First Step- Buying Transparencies.
What- Most important is to make sure that you get transparencies for inkjet printers, otherwise it will smear all over. The inkjet ones have one side that is rougher than the other side and the ink will then dry after about 5 minutes. Since the film is not porous, it will need this time to dry.  So be patient!

Where- You can go to any office supply store, or Walmart and buy a box or Kinko's sells them by the sheet as does online scrap stores like Scraps Ahoy. Another option to look into is if you simply wanted quotes printed on a transparency to have the office stores copy it for you. Way cheaper than buying a whole box!

How- Set your printer to "transparencies" which you should find under your printer options. The ink will layer differently which makes it not smear. If you want to get more technical- set your printer to the reverse print option when you're printing on the rough side, but want the smooth shiny side to be face up on your layout.

Second Step- What To Do With Them.

Think transparencies are only for journaling?? Think again! Other things you can do is print your photos or designs. Or to go a step beyond that- print your photo out on photo paper and another on the transparency and layer them on top of each other for a look that will pop off the page. For a more artistic look print one photo on the photo paper & another photo on the transparency and layer. Voila! Just like the ones at the store!

Other ideas:

• shaker boxes
• stamp on them with StazOn ink
• glitter or glue on back for a stained glass look
• write or doodle on them with permanent ink
• paint with acrylic paint
• emboss (be careful of warping)

Things to remember- if you are buying transparencies that are made by scrapbook companies you are safe, but if you are buying them from an office supply store you will want polyester film or mylar…stay away from acetate as it is bad for photos…I've heard that acetate is for the most part a thing of the past but if you can take a second to look it's worth it.

When adhering transparencies to your page, use adhesives that dry clear, such as Diamond Glaze, vellum tape or you can hide regular adhesives under paper pieces and embellishments. Other ways to hold your transparency in place is staples, clips, snaps, paperclips, photo corners, stitching, sewing and brads to add additional interest to your design. You can use vellum or adhesive spray too, but you'll need to give it even coverage all the way to the edges - if it's a bit patchy, the transparency can look a touch cloudy. Apart from vellum spray, if it's only a small piece of a transparency, you can also put it through the Xyron.

Take a look at the transparency layouts Scribbles members have done..