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Psdtuts+ is posting a series of short Photoshop tutorials by Martin Perhiniak. They’re free, and very informative if you’ve been trying to teach yourself the basics of Photoshop. The first two of twenty-five tutorials are available. I highly recommend giving them a look, and also checking out the various other tutorials offered by Psdtuts+; it’ll be well worth your while.

If you have access to a laser printer or a Xerox machine, here’s how you can transfer images onto paper, fabric, and other objects.

Start by printing your design onto regular paper. Be sure that your image is reversed or the transferred image will be backward. Remember that you have to use either a home/business laser printer or a Xerox machine. Anything that prints with toner (a fine powder that is fused to the paper with intense heat) will work. Inkjet printers will not work for this!

Place the printed image face-down onto the surface that you are transferring the image to. I recommend taping it in place to prevent shifting, but leaving areas free so that they can be lifted for visual inspection.

You will need a bottle of acetone and either a q-tip or a cotton ball. Be sure to use 100% acetone without any colorants or perfumes. These added chemicals can discolor or stain the transfer surface.

Acetone is strong, and it can eat certain surfaces like plastic. Test a small area before continuing.

Acetone evaporates quickly, so work in small sections at a time. When you apply the acetone, the paper will become transparent, making it much easier to see where you’re working. Use the back of a spoon or a bone folder to rub across the transfer image. Be careful not to shift the paper; you just need some pressure to transfer the toner.

You can lift up sections to see where you need to re-apply acetone and rub some more. It’s generally very easy. If the papers are sticking together, don’t pull! Simply apply a little bit of acetone to the back of the transfer image to release them.

When you’re done, remove the transfer image. It will not be a perfect copy, but it’s great for painting/drawing guides.