Editor’s Note: Shannon Goff and students completed a mural for Corl St. Elementary using CerPrint and 12 x 24 tiles bought at a home supply store. Shannon earned her BFA from University of Michigan and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Back to school will look a little different this year at Corl St. Elementary. I’m happy to share that after four wild years of proposals, planning, pandemic, patience, and perseverance, Future Forward, a collaborative tile mural project is now installed.

The lockdown grounded the project in a new way. It begged the question, what is whispering in your ear about the future of the world? And so, we began a distanced conversation about world building and what kind of world we want to live in post COVID-19. Future Forward served as a vehicle tethering together the schoolchildren no matter what form of learning they were pursuing– in-person, remote, or virtual.

Through a series of curated storybooks and drawing prompts, we collected 400+ drawings over the course of the year. These drawings were cut and collaged, scanned, digitized and cataloged. My team and I then began building the world in black and white with the inventory of drawings before inlaying custom color by hand.

Part of my 2018 sabbatical proposal was to return to landmarks in my life, but also leave new marks on the land to return to again and again. I had notions of what this might look like but never quite imagined the collaborative effort that yielded the glimmering jewel that now graces a once dull and under-recognized hallway space.

As a mother and an artist, I felt propelled to engage the children through art while making memories with my own kids. How could I elevate the children’s artwork and freeze this moment in time? My answer became a ceramic decal printer and an unmatched team of talented students which fortunately coupled well with my inherent desire for community building. There is something so powerful about the timeless yet fleeting nature of a children’s drawing and concretizing it through the ceramic firing process.

Future Forward exists as a living history, a time capsule of sorts noting COVID-19 and other cultural happenings we’ve collectively endured. I’m most impressed by and must acknowledge our children’s’ ability to be perceptive citizens of the world.

Gratitude & Event Details

Deep gratitude to Dr. Mark and the Corl St, PTO for supporting this effort.

Special thanks to Kristine Schwab as well as Miss Latorre and Shannon Stallings for their energy, commitment, and support. I couldn’t have done this without all of you.

I was fortunate to work with a gifted team of women artists and former PSU SoVA students including Audrey An, Yeonhye Park, Anna B Graef. Team GSD, nothing but love. Donny Houtz from @dripwoodwrx assisted with wall prep, a serious game changer for us. Andrew Castaneda-Quintero photographed the final installation. Thank you, gentlemen, for your expertise.

The community I’ve felt through this project has been something to behold. I am forever grateful to you all.

Adventures in World Building has always been at the core of this project. When I look back at the proposal, I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished. Despite all the road bumps, we’ve stayed true to our charge.

“We believe Future Forward will provide students with a connection to community and place during an unprecedented time of social distancing. It will also give permanence to student artwork; harness student creativity in response to the current global context; and give voice to student narratives of hope, questioning, and wonder.”

That all said, I look forward to sharing the mural with you all in person.

If you are in town, please join us at Corl St Elementary on Saturday, September 17 from 1-3:00 pm.

The post Future Forward Tile Mural appeared first on CerPrint.

Quick Reference Guide

Perhaps you know exactly where your CerPrint Ceramic Decal Printer user manuals are. If they are buried in a drawer somewhere, no worries. This reference guide is for you.

• Only feed CerPrint Ceramic Decal Papers into the machine using the bypass tray. Using trays 1 or 2 for decal printing may cause jams.
• Jammed paper may be covered with unfused toner. Avoid getting toner on your hands or clothes.
• After clearing a decal paper jam, toner may insufficiently fuse and smudge. Make test prints on regular paper until smudges disappear.
• Do not forcefully remove jammed decal paper because it may tear. Leaving torn pieces inside the machine will cause further jams and possibly damage the printer.
• Decal paper jams can cause pages to be lost from the job. Check your print job for missing pages and reprint any pages that did not print.

Removing a jam from bypass tray

1. Carefully remove the jammed paper from bypass tray.

2. Close the bypass tray.

3. Push the side button opening the front cover and then carefully lower it.

4. Grasp the center of the print cartridge and carefully raise it slightly before pulling it out horizontally.
• Place the print cartridge on paper or other material to avoid dirtying your workspace.

