<p>If you're printing, why not print the aged effect as well?</p>
<p>Print it as close to the margins as possible - your printer may even do borderless, but if not you need to crop (physically) to the aged bit.  This doesn't have to be perfect; in fact it may be better done rather roughly, depending on just how old and weathered you're looking for.</p>
<p>If you do tea- or coffee-stain your paper, you need to dry it <em>really</em> well before printing, and get it really flat (e.g. iron it). This may make that an option after all.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T22:31:10.497Z
Couldn't ironing be a method on its own, similar in effect to the solutions given by ninjabrer and fixer1234?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T22:33:20.910Z
@Joachim I haven't deliberately tried it myself, but it seems to take a fair bit of heat to brown paper significantly.  That would be easier in an oven than trying to use an iron without leaving an iron-shaped print
Chris H
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T22:41:54.040Z
Printing the aged look is brilliant, should give more control over the look. Especially since plain printing paper will not hold up to abuse well... One could start with photos or scans of aged paper that has the quality the OP is seeking and composite with the picture to print. Barring Photoshop like software, maybe print twice with the aging print very faint.
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T16:51:58.857Z
2021-03-24T11:41:53.087Z
2021-03-24T11:41:53.087Z
Chris H
<p>If you have a candle or heat source you can try to hold the paper over it carefully and "bake" the paper to get it to a different color. You will need to go slow to ensure that you do not light it on fire, scorch, or get too many crinkles. </p>

<p>I have done this this make scrolls for a project, it works fairly well. If you end up getting some waves or crinkles in the paper you can try to lightly mist it with water and then put it under something heavy. </p>

<p>It might be worth it to print the picture first and then try to weather the paper as well!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T19:05:41.047Z
Just curious--given the inherent risk of destroying the paper or starting a fire, would it be possible to achieve the result by baking the paper in an oven at a controlled temperature, or is it the irregular scorching that produces the aged look?
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T19:55:07.950Z
@fixer1234 You could possibly achieve the same thing in the oven! I have not tried literally baking paper. I like using the heat gun or a lighter to get darker spots and/or burns where I want them. 

