Tips on Printing on Vellum

Vellum paper comes in different thicknesses and colors. The most popular vellum is white, thin and almost transparent. Vellum paper can be used alone or as an overlay for pages of books, scrapbook layouts or other crafting projects. Printing on vellum paper is not the same as printing on regular white copy paper because of the consistency and composition of the vellum paper.Preparing the PrinterThe thickness and texture of specialty paper such as vellum may affect your printer. When using vellum paper, set the top margin to at least 1 inch; this will give the printer time to grip the paper before the print job begins. Format your text so that the letters are spaced farther apart than normal. You can do this by selecting the text to be printed and then going to "fonts, then "character spacing" and choosing "expanded." This step will help so that the letters do not bleed into each other or smudge during the printing process.Printing on Vellum PaperUse an ink jet or laser printer to print on vellum paper. However, laser printers may be the better choice because they use heat to fuse toner to the surface. Black ink and colored inks both work on vellum. Because of the texture of the vellum paper, the ink takes longer to dry --don't touch the paper when it comes out of the printer. After the print job is complete, let the paper sit for a couple of minutes before handling it. If you are not sure that it is dry, test a small corner of the paper before touching the printed area.TroubleshootingIf you are having problems with smudges or smearing, you may want to set your print options to transparency, draft or economy mode. You can find these options if you go to "print ," select "properties" and choose the appropriate print quality. These settings allow the printer to use less ink and may help with drying time and smudging. When handling vellum paper after printing, make sure your hands are clean because the oils from your fingers may cause ink to smear on the paper. References Altered Book: Printing on Vellum Hewlett Packard: Tips for Printing on All Types of Paper