I print on photo paper to make front panels for electronic projects. It's fine under thin acrylic sheet. Yeah, the toner transfer method[1] produces superior r

I print on photo paper to make front panels for electronic projects. It's fine under thin acrylic sheet. Yeah, the toner transfer method[1] produces superior results, but when it's gear for my own use, I cant be bothered with the faffing around. Sometimes I print photos too, just to have them around. With me it's "out of sight, out of mind", so I like to have the physical object as a reminder of something. Using your own printer on site has much less friction than using an upload-and-wait service. All that said: yes it's getting to be a niche thing these days. 1. Laser print a reversed image in heavy lines onto an overhead transparency sheet, then use a hot clothes iron to melt the toner onto your shiny aluminium front panel. Three layers, tea towel, OHP, front panel. Then spray your panel with satin or semi-matte clear lacquer--once you've scrubbed off the metal front panel and repeated the printing and ironing often enough to get something that looks OK.