Fun Lesson Plans: Teach Children About Art & Printing With Glowing Ink

Teachers and parents can turn this fun project into an educational activity.

Now that we have officially entered the summer season and many kids are out of school on vacation, parents and teachers all across the country are looking for fun ways that they can keep kids active with stimulating activities, while also keeping them entertained during the long summer afternoons.

Whether you are a teacher who is keeping your students on track this summer through educational camps and tutoring, or you are a parent who is simply looking to keep your child’s mind working hard until the next school year resumes, there are a number of fun lesson plans out there that mix fun with learning.

One such activity that both yourself and your kids may enjoy is creating glowing art with your very own printer. This fun project not only gets the creative juices flowing and encourages children to be imaginative, but it also teaches them about the printing process―an everyday activity that they may use, but not necessarily understand.

Therefore, to help kids get creative with learning this summer, here are some basic steps on how to create custom glowing art photos with your at-home printer.

1. Gather Necessary Materials

In order to print a glowing photograph, you need to add a specific chemical to normal ink in order to cause it to glow in the dark. This can be done with the following materials:

• An empty printer cartridge
• A refill of printer ink
• An empty syringe (can be found at any major pharmaceutical store)
• Colored glow powder (can be found at craft and science stores)

2. Prepare The Glowing Ink

In order to get your photograph to glow, you need to create your own custom glowing ink cartridge to put into your printer. To create this ink, you are going to combine 1/4 teaspoon of your glow powder with 3 teaspoons of ink from your refill ink cartridge in a small bowl. Next, put the mixture into the microwave for 20-30 seconds in order to blend it completely.

3. Fill Your Custom Glowing Ink Cartridge

Once your mixture is complete, use your syringe to draw up the ink. This is what you will use to fill your empty printer cartridge. Most printer ink cartridges can be refilled through refill holes located underneath their label.  However, if your cartridge is missing these refill holes, simply pop off the cap and inject the glowing ink from the top. Next, add the cap back onto the cartridge and insert it into your printer.

4. Print Your Pages

Once your glowing ink cartridge has been inserted into your printer, print a couple of test photos in order to get the ink to start flowing well. Once the ink begins dispensing, you can print out any image of your choosing. However, once the image has printed, you will need to “charge” the ink by shining a bright light onto the paper for 60-80 seconds. Sunlight typically works best for this process, but black light or a bright light source will work also.

5. View Your Glowing Work Of Art

Once you have charged your image, it is time to turn off all of the lights and watch your photo glow. The light may fade after a couple of minutes, but if you continue to expose the image to bright light or black light, it will continue to glow each time you turn off the lights!

If you have followed our simple steps above in order to create your own custom glowing masterpiece, be sure to share your artwork on our Ink Technologies Facebook or Twitter page. We would love to see your creation! Also be sure to check out our inkjet cartridges brand pages in order to stock up on regular ink once your activity is complete.