# **Printing On Leather



## DesignedBy (Nov 18, 2010)

We are going to print black on un-dyed leather. We are thinking of using water base, and sending it through the dryer quickly.
Have any of you printed on leather before? If so, what ink did you use?
Thanks a lot for any input you have.


----------



## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

DesignedBy said:


> We are going to print black on un-dyed leather. We are thinking of using water base, and sending it through the dryer quickly.
> Have any of you printed on leather before? If so, what ink did you use?
> Thanks a lot for any input you have.


 this is the Sublimation section so you are not likely to get any responses to a screenprinting question.
You can't sublimate on leather unless you were somehow able to apply a polycoating and it would hold. There is no waterbased sublimation.


----------



## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Subliamtion on leather will be faint and dull.


----------



## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

cant sublimate on leather.


----------



## peppapig134 (Jul 4, 2011)

you can apparently print on leather with the magic touch WOW paper, take a look at their website. magic touch, hope this helps.


----------



## LB (Jul 25, 2009)

peppapig134 said:


> you can apparently print on leather with the magic touch WOW paper, take a look at their website. magic touch, hope this helps.


The use of Magic Touch WOW system transfer paper is just that , not sublimation as discussed in this section. You can transfer laser toner to leather, but as David said, it is dull and ugly. Leather can be laser engraved or hot stamped and get satisfactory marks.


----------



## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

LB said:


> The use of Magic Touch WOW system transfer paper is just that , not sublimation as discussed in this section. You can transfer laser toner to leather, but as David said, it is dull and ugly. Leather can be laser engraved or hot stamped and get satisfactory marks.


It is possible with laser sublimation. The toner base is what makes it possible and if the leather has a "tanning" that is suitable. With the darker colors it is not dull and works very good. The black came out a dense dark black.

This was a test piece I did in 05. Looks the same today. 

http://www.mgparrish.com/ts/leather.jpg

For whatever reason the release paper I used caused the piece to darken in the paper area, but I later did a big job on tandy cut leather stock and it worked great using high brite regular printing paper and subtoner.

Due to the crease marks the paper and the heat press causes you have to cover the entire substrate with paper and then the substrate must be entirely under the platen. 

This doesn't work with inkjet sublimation. 

The trick is that the toner base is basically OEM toner but has sub dye added. The toner can fuse with the leather (if tanned specifically) and the toner base itself sublimates since it has is a polymer base. 

OEM toner without sub dye cannot "pop" but if there is sub dye there it will.


----------



## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

I have always been playing with this belt idea in my head as anything we can do to encourage younger kids to actually wear a belt and keep their pants above their knees is a plus. So why cant we print on seat belt webbing. Doing a quick search it looks like it is already being done - - Custom Straps, Nylon & Polypro Webbings, Metal & Plastic Buckles at Strapworks.com. 

Over the weekend I will look through the site in more detail but looks like it is simple just need the hardware and we have it. The possibilities for custom belts is endless.


----------



## sinoinks (Oct 16, 2008)

As we know, eco solvent pigment ink is often used in printing leather products.


----------

