While the title of this article describes this technique well, it's not an entirely accurate description.  After experimenting with the process, I've decided that “faux stamping” could be another suitable title.  Read on and you’ll see why.  It's a fairly easy technique.  

SUPPLIES:

• inkjet printer

• slick transparency or trimmed glossy page protector

• burnisher (e.g. stylus or popsicle stick)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Type or design what you wish in a program like Microsoft Word. 

2. Before printing, select “best” print quality to obtain the most ink.  You will also need to change the setting to print “mirror image” or “flip horizontally”.  These custom options are usually found by clicking the properties button in the pop-up print box.

3. Print on the slick side of the transparency.

4. Turn the transparency over to transfer the wet ink to your paper (i.e. slick side down) and rub with a popsicle stick.  Viola!  You are done.

Now, down to the nitty gritty.  Here are some things I’ve discovered along the way.  First of all, this does not transfer perfectly to textured cardstock.  Textured cardstock gives it more of a distressed look which is kind of cool, thus the “faux stamping” title I mentioned earlier.  The results look much more like a stamp than a rub-on.  If you use flat cardstock (or the other side of the textured stuff), the image will transfer more evenly because the ink soaks easily into the paper.  You must also carefully hold down the transparency so it doesn’t move on ya and smear.  I’ve heard that letting the ink set for a few minutes before applying it to paper can help.  However, I didn’t notice a big difference.  In fact, I got the best results when I used my transparency straight from the printer.

• You can position your DIY rub-on anywhere on your layout.  This is especially helpful if you don’t have a wide-format printer that prints on 12x12 paper.  
• Maybe you do have a wide-format printer, but don’t want to spend the time lining everything up.  This technique is much easier.
• Pretty cheap.  The transparency can be re-used (unlike traditional rub-ons).  The leftover ink can be wiped away with a paper towel.

• It can be messy and you have to be careful to hold onto the transparency tightly or it will move and smear.  Just trust me on this one.
• Personally, I think the only reason this beats regular printing is the ease of getting an image anywhere you want on your paper.
• It doesn’t work on textured paper.  Well, it does works, but the image comes out very light.  It has the distressed look I mentioned earlier.

Above, the top image was applied to textured cardstock.  The bottom image was applied to flat cardstock.

In this layout, the {pink} in my title is a rub-on that I made myself.  It was applied to the back of textured cardstock.  I outlined the letters a little to give them more definition.

I also used this technique for the black flowers using one transparency about three times to get the lighter-looking flowers.  The same way you'd use a stamp several times -- each image becomes lighter with each application. 

So, play around with this technique and tell me what you think.  I’d love to know!