Make DIY Custom Print T-Shirts with Iron-on Transfer Paper

Discover the joys of craft printing and personalise your clothing with photos, typography, drawings and more. In this fun DIY tutorial by Geneva Vanderzeil from Collective Gen, you’ll learn how to use the Canon Pixma Printer and Canon Iron-on Transfer Paper to custom print your own t-shirt transfers at home. Inject some of your own character into your outfits or craft a truly personalised gift for that special person in your life.

Here’s a list of what you'll need to start printing your own iron-on t-shirt transfers at home:

• A pack of Canon’s Iron-on Transfer Paper. Be sure to choose the pack that best suits the colour fabric you are going to iron your design onto – there’s a pack for light fabrics and another for dark fabrics
• A design that you want to print and iron onto your t-shirt. This can be anything from your favourite photo to your favourite poem. There’s really no limit to what you can print!
• An iron and ironing board (or table).
• Scissors.
• A Canon Pixma printer (Explore here)

Rainbow print on Canon iron-on transfer paper

Step 1 – Choose a Custom Design to Print for Your T-Shirt

The great thing about Canon's Iron-on Transfer Paper is that you can use it to print pretty much any design you can imagine. Design a graphic yourself or head over to the Canon Creative Park website, where you'll find tons of imaginative designs and inspiration to download and print out for free.

Step 2 – Print Your Custom T-Shirt Design

Now for the exciting bit! Once you've picked a design to print for your t-shirt, simply load the Canon Iron-on Transfer Paper into the Canon Pixma printer, check your settings and press 'Print'. You’ll soon see your custom t-shirt design come to life as it is printed directly onto the transfer paper. Using your scissors, cut out your design while being careful to stay as close to the edges as possible without cutting into the design itself.

Step 3 – Iron Your Custom Design onto Your T-Shirt

Clear a space so that you're ready to start ironing your design onto your t-shirt. You can use an ironing board or any other table, whether it be in your kitchen, dining room or office. If you do not use an ironing board, just be sure to lay down a sheet of cloth to protect your table, as well as a few sheets of paper to place under your t-shirt as you begin to iron.

Lay your t-shirt down and flatten it out so that the fabric lays flat without being too stretched. Then place your design exactly where you would like it to be and place a piece of the parchment paper (included in your Canon Iron-on Transfer pack) over the top of it.

Now it's time to start ironing! Be sure to press down firmly on your iron so that your design transfers and bonds properly with the fabric of your t-shirt. Once your graphic is fixed firmly to your t-shirt, lay the t-shirt flat and leave it to cool.

Step 4 – Admire Your Handy Work

Your fully customised t-shirt is now ready to wear and show off! Or why not make more matching t-shirt designs to give to friends and family? Don’t be afraid to get creative and play around with different ideas – craft printing is a seriously fun and versatile way to customise your clothes and inject your wardrobe with colourful hints of your personality.