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RUB-ONS

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Tips & Techniques
Updated February, 2011

Scrappersaurus
Scrapbook Services & Supply, LLC

Scrappersaurus@Yahoo.com

Can

a Rub-On

be removed if it gets messed up, or doesn’t work well with my

project?

Usually, you can “erase” it, with an adhesive eraser (which you can get from us).

You have to

be very careful, and gently rub in ONE direction, actually pulling the

ink off with the eraser.

Then clean the eraser as it picks up the ink, so you don’t

smear it. NEVER rub the eraser back

and forth over the rub-on, because it will

definitely smear it, and may make it impossible to

remove. Or, you could put a

sticker, flower, or other embellishment over it, to conceal it.

What IS a rub-on?

k printed

in reverse

on a special backing paper that allows it to be transferred—

rubbing—

onto another surface.

The

rub-on may be an alphabet, symbol, word,

image

Why should I use a rub-on?

Rub-ons are an excellent choice in place of stickers because they appear to be

printed or

painted on the surface to which you apply them. They are rich and

elegant-looking, and offer

a lot more flexibility and variety in how and what you

apply, as opposed to a whole word or

image in a sticker. For instance, you can

use

just a piece of an image, or just one alphabet in

a word, if that is all you want

use to complete your design and make it more personal.

What surfaces can rub-ons be applied to?

The majority of rub-ons can safely be applied to paper, transparencies, vellum,

hand-made

paper, leather, wood, plastic, acrylic, ceramic, tiles, stones, pottery,

and

most fabrics. You

may even find other surfaces they work on—

be daring and

experiment!

Is there a special way to handle rub-ons?

Yes!!! You NEVER want to hold a rub-on package directly over the rub-on itself,

because the

heat of your fingers or hand will soften the ink

and the rub-on will

begin to transfer to the

protective bottom sheet. Instead,

hold the rub-on package

by the top or side

, where you will

not

be directly

on top of the image

. When

handling the rub-on outside of the packaging, hold

it gently on the side of the

image.

weezers

are often very useful

, because some

of the

manufacturers print

the

ages very

together, making it difficult to handle without

putting your

fingers over the images

Plus, tweezers

are

extremely helpful in more precise

placement of rub-ons

, particularly for crafters who have trouble with fine motor

skills, or

tremors.

How should rub-ons be stored?

Rub-ons are

extremely

sensitive to heat, so always store them in a temperature-

controlled

environment, like your home or craft room. NEVER leave rub-ons in the

heat of your car

—

whether in

side your tote,

the trunk, or

even just

in the back

seat!

And

definitely do not store

them in

a closet in the bathroom, where the heat

and

humidity

will

ruin them.

(Yes,

there

have been people who found this out the

hard

way by

stor

ing

their scrapbook supplies—and

even photographs—in

bathroom

closets

, only to take them out and find them all stuck

together

no!

)

How do I choose a good rub-on, and know it will transfer properly?

Purchase your rub-ons from a reputable retailer that you know has fresh stock.

The

reason for

this is because rub-ons—being made of ink—have a tendency to dry

out

over longer periods of

time, and once they have dried out, they usually will not

transfer completely, if at all. This is

the main cause of frustration for rub-on

beginners, and the reason why rub-ons that come

from certain clearance stores

don’

t always work. If they have been on the store’s shelves or in

a warehouse for

long time, the chances are pretty high that they won’t transfer properly

simply

because

they have dried too long.

How can I tell if a rub-on is fresh or should be safe to purchase?

You can spot an old or damaged rub-on immediately, if you know what to look

for.

A fresh

rub-on that should transfer quickly and easily will be one that appears

bright (if colored) or

very dark (if black, brown, or dark blue, green, or purple). If

any part of the rub-on appears

to have a light spot in the image with the rest of it

being brighter (or darker), then you can

bet that the rub-on has already dried a

good bit and has begun to transfer off the backer sheet

onto the protective bottom

sheet. You can also see this happen with fresh rub-ons if someone

mishandles

them, and the heat of their hand accidentally begins the transfer process. So,

regardless of where you purchase them, you still want to look closely at the

images

to make

sure the rub-on was handled properly before

you

picked it up!

What tools do I need to apply a rub-on?