Which reminds me that OP could also maybe burn a piece of paper and smudge/rub the char on a new piece to make it look older?
ninjabrer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-04T17:26:56.323Z
On longer bake times, the parchment paper I use for food prep does start to get an "aged" look around the edges, so with some careful experimenting, it's likely that printer paper could also achieve this look, but there's risk of ignition there as well, and the final project would have to be treated post-printing as it will get brittle.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-01T17:03:59.740Z
2019-11-01T17:03:59.740Z
ninjabrer
<p>stick the paper in your dryer with something heavy, like poker chips, the kind they have in vegas, not the little thin ones for home use. Or you can use racket balls or tennis balls. Use low heat or none at all if your dryer has an air dry setting, that would be best. Run it for about 5 minutes and see how its coming along, might want to go about 15. That outta add some years to it. Add some wadded up news paper to the dryer as well, for a little color transfer.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-09T02:54:44.883Z
2019-12-09T02:54:44.883Z
Brandon
<p>There are a number of options, depending on what you want to achieve.</p>
<p>If you want a very natural look, are not in a hurry and just want the paper to appear slightly yellowed/ivory, but not have a &quot;handled&quot; or &quot;damaged&quot; appearance, you can accelerate normal aging by using heat and UV light - a tanning lamp works, as does hanging the paper in a window that gets a lot of exposure to direct sunlight and periodically heating it even more using a hairdryer or ironing it with a hot iron.  This will take a week or two, and will not work with acid-free paper.</p>
<p>For a more brown and &quot;damaged&quot; look, you can smoke the paper over an open flame.  This takes some practice to get the amount of yellowing/browning you want and will also make the paper more brittle an more likely to tear when printing, so if you go this route, be prepared to waste some paper getting it right. You might also want to strengthen the paper <em>after</em> smoking but before printing by spraying the back (the side you are not planning to print on) with a thin layer of acrylic varnish.</p>
<p>If you want the paper to look like it was handled frequently, crumble it it up in a ball and smooth it out a few times, then sprinkle it with ash (from burnt paper, cigarette or dry grass that leaves a light grey or slightly cream/yellow ash) rub the ash in with cotton wool, then iron the paper so it is smooth enough to print on. The ash will colour all of the paper a bit, but the creased areas wil be darker due to the size (smooth surface layer) being broken and the fibres slightly frayed.</p>
<p>If you have a beige coloured pencil or dry pastel you are prepared to waste a chunk of, you can shave and powder that and rub it into the paper with cotton wool instead. This will obviously work better with paper that is slightly textured and doesn't have a glossy surface, such as paper meant for watercolours or charcoal drawing.</p>
<p>You could also use the method (also suggested by Chris H) of printing the look you want.  If you do, I suggest you print the &quot;paper&quot; background first, leave the ink to dry completely, then iron the paper (on the back) to cure it a bit and then print your image on that.</p>
<p>Most of the other techniques are &quot;wet&quot; methods, so I'm leaving them out of this answer.</p>
<p>One last thing: Bear in mind that under normal circumstances a drawn image or photo will age with the paper it is on, so having a fresh, vibrantly coloured image on &quot;aged&quot; paper is going to look unnatural.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-26T19:16:49.270Z
2021-03-26T19:16:49.270Z
Gwyn
<p>You could put it outside for a few days (avoiding the rain).  The paper would soak up humidity from the air and would womple a bit - I mean, it would lose a bit of it's pristine quality - a part of aging.  And if you left it in the sun, it would bleach a little.  The weathering would also alter it's texture a little bit, too, and change the colours of anything written or printed on it.</p>
<p>Paper left outside would definitely look older than nice, fresh, clean paper.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T03:14:35.667Z
2021-03-25T03:14:35.667Z
bgmCoder
<p>At first color that page with deep dark yellow color (Crayons or water color). Then give it a very small amount of spray of black color. That should give it a nice old look.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-06T13:54:39.943Z
2019-11-08T18:11:33.233Z
2019-11-08T18:11:33.233Z
Sohan Arafat
<p>May be you should try smoking it with a candle. It might help i am not sure.
It can be done in many ways , smoking means as simple as showing the paper on top of the flame. Its better to fix it to a wooden frame or cardboard and then showing it upon a flame so as to prevent burning . Showing the paper alone might work but may burn the paper and also takes time since we should take care not to burn it.
After smoking the paper we can smudge it with finger or cotton. 
I am uploading a picture here of a paper piece i smoked right now using a candle without smudging.(only a small portion is smoked).
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/UNd07.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T11:19:33.733Z
Candle smoke particles may contain/transfer wax residues onto the paper, on which the printer ink can not stick as firmly, and there might be a risk that with time, the printed image "comes off" partially.
Levente
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-11-09T02:46:45.313Z
2019-11-09T11:10:33.953Z
2019-11-09T11:10:33.953Z
joby george
<p>I want to make paper look aged and then print on it a picture, I tried with coffee but the results were bad, the picture quality is poor on the coffee paper compared with the white paper, the colors are really dull and it is less saturated. I tired to fix this with photoshop but nothing worked out, We don't have ivory/yellow/brown papers available in my country and I can't get it online too. I was thinking to buy maybe a fixative spray, I contacted all stores here, they don't sell it but they do sell a acrylic varnish mat spray, will that helps ? or I shouldn't be using an acrylic spray on an inkjet photo ? it'd be much appreciated if you guys can help me with an aging technique (it doesn't need to  appear really old or something) just a yellowish/brownish color. I don't want to wet the paper with coffee or tea or anything because I lose quality  </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-09T03:50:29.247Z
What about a brown paper bag?  Do you have those?  Or some paper packing material?
bgmCoder
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-09T03:53:12.397Z
What do yo umean by "I would lose quality"?  Is your paper a photograph or something?  What *would* happen if you wet it (I know "lose quality") but what do you mean?  Now, an inkejet print would smear - so I can understand to not want to wet *that*.
bgmCoder
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-23T19:48:43.887Z
Does this answer your question? [How can I artificially age paper without staining or dyeing?](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/543/how-can-i-artificially-age-paper-without-staining-or-dyeing)
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-23T20:12:31.877Z
@rebusB This user explicitly asks for solutions that don't involve the paper getting wet.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T22:44:11.427Z
@Joachim -and...??? Two of the suggestions in the top answer explicitly do not involve using water! Neither do the rest of the contributed answers. (edit)
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-24T23:02:53.907Z
@bgmCoder - Seconded. Why would staining it lose quality any more than any other aging method? There is no reason one couldn't wet the paper to age it and then print on it _after_ it dries again. Of course all this depends heavily on the paper being used as far as what it can handle.
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T03:12:21.103Z
The only thing I can think of is that by wetting it, it might become somewhat wompled - that is, it wouldn't be a pristinely flat sheet of paper anymore.  But isn't that part of paper's aging, anyway?
bgmCoder
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T08:25:40.530Z
@rebusB Because questions shouldn't be closed based on their answers. Both questions indeed ask for a similar result, but using methods that are too diverging to be consolidated.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T11:30:56.830Z
I think a good way could be using plenty of _highly_ water-diluted aquarelle paint (that in effect is very low on gumi-arabic (so it does not interfere much with printer ink adhesion)). But we need to understand why OP refrains from wetting the paper. Might it be the waviness that wetting causes? Because for preventing waves and humps for a 100% effectiveness there is a tried and tested solution: **pre-stretching the paper**, as detailed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGi9HkEijtU
Levente
<paper>
How can I make paper look old without wetting it?
user8560
# How can I make paper look old without wetting it?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-11-01)

