It’s so easy to transfer words or quotes onto rocks! All you need is wax paper and an inkjet printer- along with the rocks, of course! The ones I used came from leftover flat rock mosaic tiles because I love upcycling, and that’s what I had on hand. If you’re looking for upcycling inspiration, check out this post or this one.
The rocks I used varied in size and shape, the smallest being about 1 1/2″ long and the largest 2 1/4″ long.
Gather your supplies to transfer words on rocks
- Light-coloured flat rocks or rocks that you can print on
- Inkjet printer
- Computer paper
- Wax paper
- Spray glue or double-sided tape
- Scissors
- Clear Spray (matte or satin) to seal the ink
1. Download quotes
Below is a sample of 21 lake quotes to transfer on rocks. Download the mirror image quotes for free. You may, however, prefer to make your own list of words or quotes. If so, I did mine in Canva using Special Elite font size 17.6.
2. Print the quotes onto wax paper
Before you print the quotes for the transfer on rocks, you’ll need to attach the wax paper to an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of computer paper. I like to use spray glue, but you can also use two-sided tape around the outside edges. If you opt for spray glue, a light coat is all you need; otherwise, the wax paper won’t peel off.
- Lightly spray the computer paper with spray glue.
- Cut off a piece of wax paper big enough to fit on the computer paper.
- Smooth out the wax paper, then trim the edges even with the computer paper.
- Now that the wax paper is attached to the computer paper, place it in the printer, making sure it’s the wax paper that will be printed on.
- Once it’s printed, be careful not to touch the ink.
3. Transfer onto the rocks
Before you do the transfer on the rocks, I have a few tips to share.
- Don’t touch the ink or let it bump into anything.
- Cut out one quote at a time, transfer it to a rock then cut out the next quote. This reduces the chance of smudging the ink.
- You have one shot at placing the transfer down because if you move it, there will be traces of ink on the rock.
- If the paper moves when rubbing, the ink will smudge on the rock, so hold it tight!
- Lightly rub the paper with the side of your thumb. Too much pressure all at once can cause the ink to spread.
- Cut out your first quote and peel the wax paper from the computer paper, being careful not to touch the ink.
- Once it’s cut, flip it over so the ink side is facing down, taking away the mirror image look.
- Hover the quote over the rock. Once you have the best placement for it, lightly place it on the rock.
- Using your thumb and forefinger, hold the paper taught at both ends so that when you rub the ink off, the paper won’t move.
- I use the side of my thumb or finger to gently rub the letters to transfer the ink onto the rock.
- Set it aside and move on to the next rock.
4. Add a clear spray to protect the ink
Once all the transfers are done on the rocks, it’s time to protect the ink with a clear spray. My favourite fast-drying Spray is Rustoleum in a matte or satin finish, but if you have a favourite spray, use that.
And that’s all there is to it! You don’t have to use the same type of rocks I did; you might have some you found or bought that will work just as well! Happy crafting!
