How To Video
Instructions:
Step 1: Prepare
Prepare a clean and dry workspace for your fish.
Step 2: Gauze
Dry the fish with paper towels or gauze included in the kit.
Pay careful attention to areas that could hold liquid like the gills and under the fins. A completely dry fish will print best.
Step 3: Towelette
Before each print, use a towelette in the PaperFin baggies to thoroughly dab the fish in an up and down motion - avoid using a wiping motion on smooth fish. You can dab the towelette with & against the grain of the scales for fuller coverage. The towelette can be used multiple times if working with a dry fish.
***Do not touch the paper until you have followed Step 4. Anything that has touched the PaperFin towelette can leave marks on the paper.***
Step 4: Wet Nap
Clean your hands thoroughly to avoid making marks on the printing paper with the included wet wipe or with soap and water.
Step 5: Print Fish
Place the paper on top of the fish. There is a "Print on other side" stamp on the non-printing side of the paper. Keeping the paper still, press or rub gently over the fish. Make sure to rub over all nooks and crevices for added detail.
Step 6: Remove the Paper
Gently peel the paper off the fish. The print dries immediately and will not smudge. You may roll the print up and put back in the tube for safe keeping.
You will learn a lot from your first print.
Positioning:
In order to produce as many prints as possible think about the size of the print you would like and space the prints accordingly to produce multiple prints on each sheet.
You can cut the paper into the size you're looking for to print on smaller pieces of paper.
Do not reprint over an existing print. Do not lift paper off fish until you are finished.
If the fish is bigger than the sheet (wow!), printing half of it on one sheet and the other half on another sheet is an option, as well as partial prints, like the tail.
Towelette:
Avoid letting anything that has touched the towelette to come in contact with the paper. Fingerprints are the most common mistake here.
The towelette used in Step 3 can be used multiple times before discarding.
Each fish prints differently, mainly due to the unique texture of the scales. For smoother fish, like trout or salmon, you can apply more or less towelette on parts of the body to add contour. Feel free to play around with the amount of towelette usage to see different results.
The towelette can be wiped onto "scaly" fish but should be dabbed in an up and down motion on smoother fish.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is PaperFin?
PaperFin (USPTO patent pending) provides a clean, non-toxic, simple and highly effective way to print your fish using ink free technology. The procedure is modeled after the ancient Japanese art form "Gyotaku" which translates to "fish rubbing".
What can I print?
PaperFin focuses on printing fish. We invite you to print the fish you want to keep before the cleaning and filleting process. Keep in mind, you do not have to print the entire fish. Partial fish prints, like the tail, provide great and memorable keepsakes of your catch as well.
Is it safe? Can I eat the fish after printing?
Contents of the PaperFin printing kit are non-toxic. No significant adverse effects are expected if ingested and the contents should not be considered food. We recommend maintaining sanitary conditions before, during and after the printing process. Disclosures can also be found on the back of the instructions sheet included in the kit.
Yes, we encourage you to eat the fish after you print it. We recommend rinsing clean and filleting the fish after printing. Please keep the fish in a cool or refrigerated space until cooking.
Where can I buy a kit?