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Directions for Grafix Shrink Film

Grafix Plastic Shrink Film is similar to "Shrinky Dinks," a popular children's game during the 1970s and 1980s. The shrink film is cut, baked and decorated to create projects as varied as jewelry, Christmas ornaments, key chains and bookmarks. The product is available in white and clear and can be put through a regular inkjet printer in order to transfer an image to the shrink film. Otherwise, the finished product is cooled and decorated with markers.

Things You'll Need

Small weight
Marker
Colored pencils
Stencil
Sand paper
Craft scissors
Oven or toaster oven
Brown paper
Shallow metal baking pan
Oven mitt

Instructions

- 1
  Lay the Grafix Plastic Shrink Film onto a flat surface. Place books or any other small weights onto the four corners of the film to prevent the edges from curling or moving.
- 2
  Trace or draw a design onto the film with a marker or colored pencil. Use a stencil to create an image or draw a free-hand picture onto the film.
- 3
  Sand down the top of the plastic film lightly with a 280 or 320 grit sandpaper.
- 4
  Cut out the image with a pair of sharp craft scissors. Use high quality scissors to ensure that the edges are crisp and straight.
- 5
  Preheat a regular oven or toaster oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 6
  Set a piece of parchment paper onto a shallow metal baking pan.
- 7
  Place the cut-out Grafix Plastic Shrink Film piece on top of the parchment paper.
- 8
  Set a second piece of parchment paper on top of the shrink film. This will prevent the film from curling in on itself during the baking process.
- 9
  Bake the shrink film for two to three minutes before removing the metal baking pan with an oven mitt.
- 10
  Allow the Grafix Plastic Shrink Film to cool completely, which generally takes around five to 15 minutes, before carefully lifting off the paper and removing the plastic shrink piece.

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