5. Lift the A lever and carefully remove all jammed decal paper.

6. Slide the print cartridge in horizontally. When the cartridge can go no farther, raise it slightly and push it in fully. Then push down on the cartridge until it clicks into place.

7. Using both hands, gently close the front cover.

8. Jams may also occur in the fuser area. Open the rear cover by folding it back and down, away from you. Inspect the fuser area to see if paper is jammed there. Be careful. The fuser rollers will be hot. We recommend you let the printer cool down before removing the jam.

9. There are two green tabs on either side of the fuser rollers. Move both down until they snap into the ”Down” position. This relieves the spring tension on the rollers. Grasp the jammed paper on either side with your fingers and pull gently until it is free of the fuser.

10. Above the fuser rollers you will see a set of small plastic rollers. Look to see if any decal material has adhered there. If so, snap out each roller and clean it off with alcohol or the edge of an exacto knife. Snap it back in and proceed as before until all the rollers are clean.

11. Return the green tabs to the “Up” position and close the rear door.

12. We recommend running 5-6 sheets of plain copy paper through the printer to clean any toner and/or decal material of the main fuser rollers before printing another job. This is easily done by creating a Word document with a single period in it and setting the copy count to five.

13. After printing, inspect the front and back of the sheets for any toner smudges or particles of decal film. If the last page is not clean, repeat the process until it is.

The post Clearing Paper Jams appeared first on CerPrint.

He’s also been interviewed recently by Paul Blais, host of “The Potter’s Cast.” Here’s a link to the podcast where Tom talks about using decals, avoiding copyright pitfalls, shitcoin and CerPrint.

The post CerPrint NCECA Giveaway appeared first on CerPrint.

“I took a ceramics class in high school because my guidance counselor suggested it and fell in love that first week. I kept it up as a hobby through college. I graduated with a history major—few jobs–and decided I’d run away and joined the circus,” Tom said.

He opened a studio where he produced traditional ceramics and reduction ware full-time from 1978 through 1984. Originally Tom drew a dog named Wally as a joke. Then his Wally mugs drew the most customer attention at a craft fair.

“People filled my booth looking for the Wally pots. So WallyPots was born. Wally led to all types of imagery and cartoons on custom ceramics. People are buying an idea on the pot.” he said.

In 2017 Tom drew a cartoon of a farting unicorn and posted a photo of it to social media. Two months later that exact cartoon showed up as the screen icon in all the Tesla touch screens.

“I wasn’t asked about (using) it. I got more unicorn mug sales, but then a major magazine covering Musk and Tesla alleged that, ‘Elon Musk drew a farting unicorn.’ And I went: Wait! That’s my artwork! My resolution in 2018 was to do something about it,” Tom explained.

Tom realized he was negotiating with a major corporation so he hired a smart lawyer. He kept things off the radar until Tesla ignored their request for a fair use fee for six weeks. He reached out to a journalist friend at “Westword” in Denver which printed an article about the copyright issue. Then his rock musician daughter, Lisa Prank, tweeted about it. When Musk responded on Twitter, it started a Tweet Storm that was picked up by Sam Levin, a tech reporter at “The Guardian.” That’s when J.K. Rowling entered the Twitter fray sending the “Guardian” article to her followers. Musk and Tesla eventually agreed to settle.

“Funny story. I used some of the settlement to buy my first CerPrint ceramic decal printer so I can produce more WallyPots and easily add art to my work,” Tom said.

Tom is giving a two-part lecture at NCECA 2022. He’ll be talking about his epic copyright battle and then he’ll discuss copyright 101. “This is especially important for any ceramic artists using art from outside sources. It’s easy to infringe another artist’s copyright with the printing options we have today. It’s also easy to secure copyright permission with a little planning,” he said. There are also steps artists must take to copyright their own work.

