Craft DIY: How to print on scraps of card

I often use my printer when I'm crafting. I'm useless at drawing or writing artistically, so I tend to print rather than do it by hand. But it seems a waste to use a new piece of A4 card every time you want one little sentiment or number, and you can't feed little bits of card through the printer even if you trim them neatly (it eats them, I've tried!).

I have a huge pile of scraps that I am determined to use up somehow, so I've been investigating how I could print on them. I was a bit nervous the first time I tried this, as my printer loves chewing things up, but it worked perfectly.

All I needed was a number 1 to cut out in a circle shape to make a balloon. I tried tracing it, but it just looked a mess. As I reached over to grab a new sheet of A4 card to pop in the printer I was struck by how much of a waste this was. Why cut into a new sheet of card when I have such a huge pile of scraps. I'm so pleased I managed to figure out a way to print on little pieces of left over card. Here's how I did it:


1. Print out whatever it is you want on an ordinary piece of printer paper. It can even be on the back of a sheet from your recycling pile.

2. Trim your scrap of card to fit neatly over the printed number/sentiment and stick it in place with a couple of small pieces of double sided tape.

3. Run the page back through your printer - making sure you put the page in the same way as before so it prints in the same place.

4. Carefully peel off your nicely printed scrap of card. If your tape is a bit too sticky and doesn't peel off without ripping the card, cut the scrap card slightly larger than you need and stick the tape on the excess. That way it doesn't matter if it rips a little as this bit can be cut off and not included in the finished piece.

So easy! I shall never print onto a new piece of A4 card again (unless I'm going to use it all).

I'm linking up with Handmade Monday - so do pop over there and see what other crafty peeps have been up to this week.