The Bottom Line
Various brands and formats are available, including ink-jet printer sheets (Buy Direct) and larger, paintable sheets (Buy Direct).
Pros
- Can be put through printer more than once if you haven't cut sheet up.
- Cuts easily, with a scissors or rotary cutter/knife on a cutting board.
Cons
- Magnetic sheet may upset electronic components of printer ink cartridges.
- Not cheap, so print a test sheet on normal paper before using a magnetic sheet.
Description
- Magnetic sheet with paper stuck to it, designed to be put through an ink-jet printer like thin card.
- Cuts easily with a pair of scissors, or a blade.
- Various brands available. Search for "digital paper" if you can't find it.
Guide Review - Printable Magnetic Paper
I bought a packet of Print'Jet Magnetic Paper with the thought of creating some fridge magnets of my paintings. I first tried it through my new inkjet photo printer (Epson Stylus D92), but it upset the electronics on the black ink cartridge, which refused to work or reload and in the end I had to throw it away. I then tried it on my old inkjet printer (Lexmark Z51) and it printed no problem, going through like a sheet of thin card.
Print'Jet Magnetic Paper is a thin sheet of magnet with a matt piece of paper stuck to it. You can peel the two apart if you're determined, but it didn't come apart anywhere when I cut up the art quotes I'd printed (printable quotes). The print quality was as good as on a normal sheet of paper.
I also tried some watercolor and water-soluble crayon on the paper (see larger photo). It worked as if I was painted on a thin sheet of very absorbent paper, and I don't think would take much reworking without the paper lifting off. The pieces dried a bit bent, but flattened easily with some gentle persuasion by my fingers (the magnet wasn't strong enough to pull it flat when stuck to a metal surface).
Although I'll never try this paper again in my better inkjet printer, I foresee having fun with the other sheets in this pack (there were only five; it's not the cheapest of papers to play with). Right now I've a line of art-quote magnets on the metal shelves in my studio, and I'll soon be giving friends and family fridge magnets to advertise my website.