CerPrint Ceramic Printer Giveaway

Assuring copyright is important. That’s why CerPrint is supporting Tom’s NCECA lecture by giving away a CerPrint Black or CerPrint Blue ceramic decal printing system ($695 value) to one of Tom’s lecture attendees. Must be present to win.

Tom mugged us, too!

The mug is one of his new COVID 2020 series. It is wheel-thrown, high fire porcelain. The decals were fired to 1440 F.

Follow Tom on Instagram @TomEdwardsPottery or go to https://www.wallypots.com.

NCECA “Fertile Ground”
March 16-19, 2022
Sacramento, CA
https://nceca.net/2022-sacramento/

The post Yes, Virginia, The Farting Unicorn is Copyrighted appeared first on CerPrint.

Using ceramic decals from her CerPrint printer, Liz Colyar mugged us with one of her Ultra Cups. The CIA’s mind control LSD experiments run in the 1950s and early ‘60s inspired this cup series. Liz creates her mugs using InDesign and computer clipart she prints using CerPrint Black.

“I’ve even used ceramic decals making my own Satanic Coexist mugs for fun. There’s a big punk scene here in Philly that loves them,” said the Philadelphia University of the Arts graduate.

Using CerPrint ceramic decals

When Liz used outside decal sources, she wasn’t happy with the lag time and says they were expensive. “I researched ceramic decal printers on Google. CerPrint’s crisp, flat black was really important to me. The printer was in a good price range and the quality was there. I love it!”

In addition to her ceramic studio, Liz works for a high-end lighting company fabricating hand-built ceramic lighting for restaurants, businesses, showrooms and custom orders.

“With my CerPrint decal printer, the turnaround time is quicker. That allowed me to produce and sell more of my personal work. This year I was able go part-time at the lighting company.”

See more: lizcolyar.com, Instagram @LizColyar

Mugshot Mondays

Submit your most creative mug created using ceramic decals from your CerPrint ceramic decal printer.

The post We’ve been Mugged! appeared first on CerPrint.

“PBS News Hour CANVAS”
How artist Roberto Lugo is upending porcelain traditions with his personal, cultural roots

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-artist-roberto-lugo-is-upending-porcelain-traditions-with-his-personal-cultural-roots
Roberto explains his exhibit at the Currier Museum of Art in New Hampshire, “features images of protests, of historical figures like Angela Davis and Black thought and people that have really inspired me to make me who I am. I couldn’t be that without those people.” His family features prominently in the displayed works.

“CBS Sunday Morning”
Philadelphia Pottery Artist Roberto Lugo

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/philadelphia-pottery-artist-roberto-lugo/
Roberto creates a modern spin on classic teapots and ceramics. He was introduced to ceramics at a community college in his mid-20s. Roberto eventually earned a master’s degree from the Penn State School of Visual Arts.

Some of Roberto’s works sell for tens of thousands of dollars. “Yea this is going to a fellow potter, Seth Rogan,” Roberto explained to CBS Correspondent, Serena Altschul. “For me, being ghetto is where my life begins, and it’s where I get my creativity and my resourcefulness. So I really want to represent that wherever I go.”

The Met Fifth Avenue beginning Nov. 5, 2021.
“Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room”

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2021/afrofuturist-period-room

The room story begins with the real history of a vibrant community founded by free black tenants and landowners. Seneca Village flourished from 1820 to 1850 near The Met’s modern site. According to The Met, the City of New York destroyed Seneca Village in 1857. It used eminent domain to seize land and construct Central Park. That decision made way for a different type of place intended for a wholly different community.”

See more: robertolugostudio.com, Instagram @robertolugowithoutwax

The post Roberto Lugo: Images of Protest, History, Family appeared first on CerPrint.

We may share your photos in our blog, on a social media channel and post them to our gallery. We always credit the artist and will add your website if there are enough characters available (yes, we mean you, Twitter). Please title the piece and tell us a bit about how you produced it.

Have you completed other work using CerPrint? We’d like to see those, too!

