Name: Teri B
Message: I want to do some setacolor leaf prints. Is there a way to set them without sunlight? It's getting cold here in northern Ohio!

Yes, you can use any very bright lamp that produces a lot of infrared light. Special infrared lamps are sold for use in warming food (in restaurants) or people (in bathrooms), or you can use an exceptionally bright halogen or incandescent lamp. You should be able to feel a significant amount of heat on your skin when you place your hand under the lamp, because it is the radiant heat that does the work in sunprinting.

Place the lamp as close to the surface of the fabric as is practical, and expose the leaf-covered paint to the light until it is dry, or nearly so, and you can see the desired difference between the covered and uncovered sections of the fabric. Note that even after heat-setting the paint with an iron, it is best to let the painted fabric age for a week or two before washing.

See also "What types of dye are used in sun printing?", in this weblog, from April 21, 2005.



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