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Photo transfer: Mod Podge decoupage glue made for printed images

Mod Podge decoupage glue and sealer mixed for printed images, so a photocopy or an inkjet print goes down without bleeding.

Transfer is a different trick to decoupage. Instead of sticking a printed sheet onto a surface, you bond the ink to the medium, soak the paper backing away and leave the image itself sitting in the finish.

It works on wood, canvas, fabric and metal, and it is the method behind most of the photo-on-wood pieces people ask us about. The printed transfer sheets take the guesswork out of the printing half.

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Mod Podge decoupage glue made for a printed image

Image transfer is a different technique from ordinary decoupage and it is worth knowing why. In decoupage the paper stays and you seal over it. In a transfer the ink stays and the paper goes: you bond the printed face into the medium, let it cure, then wet the back and rub the paper away, leaving the image sitting in the surface itself.

That is what makes a transfer look painted on rather than stuck on. There is no paper edge to catch the light, no step where the sheet ends, and on wood the grain shows through the image.

Print matters. A laser print or a photocopy transfers cleanly; most inkjet prints run. Our transfer sheets take the guesswork out of it — you print onto the sheet, apply, and peel. Be patient at the rubbing stage: take the paper off in several damp passes rather than one.

What transfers well:

  • laser prints and photocopies on ordinary paper
  • photographs printed onto our transfer sheets
  • bare and lightly sanded wood
  • canvas, plaster and painted furniture
  • glass and ceramic, with a longer cure first

Questions we get about this shelf

Can I transfer an inkjet photo?

Usually not directly — inkjet ink lifts with the water. Use a laser print, a photocopy, or our transfer sheets, which are made for it.

How long do I wait before rubbing the paper off?

At least overnight, and 24 hours is safer. If the medium underneath is still soft you will take the image off with the paper.

Why did part of my image come away?

Either the bond was thin in that spot or the rubbing was too hard too early. Work damp, work in passes, and stop as soon as the paper fibres are gone.

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