fbpx
Menu

If you like gold foil wall art, you may be thinking that printables are not for you, because your home printer cannot print with gold ink. That is true, there isn't a way to buy gold ink. Digital artwork with a gold-like look or finish will not print truly sparkly and the print won't be looking like real gold (although it may be still a great looking piece of art when printed on a good printer). But there is a way to print with gold foil at home - let me tell you how.

First, I should probably mention that I have never tried to print with gold foil myself. Gold foil art wouldn't fit my home aesthetic, which is rather natural: wood, wicker and linen materials in earth tones,... But I was curious about it (it does look pretty, even if it won't fin in my home) so I've looked it up.
From various online resources - blogs and videos - I have gathered quite straightforward information about printing gold foil art at home.

The most important bit is that this works only for laser printers, not for inkjet printers. Laser printers are very common so if you happen to have an inkjet printer, just ask your friends or family - some of them will most likely have a laser printer, perhaps you can do gold foil printing together.
Then you'll need a laminator. While this is not such a common thing in households, it can be still worth asking around - someone you know may have one. They're also not expensive, so you may want to consider buying one. 
Do you really need a laminator?
Technically, there's a way to do gold printing without having a laminator. I've seen tutorials that used a printer instead of a laminator. Basically, you would "print" a blank document while you'll feed the printer with the prepared "gold foil sandwich" - read below (it's a little bit different sandwich - read the note as well).
To create the gold effect on a print, you'll need an actual gold foil - those are possible to buy in hobby and craft shops as well as online.

The actual process is quite easy:
Print the artwork you want on a laser printer
Just normal black ink print - colour ink won't give as good results, the pigment is strongest when printing full solid black images - gold foil is either yes or no - it will either stick or not, so make sure it will stick to a design printed with solid black ink.
Layer a "sandwich"
Put together the print (face up), gold foil (gold facing up, away from the ink print, cut just enough to cover the print so you can save the rest for next time) and a clean, blank piece of paper.
In some tutorials, I've seen a clear foil used on top. It may be best to read instructions on the gold foil or practice at first with a small test artwork that uses just a bit of gold foil to try the result.
If you want to try the printer method, the "sandwich" will be a bit different: secure the gold foil over the printed design with tape (try using some that will unstick easily and won't tear the paper). The tape must not be taped over the design, just at the edges of the gold foil.
Laminate/print the "sandwich" and peel off the excess of the gold foil
The heat from the laminator (or alternatively from the printer) will make the foil and ink printed by a laser printer react and they will stick together. When done carefully, the rest of the gold foil will peel off easily, leaving you with a pleasing result.

Now, just a few tips: Make sure the foil is stretched, not creased - it may not produce as good results and it may get stuck in the laminator (or the printer). Solid black ink print (from a laser printer) is the key. The gold side of the foil must face away from the print. If using tape, make sure it's not covering the actual design.

I'm not sure how recyclable the gold foil is, hence how eco-friendly gold foil printing is in general. But art is meant to last, it's not a thing to be thrown away after a while, so gold foil art that you'll print yourself can be still quite an eco-friendly option as opposed to having it shipped from a printshop somewhere far. If there's an option, it's always good to choose the more eco-friendly one.

So, while I personally don't have experience with printing gold foil at home, I know it is a popular type of art for home decor so I wanted to give you tips on how to turn printables, that you purchase online, into sparkling gold foil art pieces - easily, at home. I hope this helps. There are also many online tutorials to watch or read if you need more help or inspiration on how to print gold foil wall art at home.