I want to make paper look aged and then print on it a picture, I tried with coffee but the results were bad, the picture quality is poor on the coffee paper compared with the white paper, the colors are really dull and it is less saturated. I tired to fix this with photoshop but nothing worked out, We don't have ivory/yellow/brown papers available in my country and I can't get it online too. I was thinking to buy maybe a fixative spray, I contacted all stores here, they don't sell it but they do sell a acrylic varnish mat spray, will that helps ? or I shouldn't be using an acrylic spray on an inkjet photo ? it'd be much appreciated if you guys can help me with an aging technique (it doesn't need to appear really old or something) just a yellowish/brownish color. I don't want to wet the paper with coffee or tea or anything because I lose quality

**Tags:** paper

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What about a brown paper bag?  Do you have those?  Or some paper packing material?  
> **username_1**: What do yo umean by "I would lose quality"?  Is your paper a photograph or something?  What *would* happen if you wet it (I know "lose quality") but what do you mean?  Now, an inkejet print would smear - so I can understand to not want to wet *that*.  
> **username_2**: Does this answer your question? [How can I artificially age paper without staining or dyeing?](https://crafts.stackexchange.com/questions/543/how-can-i-artificially-age-paper-without-staining-or-dyeing)  
> **username_3**: @username_2 This user explicitly asks for solutions that don't involve the paper getting wet.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 -and...??? Two of the suggestions in the top answer explicitly do not involve using water! Neither do the rest of the contributed answers. (edit)  
> **username_2**: @username_1 - Seconded. Why would staining it lose quality any more than any other aging method? There is no reason one couldn't wet the paper to age it and then print on it _after_ it dries again. Of course all this depends heavily on the paper being used as far as what it can handle.  
> **username_1**: The only thing I can think of is that by wetting it, it might become somewhat wompled - that is, it wouldn't be a pristinely flat sheet of paper anymore.  But isn't that part of paper's aging, anyway?  
> **username_3**: @username_2 Because questions shouldn't be closed based on their answers. Both questions indeed ask for a similar result, but using methods that are too diverging to be consolidated.  
> **username_4**: I think a good way could be using plenty of _highly_ water-diluted aquarelle paint (that in effect is very low on gumi-arabic (so it does not interfere much with printer ink adhesion)). But we need to understand why OP refrains from wetting the paper. Might it be the waviness that wetting causes? Because for preventing waves and humps for a 100% effectiveness there is a tried and tested solution: **pre-stretching the paper**, as detailed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGi9HkEijtU  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-11-04. Score: 5

If you're printing, why not print the aged effect as well?

Print it as close to the margins as possible - your printer may even do borderless, but if not you need to crop (physically) to the aged bit. This doesn't have to be perfect; in fact it may be better done rather roughly, depending on just how old and weathered you're looking for.

If you do tea- or coffee-stain your paper, you need to dry it *really* well before printing, and get it really flat (e.g. iron it). This may make that an option after all.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Couldn't ironing be a method on its own, similar in effect to the solutions given by username_6 and username_7?  
> **username_5**: @username_3 I haven't deliberately tried it myself, but it seems to take a fair bit of heat to brown paper significantly.  That would be easier in an oven than trying to use an iron without leaving an iron-shaped print  
> **username_2**: Printing the aged look is brilliant, should give more control over the look. Especially since plain printing paper will not hold up to abuse well... One could start with photos or scans of aged paper that has the quality the OP is seeking and composite with the picture to print. Barring Photoshop like software, maybe print twice with the aging print very faint.  

