Take your gift giving to the next level with custom screen printed wrapping paper!  There are so many possibilities with this.  You can print a design to match a particular birthday theme or print a name to personalize paper.

I printed a mason jar design (found in Cricut Design Space) and tied wildflowers to the top of the package.  This is a fun way to add a special touch to your gift.

Supplies Needed for Screen Printing Wrapping Paper

• Screen Printing Frame
• 6″ Squeegee or 9″ Squeegee
• Acrylic Screen Printing Ink (I used black)
• Oracal 651 Vinyl
• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Mat
• My Favorite Transfer Tape
• Painter’s Tape
• Heat Gun (optional)
• Brown Kraft Paper
• Mason Jar fromCricut Design Space (#M133689D5, removed the seahorse)
• Wildflowers
• Clear Tape for wrapping
• Jute Twine

Screen Printing with Vinyl

If you are just getting started screen printing with your Cricut or Silhouette, this is a great page for beginner screen printing tips.  I share tips and tricks for screen printing on everything!  I love using my Cricut to cut designs that can be screen printed on so many different surfaces.  I screen print a lot of t-shirts, but I also love getting creative with projects like this one.

Once you have transferred your vinyl design to your screen printing frame, the process is just the same as screen printing on other surfaces.  Place your screen on the paper and squeegee a coat of acrylic ink.  I found that 1-2 passes with the squeegee was the perfect amount.

Allow your ink to dry and it's ready for wrapping.  To tie the flowers to the paper, I poked 2 holes near the top of the jar.  Pull your string through from the back and tie your flowers in place.

To see the this process in action, watch the video below.

Tips for Screen Printing on Kraft Paper

• I use Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink to print on paper.  This ink is designed to work with the Screen Printing Frame.  The ink dries permanent.
• 1-2 passes with the squeegee was the perfect amount of ink.  If you press too much ink through, it will start to bleed outside of your vinyl design.  If this happens, try to wipe off the back of your screen and print a few test copies before using again.
• This ink dries quickly but if you want to speed up the process to wrap your gift immediately, you can use a heat gun to dry the ink in less than a minute!
• Measure your gift first to determine where you need to place your print.  This will help save paper and make sure your design is centered.

Love this project?  Check out more screen printing project ideas here and subscribe to my newsletter for the latest inspiration sent to your inbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fabric ink on paper?

Yes!  If you only have Speedball fabric ink on hand, you can use it for screen printing on paper.  I like having the acrylic ink for these types of projects, because it dries quickly and permanently on paper. I also use acrylic ink when screen printing on wood, disposable napkins and more.

Why screen print instead of just applying adhesive vinyl to the wrapping paper?

The reason I love screen printing is that you can use one piece of vinyl (as a stencil) and print the design over and over.  With this one vinyl cut, I was able to print multiple pieces of wrapping paper.  If you use adhesive vinyl, you would use more vinyl… plus, you'd have to weed the design for each piece!

How long does it take the ink to dry?

Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink air dries much faster than fabric ink.  Usually the ink is dry to the touch within 20 minutes.  Once the acrylic ink is dry, there is no need to heat set the ink.

How do I clean my screen?

Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink cleans off your screen with just water.  I like to use the sprayer attachment on my sink and rarely need to add any soap to remove the ink.  For more tips on how to maintain your screen printing frames, download my screen printing ebook.

Screen Printing on Kraft Paper and Wrapping with Flowers