Speaking of Sharing…

Rebecca Graves, GravesCo Pottery, demoed how she uses her CerPrint ceramic decal printer along with a Silhouette Cameo cutter for all of the production pottery she creates. We’ve just added a link to the specific Silhouette cutter for all our CerPrint users growing their production pottery businesses. You’ll find it in Rebecca’s blog post.

The post Share Mugshots and More appeared first on CerPrint.

She introduced herself on her website this way. “I am a mold breaker whose work is driven by intentional choices, client partnerships, and a love of design that truly functions. In addition to offering a full line of functional ceramics, I love to collaborate with other businesses to create statement pottery that elevates their brand.”

In this showcase she shows viewers how to use the Silhouette Cameo decal cutter in concert with the CerPrint decal printer. To buy a Silhouette cutter to use with your CerPrint for production pottery, go here https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/featured-product/cameo.

Rebecca sent along a second video with three different types of images showing close-ups of the cutter and how to set up the cut lines. Rebecca may be reached through Instagram @Gravesco. Enjoy!

The post Rebecca Graves Prowse Artist Showcase appeared first on CerPrint.

Jump to Lamination Method How-to Video

Jump to One-Step Paper How-to VIdeo

Over the years, CerPrint has tested many different decal papers. Some were better than others. Some didn’t work at all for ceramic decals. Sometimes the printer fuser wasn’t hot enough or the fuser was too hot. Some papers frequently jammed in the printer. Others were not made right and had pits or points in the film. I could go on and on.

Additionally, we experienced quality variability. One batch of paper worked great, but the next one had issues. We started providing a 1-step ceramic decal paper containing flux when we launched the CerPrint 3500. It worked very well and was pretty consistent. However, there came a time when we could no longer get that specific paper.

We switched to another paper. It worked but required internal printer setpoint changes to work well. Another pain, because we had to issue a technical bulletin telling users how to make those changes.

I finally had enough. The variability was just too great and some of our users had issues.

I had been playing around with what is known as the lamination method in the meantime. I realized a couple of things. Because we print on what’s known as white waterslide paper, we were eliminating the issue of surface quality. Waterslide paper is a somewhat thick, very absorbent paper used to make all decal papers. It has a shiny side which coated with an organic release agent that dissolves when soaked. Because it is made in huge quantities the process is highly mechanized. It results in consistent surface quality from sheet to sheet and batch to batch.

What we are really doing with the lamination process is making a decal sheet. You print on the shiny side of the white waterslide paper. Great and consistent image quality. Laser printers like smooth surfaces! Then you take a sheet of what’s called donor paper and lay it over the printed side of the white waterslide sheet. The donor paper consists of a thin backing sheet and decal film. Then you run the sandwiched sheets through an inexpensive laminator, like the ones used to enclose ID cards in plastic. Some of the artists using CerPrint run the sandwiched papers through the laminator more than once. We recommend the Scotch TL906 model available through many retailers like Amazon.

After running through the laminator, you peel the thin backing sheet from the donor paper and discard it. The film on the donor paper has now been laminated to the white waterslide paper that you printed. Now, you have a complete decal sheet with your images. It is ready to cut, soak and apply, like any other decal media.

I am a convert. No more banging my head against my desk due to damaged and unusable decal sheets. Lamination is simple and works the same way every time.

We now have three different lamination donor papers available. A high fire (1550F), a low fire (1200F) and an unfluxed paper for in-glaze firing. You can order waterslide and lamination donor papers for your CerPrint ceramic decal printers on this site in our Shop.

Check out our short video below showing how to use the lamination method.

Please contact me at by email if you have any questions.

The post Decal Paper Saga appeared first on CerPrint.

After retiring from teaching high school ceramics, she began exploring surface decoration in more depth. She started using sepia decals and began silk-screening images. Silk-screening required quite a few steps and the supplies took up a lot of space. She heard about CerPrint Black. She now scans in an image, prints, laminates and layers decals in many ways.

Her short video illustrates her process and how she uses CerPrint. (3 min.)

The post Lisa Rogers Artist Showcase appeared first on CerPrint.