Vellum is a popular choice for scrapbooks, card making and other paper crafts. The sheerness of vellum can add elegance, soften a bold print or create interesting photo effects. Working with vellum does pose some challenges, including managing printing, adhesives and stamping on vellum. With the right supplies and a few tips, you can use plain, colored, and printed vellum papers to create a variety of scrapbook layouts, handmade cards and more.
Printing on Vellum
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You can print on vellum with a standard inkjet or laser printer; however, some adjustments may be required. Be sure to allow at least a 1-inch margin around your text to allow the rollers on the printer to grip the paper well. Ink may bleed slightly on vellum, so adjusting your text can be helpful. Go to fonts/character spacing in your word-processing program and increase the spacing between letters. Ink is slow to dry on vellum, so be sure to lift each sheet off of your printer as it prints and set it somewhere to dry before working with your vellum printout. The transparency setting may also work well; however, it does print a mirror image of your text.
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Ink, Markers and Pencils
Many pens and pencils will not write on vellum or the ink may not dry. You may need to choose pens and markers specifically sold for use vellum. Experiment with supplies you have on hand to see what will work and will not. Gel pens and markers sold specifically for scrapbooking are typically a good choice. If you want to rubber-stamp on vellum, choose a pigment ink and allow plenty of time for the ink to dry thoroughly, or emboss the image using embossing powder and a heat gun. High-quality colored pencils or chalks typically will work on vellum to color in stamped images. Color from the back if you want a softer look.
Adhering Vellum
Since vellum is transparent, most paper-crafting adhesives will show through the paper. You can opt to use a product that will show and hide the adhesive behind a sticker, ribbon or other embellishment. You can also attach vellum with brads, eyelets, stitching or ribbon to avoid the adhesives altogether. Specialty adhesives made for vellum are totally transparent and can be used when other options will not work. Do test the adhesive first to make sure you are happy with the final appearance and result. Use any adhesive sparingly when working with vellum.