a color laser printer that works wirelessly, you are paying for that. It is definitely more expensive than my first option, but it offers more.
As far as I can tell SO FAR, because I haven’t been able to fully investigate, this printer will only accept paper in the automatic feed tray. But, this does save the printer from jamming!

For my project today I printed on 65 lb white cardstock with my Xerox Phaser. I chose this printer simply because I didn’t need the image to be on heavy weight white cardstock (It wasn’t the base or being watercolored), and I didn’t feel like walking upstairs and plugging in my laptop LOL! See how I make my decisions?

Tips for Printing

I can’t stress enough how important it is to check your settings and be sure they are right for the paper you are printing on. If the toner doesn’t set it can smear, flake off, or create those dreaded black spots in your foiling.
If you don’t need to print on 110 lb cardstock or watercolor paper, DON’T! Choose a thinner 80 lb or 65 lb cardstock. This is going to give you a better result when you are foiling. The only time I print on heavy weight cardstock is when I am watercoloring, need the heavier weight for coloring digis, or using the print as my card base.
Don’t worry about the curve! Most laser printers are going to give you a bit of curve when they print. This can be taken out by putting it through your laminator, which you do anyway when foiling!

Foiling

Ok, now that I’ve went over what program I use to size my PNGs, what printers I use and a few tips for printing let’s get into the actual foiling!

Choosing the Foil

First, along with your laser printed image, you need foil. There are so many different types of foil on the market now, and they’re not all suitable for foiling laser prints. The two foils I use most often for foiling my laser printed images are Heidi Swapp’s Minc line of foil and Thermoweb’s Deco Foil.

They both work great, but I will say that Thermoweb’s foil is a heavier weight and I tend to favor it over the Minc foil. Both products come in rolls, and because the Deco foil is a bit heavier it doesn’t roll up when I try to lay it over my project. Also, Thermoweb’s Deco Foil is much easier to find in my opinion.

Choosing a Heat Element

Once you have your laser printed image and foil, the final tool you need is some sort of heating element. I use a regular laminator, specifcally the Royal Sovereign laminator.

Royal Sovereign Laminator. This is the laminator I use for thermal foiling my projects.

I love the price and it works very well! However, it doesn’t have different heat settings like the Minc Machine.

Minc Machine. This is a more high machine for foiling. It works just like a lamintor but has more heat settings.

If you want to get a little fancier, the Minc or Mini Minc machines are also an option. These machines provide more heat settings, which is nice, but they are pricier than just a normal lamintor.

To learn more about the actual act of running the laser printed image through the laminator be sure to watch the video tutorial above. It is so much easier to SEE than for me to try and explain with my words LOL!

Free foiling printable on a quick valentine's day card.

And in the video above, you’ll also learn how to turned this free printable into a complete card! This is perfect for those last minute Valentine’s Day cards!

If you are interested in more FREE PRINTABLES, be sure to head over to my FREEBIES page here on my blog! There are many more foiling printables you can find!

And if you want free digital stamps be sure to sign up for my newsletter at the Subscribe page! When you sign up you will receive a welcome email and in that email is this free digi! Head HERE to see how I used this image on one of my handmade cards!

And just a little warning – sign up before Valentine’s Day! There a new FREEBIE coming in the Valentine’s Day newsletter!!

I hope you all enjoy the free printable and found the video and all the tips and tricks in this blog post helpful! I have been seeing a lot of questions about foiling and digital images lately on social media. Hopfully this helps to answer some of those questions!

And if you are interested in any of the supplies I used on my card today, you can find them all listed down below in the supply list! Happy Crafting!!

Supply List

Affiliate links are used

Scotch Delicate Surface Painter’s Tape Shop at: AMZ	2 Rolls Double Sided Foam Tape Shop at: AMZ	Nuvo – Deluxe Adhesive Shop at: SB.COM	Fiskars – 12 Inch Personal Paper Trimmer with Cut-Line Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ
Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: AMZ	Mini MISTI Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ	Makeup Brush Set of 10 Shop at: AMZ
Tsukineko – VersaFine Clair – Ink Pad – Nocturne Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ	Royal Sovereign 9″ Desktop Laminating Machine Shop at: AMZ	We R Memory Keepers – QuickStik Scrapbook Tool Shop at: SB.COM
My Sweet Petunia – Creative Corners Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ	Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer Shop at: AMZ	Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 Shop at: AMZ
Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Mini Ink Blending Tool – Round Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ	Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Mini Ink Blending Tool Replacement Foams – Round Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ	Xerox Phaser 6022/NI Wireless Color Printer Shop at: AMZ
Neenah Bright White Cardstock, 8.5”x11”, 65lb Shop at: AMZ	Reynolds Kitchens Pop-Up Parchment Paper Sheets, 10.7×13.6 Inch, 30 Count Shop at: AMZ	Therm O Web – iCraft – Deco Foil – 6 x 12 Transfer Sheet – Gold – 20 Pack Shop at: SB.COM \| AMZ
Fiskars No.8 Premier Easy Action Bent Scissors Shop at: AMZ	The Crafter’s Workshop – 12 x 12 Stencil – Tropical Fronds Shop at: SB.COM	Catherine Pooler Designs – Spa Collection – Premium Dye Ink Pads – Eucalyptus Shop at: SB.COM
Catherine Pooler Designs – Party Collection – Premium Dye Ink Pads – Lime Rickey Shop at: SB.COM	Buttons Galore – Sparkletz Collection – Embellishments – Ice Shop at: SB.COM	Hello Sentiments Shop at: JCS