Ever consider tracing paper, or `onion skin' paper. These should be available at any office supply store.

For extremely clear results, consider using the clear plastic sheets made for overhead transparencies. I'm not sure how well the epoxy would hold to a full sheet of this stuff, but I'd guess a piece the size of a business card should work.

Or, try this idea: Get a silicone coated `release' sheet. If you use labels, this is the piece that the labels are originally stuck to, but they can peel off this, easily. The backing sheet from ``contact'' paper (the self adhesive shelf paper you can buy in a grocery or craft store) also works.

Set your printer to print the image as a mirror image. and print out your image on the release paper. depending on the release paper, I've had spotty results with this. Sometimes letters or parts of images don't stick, but usually I get 1 good one out of 2 or 3 tries. This is a delicate image. This much I've tried, and do occasionally for transfers to paper or fabric. What follows is speculative:

When you put on the second coat of resin, wait until it starts to set up. It should not be runny, but still tacky. Take the printed relase sheet and gently press it onto the epoxy. Gently ! You should be able to then peel off the paper, and have the letters or pictures remain embedded in the resin.

If this messes up, wait until the resin is hard, and sand off the image. Otherwise, gently apply another coat of resin, which you can sand gently, and then finish with varnish in the usual fashion. If things go well, you'll have an opaque black image floating in the clear finish, with no discernable background. Paul Jacobson

Paul Jacobson