Posted on Leave a comment

Inkjet Printing on Bookcloth

We recently posted this clip on instagram and received a few emails with questions about the process.  We printed this sample on a large format Epson R1900 printer which is able to print up to 13″ wide but we have also printed on a smaller Epson as well. The key is getting the printer to accept the Bookcloth.  This will depend on the printer and the Bookcloth that you are working with.  If you find that your printer doesn’t want to pull the Bookcloth in you may want to try sending it through with a piece of photo copy paper taped to it.  Try layering the Bookcloth and the paper and using scotch tape seal the edge of the 2 pieces along the length so the printer thinks it’s a single sheet.  This has worked for us in many cases. Another very important thing to consider if you plan to use this printed Bookcloth for book covers is that the ink is not waterproof which means it will run if it gets wet.  We have found spraying the printed Bookcloth with a fixative or clear spray finish before covering your boards will helps to seal the ink and prevent the ink from bleeding.  Test it out on piece of plain Bookcloth first and be careful not to get droplets of overspray on your cloth because it can ruin a beautifully printed piece of Bookcloth.  This is a fun process that requires lots of trial and error.  Feel free to send us your questions and have fun!  info@bookcraftsupply.com