VIDEO: Shrink Film Monograms
Let’s Shrink the Ink!
The original version of Shrinky Dink film is still available and is ready for drawing and coloring before you shrink. However, with the invention of the home inkjet printer, there are several brands designed for this kind of ink and ready for you to print right onto the plastic sheets.
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One of my favorite craft memories from childhood is making what we then called shrinkies. Introduced in 1973, Shrinky Dinks had kids (and crafty adults) creating artwork on flexible sheets of plastic that, when popped in the oven, would magically shrink down to approximately 1/3 their original size. Of course, this is not our first shrinky dink project. And if you love this fun material as much as I do you can find editable kid’s name tags, adorable animal charms that are ready to color before shrinking, and pet tags for your furry friends on our site.
For this month’s free Craft Camp project with Canon, I will be showing you how to make your own shrink film monograms to use for a keychain or magnet. These little cuties also make great last-minute gifts or even gift toppers.
Our free printable below includes the complete alphabet (featuring pretty Scandinavian illustrations), which is ready to print onto your inkjet shrink film. And you can join me on YouTube this Friday, the 18th, at 11 am PST for the live tutorial.
For our shrink film monograms, I used Shrink Sheets by Juvale and found that it printed flawlessly with the high-quality setting on my Canon PIXMA printer. A few tips that I have if you are adding color to shrink film are:
- Remember that as the film shrinks, the color saturates. It is best to use pastel markers if you are coloring your own sheets. You will notice on my printable PDF the color looks much lighter than the finished monogram.
- Cut and punch your keychain holes before you shrink. Once the film has resized, it becomes hard and stiff.
- Cut your letter off the larger sheet before you trim around the printed image. The plastic film can tear if you are trying to cut details on a large sheet.
Once you have printed and trimmed your shrink film monograms or even your full name, you can join me on YouTube this Friday at 11 am PST to learn how to make them into keychains, gift tags, or magnets. I do recommend that you ask your parent to help you with the oven and to stay safe.
See you there!
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Instructions
Download our free template below and read the post above to get ready to craft along with me! Then join my YouTube Live at 11 am PT on Friday, the 18th.
Also, if you’re in need of a new printer, make sure to check out Canon’s PIXMA Crafting Printers. And watch this video for tips and tricks on how to use your Canon printer.
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Tools
- Canon PIXMA TS6420
- Craft Scissors
- 1/4″ Hole Punch
- Oven or Toaster Oven
Materials
- Printable White Inkjet Shrink Film
- Flexible Magnets
- Keychain Rings and Jump Rings
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Discussion
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9 Comments
Would this work with a laser printer?
I can’t say for certain– you’d have to make sure the shrink film paper you buy is compatible with a laser printer.
So good and so easy! My ommented twice on how good they were. Will make again! Thank you!!
Yay so glad to hear it!
I find if I save the file then print it prints at full size.
Thank you for this. You might be interested, I have a first generation Canon, about 14 years old i960. I love it and hoard ink cartridges.
A
Love to hear that! They really are made to last– just another reason we love Canon.
Why when printed out, smaller than what is shown?
Hi Nancy– are you printing it at 100% on your printer?