---

### Answer by username_12 on 2019-11-09. Score: 4

May be you should try smoking it with a candle. It might help i am not sure.
It can be done in many ways , smoking means as simple as showing the paper on top of the flame. Its better to fix it to a wooden frame or cardboard and then showing it upon a flame so as to prevent burning . Showing the paper alone might work but may burn the paper and also takes time since we should take care not to burn it.
After smoking the paper we can smudge it with finger or cotton.
I am uploading a picture here of a paper piece i smoked right now using a candle without smudging.(only a small portion is smoked).
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/UNd07.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Candle smoke particles may contain/transfer wax residues onto the paper, on which the printer ink can not stick as firmly, and there might be a risk that with time, the printed image "comes off" partially.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2019-11-01. Score: 3

If you have a candle or heat source you can try to hold the paper over it carefully and "bake" the paper to get it to a different color. You will need to go slow to ensure that you do not light it on fire, scorch, or get too many crinkles.

I have done this this make scrolls for a project, it works fairly well. If you end up getting some waves or crinkles in the paper you can try to lightly mist it with water and then put it under something heavy.

It might be worth it to print the picture first and then try to weather the paper as well!

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Just curious--given the inherent risk of destroying the paper or starting a fire, would it be possible to achieve the result by baking the paper in an oven at a controlled temperature, or is it the irregular scorching that produces the aged look?  
> **username_6**: @username_7 You could possibly achieve the same thing in the oven! I have not tried literally baking paper. I like using the heat gun or a lighter to get darker spots and/or burns where I want them.   Which reminds me that OP could also maybe burn a piece of paper and smudge/rub the char on a new piece to make it look older?  
> **username_8**: On longer bake times, the parchment paper I use for food prep does start to get an "aged" look around the edges, so with some careful experimenting, it's likely that printer paper could also achieve this look, but there's risk of ignition there as well, and the final project would have to be treated post-printing as it will get brittle.  

---

### Answer by username_9 on 2019-12-09. Score: 2

stick the paper in your dryer with something heavy, like poker chips, the kind they have in vegas, not the little thin ones for home use. Or you can use racket balls or tennis balls. Use low heat or none at all if your dryer has an air dry setting, that would be best. Run it for about 5 minutes and see how its coming along, might want to go about 15. That outta add some years to it. Add some wadded up news paper to the dryer as well, for a little color transfer.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2021-03-26. Score: 1

There are a number of options, depending on what you want to achieve.

If you want a very natural look, are not in a hurry and just want the paper to appear slightly yellowed/ivory, but not have a "handled" or "damaged" appearance, you can accelerate normal aging by using heat and UV light - a tanning lamp works, as does hanging the paper in a window that gets a lot of exposure to direct sunlight and periodically heating it even more using a hairdryer or ironing it with a hot iron. This will take a week or two, and will not work with acid-free paper.

For a more brown and "damaged" look, you can smoke the paper over an open flame. This takes some practice to get the amount of yellowing/browning you want and will also make the paper more brittle an more likely to tear when printing, so if you go this route, be prepared to waste some paper getting it right. You might also want to strengthen the paper *after* smoking but before printing by spraying the back (the side you are not planning to print on) with a thin layer of acrylic varnish.

If you want the paper to look like it was handled frequently, crumble it it up in a ball and smooth it out a few times, then sprinkle it with ash (from burnt paper, cigarette or dry grass that leaves a light grey or slightly cream/yellow ash) rub the ash in with cotton wool, then iron the paper so it is smooth enough to print on. The ash will colour all of the paper a bit, but the creased areas wil be darker due to the size (smooth surface layer) being broken and the fibres slightly frayed.

If you have a beige coloured pencil or dry pastel you are prepared to waste a chunk of, you can shave and powder that and rub it into the paper with cotton wool instead. This will obviously work better with paper that is slightly textured and doesn't have a glossy surface, such as paper meant for watercolours or charcoal drawing.

You could also use the method (also suggested by username_5) of printing the look you want. If you do, I suggest you print the "paper" background first, leave the ink to dry completely, then iron the paper (on the back) to cure it a bit and then print your image on that.

Most of the other techniques are "wet" methods, so I'm leaving them out of this answer.

One last thing: Bear in mind that under normal circumstances a drawn image or photo will age with the paper it is on, so having a fresh, vibrantly coloured image on "aged" paper is going to look unnatural.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-03-25. Score: 0

You could put it outside for a few days (avoiding the rain). The paper would soak up humidity from the air and would womple a bit - I mean, it would lose a bit of it's pristine quality - a part of aging. And if you left it in the sun, it would bleach a little. The weathering would also alter it's texture a little bit, too, and change the colours of anything written or printed on it.

Paper left outside would definitely look older than nice, fresh, clean paper.


---

### Answer by username_11 on 2019-11-06. Score: -2

At first color that page with deep dark yellow color (Crayons or water color). Then give it a very small amount of spray of black color. That should give it a nice old look.


---

