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How to Make Your Own Gloss Paper

For whatever reason, you want to make your paper glossy yourself, instead of buying already glossy paper. Maybe you want to preserve your work, or maybe you only want select parts of your paper to be glossy. Depending on your purpose and the effect you're going for, there are two ways to go about doing this. Both methods are easy. One is free; the other is cheap, and both produce a nice glossy effect.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Burnishing tool, such as a metal spoon, a bone folder or a billiards ball, or
  • Can of spray gloss, available at craft and home improvement stores
  • Newsprint
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Instructions

  1. Partially Glossy Paper

    • 1
      Draw first.

      If you only want parts of the paper to be glossy, burnishing is the easiest way to achieve that effect. Burnishing flattens the tooth, or texture, of the paper, which causes it to reflect light in one direction. Textured paper reflects light in many different directions, dissipating it and giving the paper a matte look.

      Start out by drawing your design on the paper.

    • 2
      Use the back of the spoon to burnish your paper.

      Take your spoon or bone folder and rub the back on the parts of the paper you want glossy in one direction. Depending on the size of the area you want glossy, you may use the back of a fingernail.

    • 3

      Rub those same parts of the paper perpendicular to your direction in step 2.

    Totally Glossy Paper

    • 4
      Draw first.

      You may make your paper by burnishing as described in the previous section, or you may choose to use a spray gloss.

      Start out by drawing on your paper.

    • 5

      Lay your paper on newsprint to protect your work surface.

    • 6

      Spray the gloss evenly across your paper according to product instructions.

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