Product Discovery: JudiKins TranzIt Rinse-Away Paper

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

There are TONS of ways to transfer images to polymer clay. Inkjet, waterslide decals, toner with alcohol, toner with gin, direct…and on and on.

I have discovered a NEW way to get extraordinary and fast transfer onto polymer clay–JudiKins TranzIt Rinse-Away Paper. Designed for use with TranzIt gel for image transfers, TranzIt Rinse-Away Paper is the perfect transfer medium for polymer clay. Retailing for $7.75 for 5 sheets, it’s not inexpensive. However, you will be thrilled with using this paper.

The paper is made from cellulose. When it comes into contact with water, it immediately breaks down. Thus, you can only use this paper with a laser printer or toner-based color or black-and-white copier. You cannot, I repeat cannot, use this paper with an inkjet printer–it will forever gum up your printer and render it useless. Now for the good news. You can have an image transfer in five minutes. Yes, you read correctly. Five minutes.

Here’s how:

1. Print your images onto the paper using a laser printer or laser/toner copier (color or black-and-white). Most likely, a copy center will be reluctant to put this paper into their machines, but you could give it a try. I have a color laser printer, and it worked well. The paper buckled and curled a bit with the heat from the printer, but the images transferred easily and well.
2. Cut out your image, leaving NO white space.
3. Roll out a sheet of conditioned, light-colored polymer clay on your desired thickness setting. Place it either on your work surface, a baking surface like a tile, or on a deli sheet or waxed paper–depending upon how you’ll be using the transfer. I use light colors of clay (white, pearl, translucent, ecru or even silver or gold for a different look) since the transfer is translucent, and any backing clay color will show through the image.
4. Place your printed image face-down on your conditioned clay. Cover it with a sheet of deli paper, plain paper, etc. Burnish the image through the paper using a bone folder or other burnishing tool. I do this so the tool doesn’t drag across the raw clay as I go past the edges of the conditioned clay. Burnish from the center of the image out towards the edges to ensure that you do not trap any air between the image and the clay. Remove the cover paper.
5. Wait at least 5 minutes. DO NOT WAIT MORE THAN 20 or 30 MINUTES. I let a piece wait for too long (an hour or so), and the image smeared.  15 minutes was fine.  I haven’t ventured past 20 minutes since the smear incident. 😦
6. Take your image to the sink and run water over it. You will see the paper dissolve and rinse away.
7. Make sure all of the cellulose material has rinsed away. You may find remnants sticking to the dark areas of your image. Gently wash/wipe these away.
8. Form your piece with your image and bake. You can also cover the image with a VERY thin layer of liquid polymer clay to protect it.

Now, wasn’t that easy? I thought so. I’ve been experimenting with this paper a bit, and if I find different issues with it, I’ll report back here. However, I do have to say that this is the EASIEST image transfer I’ve ever created on polymer clay.

I’ve linked to JudiKins’ retail store so you can get your own (no, I don’t get commission for this…I just don’t know who is stocking this stuff, and I thought it would be easiest for you got get it from the source).

Have fun!