How do you use Shrinky Dinks
Joseph Russell
Updated on April 23, 2026
Place Shrinky Dinks® pieces, colored side up, on tray or cookie sheet covered with foil or brown paper. Heat at 325°F (163°C) for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch as the Shrinky Dinks® shrink. After the pieces lay flat, allow an additional 30 seconds of baking time to complete the process.
What side do you draw on for Shrinky Dinks?
Use colored pencils, markers, and ink on Shrinky Dinks. Use the colored pencil on the rough side of the sheets, and use Sharpie or permanent marker on the smooth side. Some Shrinky Dinks come pre-cut and with designs already outlined on them, and others will just be the plastic sheets.
What is the point of Shrinky Dinks?
Transform any image into a hardened piece of plastic that gets 9 times thicker and can be used for hundreds of applications. They can be used with any permanent coloring media to create useful and meaningful keepsakes, jewelry, ID tags, pins and more.
Do you have to use Sharpies for Shrinky Dinks?
To color them, it is best to use sharpie type permanent markers. … You can also use colored pencils to color shrinky dinks, but the standard, clear kind will need to be sanded lightly in order for the color to transfer onto the plastic.What supplies do you need for Shrinky Dinks?
- a flat piece of #6 plastic.
- permanent markers.
- scissors.
- parchment paper.
- a sheet pan.
- a hole puncher (optional)
How do you put pictures on Shrinky Dinks?
Place your paper into your printer. Be sure to place the paper in the correct way! You want the shrink paper to be printed on, not the copy paper, so, you will (in most cases) place the copy paper side up in the printer. Next, select the photo you want to work with.
How do you seal a Sharpie Shrinky Dink?
- Step 1: Cut out and color your shrink plastic. I use a standard hole punch for the holes. …
- Step 2: Shrink them! I have used two different methods to shrink plastic. …
- Step 3: Seal with embossing powder. …
- Step 4: Let cool. …
- Step 5: Add hardware.
Do crayons work on Shrinky Dinks?
Notes: You can buy all sorts of odd things like special shrinky dink markers and a special oven (that looks a bit like an easy bake oven). … Please don’t use water soluble markers or wax crayons to color the shrinky dinks … They don’t work. Regular school pencil crayons do work just fine.How big should I draw my Shrinky Dinks?
Be sure to format with 8 1/2 X 11 inches. It is important that you use an InkJet printer as this is how the images are transferred to the paper. I use a Canon MX410 and it works wonderfully. You will need to cut your images out of the paper before cooking them.
Can you print pictures on Shrinky Dink paper?Lightly sand one side of the Shrink Film using 220 or 320 grit sand paper and then wipe away the dust. Print your image onto the sanded side of the Shrink Film using your printer’s lowest image quality- the one that uses least amount of ink possible.
Article first time published onHow long do Shrinkies go in the oven for?
Bake in the oven for 2 minutes — Shrinkies will curl up as they shrink before flattening out again. Use an oven mitt to remove tray from oven. Leave for 5 minutes to cool before handling. Once Shrinkies are cool, create your own charm bracelets and necklaces with the enclosed cords and connectors!
Do they still make Shrinky Dink?
Shrinky Dinks were soon licensed to be manufactured by the major toy companies of the time such as Milton Bradley, Colorforms, Western Publishing and Skyline Toys. The shrink plastic is still available from many retailers and can be used for a variety of things like charms and pins.
How do you make chip packets with Shrinkies?
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.
- Eat your crisps.
- Clean your crisp packet using water and washing up liquid.
- Dry the crisp packet.
- Cover the bottom of the baking tray with foil.
- Put the crisp packet on the foil and put the baking tray in the oven.
- Leave the crisp packet for two to three minutes.
Can you shrink Shrinky Dinks with a hair dryer?
Blow dryer: Your regular blow dryer will work to shrink plastic! Similar to the heat tool, keep an eye on the plastic shape and use a skewer or tweezers to keep the plastic relatively in place as you shrink it.
What works best for Shrinky Dinks?
Any colored pencils work great on Shrinky dink plastic. The key to getting vibrant designs with colored pencils is to lightly sand the shrink plastic to score it. This helps it hold the color from colored pencils or twistable crayon pencils.
How do you emboss Shrinky Dinks?
How do I use it? After you’ve shrunken your shrinky, sprinkle on a layer of embossing powder. Try not to make it TOO thick, as it WILL burn. With the oven still on, slip your shrinky (with embossing powder) back in, and watch it melt.
How do you shrink art?
- Draw or trace a design on the film. …
- Cut out the design. …
- Pre-heat oven between 300°- 350°. …
- Place design on cookie sheet lined with medium weight cardboard, teflon sheet, parchment paper or vellum. …
- Heat for approximately 2-3 minutes until flat or shrinking has stopped.
Can you put shrink plastic in a printer?
Feed each sheet individually, as you would paper. Print on either side of the shrink plastic sheet both sides of the shrink plastic are inkjet coated. If you do not like your printout just wash the printed side and let the sheet dry and it will ready for printing. … Bake your Inkjet Shrink Sheets and Decorate!
Can you print things on Shrinky Dinks?
Shrinky Dinks became popular in the 1980s as a craft for kids. These shrinkable plastic sheets can now be printed on your own ink jet printer at home and then baked to create all kinds of crafts from party favors to jewelry. No longer is this magical product just for kids.
Can you use watercolor pencils on Shrinky Dinks?
Can You Use Watercolor On Shrinky Dinks? You can scruff up the glossy shrink plastic with fine sandpaper and use your chalks and watercolor pencils if you’re using it. … As the plastic shrinks, your colors will intensify.
How do you shrink an acrylic ring?
Place your strip (decorated side up) on a piece of brown paper on an oven tray, and put it in the oven. Keep watching… this is where the magic happens. Your strip will begin to curl up and wiggle about as some parts heat more quickly than others and so begin to shrink more quickly.
How do you keep Shrinkies from curling?
Placing a heavy weight vellum or piece of parchment paper on top of your projects while shrinking will minimize curling and sticking. Keep a spatula handy when shrinking so that you can use it to flatten projects as they are removed from the oven and still hot.
How do you make Shrinky Dink ornaments?
- Draw with permanent markers on plastic cups. (Remember that they have to be Polar brand!)
- Hole punch the cup.
- Place on cookie sheet and put in 250° oven.
- Turn the oven light on and watch until the cup shrinks down to a flat circle. …
- Thread a string through the hole and hang.
What is the plastic that shrinks in the oven?
Some plastics will shrink when you get them hot. Two of these are polystyrene, the material in foam cups and plastic food containers, and the other is polyester, from which soda bottles are made. You can make your own shrinking polymers by baking polystyrene in a regular oven!
Can you still shrink chip packets?
On a baking tray, lay your chip bag flat between two sheets of baking paper. To get a long, flat shrinkie place an oven proof plate or tray on top. … Place the baking trays in the oven for about 10 minutes. Have an adult check it every 2 minutes.
How do you turn a chip bag into a keychain?
- Step 1: Things Needed. Bags of chips (empty) …
- Step 2: Baking and Shrinking. Preheat oven to 325 and place chip bags on the pan, and place in oven. …
- Step 3: Straightening Out. Take pan out of oven ( Caution: Pan and chip bags will be hot, please be careful! ) …
- Step 4: Punch a Hole. …
- Step 5: Conclusion. …
- 14 Comments.
Is it safe to put a bag of chips in the microwave?
A lot of chip bags have a foil type lining. If your chip bag has this, it will start sparking immediately and may start a fire in your oven. If it is near the edge of the microwave, if may cause permanent damage to the oven. I do not recommend it.