I think the best way to apply a rub-on is with a bone folder, although some

manufacturers

now make rub-on tools. Also, a lot of rub-ons come with little

wooden or plastic applicator

sticks in their package. You can use the stick

provided, or a bone folder, or even the back of a

small spoon. You do NOT want

use a knife, especially one with a serrated edge!

How do I properly apply a rub-on?

Carefully open your rub-ons and remove them from their package.
Hold the sheet of rub-ons gently by the edges, then cut out the one you wish to
apply. The reason for this is so that when you are rubbing it on, you don’t
accidentally rub over another image that you don’t want to use yet. And, because
just the heat of your hand or fingers will soften the ink, you don’t want to hold your
entire page of rub-ons down with one hand while you apply a rub-on from the
middle of the page—this is a sure way to waste rub-ons and ruin your project in the
process!
After cutting out your rub-on, carefully position it on your project where you want it
applied. If possible, try to cut only the rub-on out of the top (backer) sheet,
leaving the clear, protective bottom sheet intact. If you have to cut the top
(backer) sheet in half or in pieces to get to the image you want, you can gently
secure them back onto the bottom protective sheet with a small piece of removable
tape.
Use removable tape (which you can get from us) to tape your alphabet, word, or
image onto your project so it doesn’t move while rubbing/transferring the image.
Otherwise, you may end up with crinkles in your image if it slides a little while
you're applying it. Simply place the tape directly across the entire back of the
image, so you can rub over the whole thing. Remember, it is printed in REVERSE on
the TOP (backer) sheet, so you want to tape across the correct side—not over the
rub-on ink itself!
Once your rub-on is taped to your project, place your fingers or even the palm of
your hand on top of the rub-on for a few seconds to allow the heat of your hand to
soften the ink, which will help it to transfer more quickly.
Next, use your bone folder or rub-on tool to gently rub over the image; rubbing too
hard will leave indentations in the surface you're applying it to. As the image
transfers, it should become cloudy or milky, looking at it through the backer paper.
If it still looks bright/dark, it probably hasn’t transferred all the way. You can try
warming it a little longer by putting your fingers or hand over it, or just rub a little
longer—but NOT harder! PLEASE do NOT use a heat gun to heat it! Heat guns get
too hot and will ruin the rub-on; just take your time and go slowly at first until you
become more familiar with them. Lift an edge of the tape and backer paper to
check its progress, and when the image has transferred completely, remove the
tape and backer paper.

What happens if the entire image did not transfer?

If the entire image did not transfer, simply place the rub-on back into place, lining

up the

edges of the image that remain on the backer sheet with the parts of the

image that did

transfer. Again, apply the heat of your hand over the image a little

bit longer, then rub over it

until it finishes transferring.

What happens if a rub-on will NOT

transfer

, but I REALLY want to use it?

Every once in a while, this will happen. When it does, you can trim around the

image

carefully, then apply adhesive to the

back

of the backer sheet (yes,

over the

ink

!), and just

adhere it like you would a transparency. You can use adhesive

made

especially for

transparencies, vellum, or acrylic (Vellum Glue Dots work very

well);

or you can run it

through a Xyron and because it will put adhesive on the

entire

back of the piece; you should

t see any delineation of where the adhesive

has

been applied.

Laissez le bon temps roulez, cher!

Dee Luquette-Famularo
Owner, Papercraft Specialist

... I once was
lost, but now
am found ...

Thanks and
Glory be to our
Creator, Who
has heard and
answered my
prayers, and
sent the Holy
Spirit to assist
me.
Thanks be to
our Lord, Jesus
Christ, the
Blessed Mother,
Metatron,
St. Michael,
St. Jude, and
Padre Pio for
favors granted
and numerous
miracles
performed in
my life.

Faith
is the strongest
tool
you'll ever
need!

~~ ? ~ ? ~ ? ~
DID YOU
KNOW...
~? ~ ? ~ ? ~ ? ~ ? ~ ? ~

Mark
Twain
was an avid
scrapbooker.
He would set
aside his
Sunday
afternoons in
order to
remain
current on his
albums.

He is also the
inventor of
the first
"self-pasting"
scrapbook
album.

Phone:
(504)
812-2261

Toll Free:
(866)
949-9683

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