Image trasfer to wood

[Foghorn12]

Does anyone know how to transfer a full color image onto a wood blank? I have a customer that has 200 cutting boards he needs images transfered onto. I don't have a flatbed printer so that won't work but is there a solvent printable paper that I could do transfers with. He doesn't want a decal, he'd rather it look like the image was printed directly to the wood.
Any solutions or should will this require different equipment?
Thanks

 

[omgsideburns]

screen print...

 

[Rooster]

A UV flatbed printer could print directly on the cutting board. I doubt the inks are rated as food safe though. That could be the difficult part, finding inks that are considered safe for use around food and prep areas. At least with screen printing it's just a matter of grabbing a different can, I've never heard of food safe inkjet inks.

If they're a display only item then the flatbed UV would be the fastest and cheapest.

 

[graphix]

i had a friend that said he did it with a solder iron which he made a special end to it...i know they make irons for model rc airplanes to put the skins on..but anyway he said he print with inkjet in reverse and heated it and rubbed it on wood..dunno the quality was...maybe just try a regular house
iron..

 

[MikePro]

ink on cutting boards? maybe better off making a mask and using a stain of sorts?
or find an easy way to wood burn an image into it? branding iron?

 

[Mosh]

Not going to be food safe whatever you do....

 

[omgsideburns]

laser engrave............

 

[joeshaul]

I've seen some samples at shows and some in the wild versions of Dye Sub on woods (imagine they were made with sprays). They looked good, some of the ones I've seen in the wild have left a bit of an opaqueness on the wood where the coating was applied. Never done em myself to know how tricky they are, always hear bad things about the DIY coatings though.

Would imagine these are being applied to the handle or such, I wouldn't suggest putting it on a surface that is going to be scratched at and the ink exposed for consumption.

 

[jdoug5170]

I have tried sublimation for box tops, and everything you have heard about the do it yourself coatings is true...nightmare.

I have also used CLC (Laser toner transfer) with very little success. It is difficult to get the wood glass smooth across the surface and the toner is not at all durable on the wood.

Food safety would be an issue on a cutting board with any sort of ink or paint I would think.

Doug

 

[Foghorn12]

I don't think they are going to be used as cutting boards. I believe they are being used as a certificate of completion at a culinary school. So safety and scratch resistance are proably not going to be an issue. I will check with them to make sure though.

 

[studio 440]

laser trans with kerosene to melt it in

 

[Pat Whatley]

Sub them out to somebody with a flatbed.

 

[SignManiac]

I can hand chisel them in, and then color the designs, with hand made dyes made from exotic fruit berries I've collected in my travels throughout the islands of Micronesia. The cost however might be prohibitive. You would be looking at an approximate costs of $1,725.00 per cutting board, but... Each would be numbered and signed, guaranteed to be valuable in the collectors market.

 

[digitalwoodshop]

There is a much better product.... I have some here..... GLASS Cutting Boards.... Sublimation on the back.... FOOD SAFE.....

http://www.dyetrans.com/sublimation-blank-cutting-boards.php

AL

 

[wetgravy]

wood inlays would work.


cnc it out.

 

[cmyimage]

UV-curable ink is that the ink is permanently solidified and cannot be smeared with water.