Sadly, Polaroid Image Transfers are a thing of the past. Ancient, in 2026, Polaroid Image Transfers were a great creative tool.
What is missing today, despite Polaroid reentering the photography world, are their 669 and 4X5 pull and peel film packs. For anyone born after 1990 (I’m guessing), all Polaroid films had a pod of chemistry that would pop when you took a photo, and the photo ejected, like on a Polaroid SX-70, Pronto, or Spectra. I am pretty sure the current Polaroid and Fuji instant cameras work the same way.
I should check those out!
The Image above was made with Sepia Polaroid 669 Film Pack. I am guessing on the number here, as I have no recollection ast to whether it was a special pack number. I used 4 separate prints to adhere to the large sheet of watercolor paper.
If you were using a 4X5 Camera, you had an insert that held a single exposure packet. You would insert the packet into your Polaroid Back, pull a tab almost all the way out, which revealed the film, make an exposure, and then eased the tab back into the film holder, covering the negative again. Then you would lock a lever on the 4X5 insert, and pull the tab again, which would pull out the whole film packet, crush the pod of developer, and wait for about a minute for the goo to develop the negative and adhere it to the print part of the packet. Then you would peel it apart, throw out the Pola-rind (the goopy waste part), and look at the print.
If you were making a Polaroid Image Transfer, you would first have some good-quality watercolor paper soaking in warm distilled water. Right before you pulled the tab to develop the image, you would remove the watercolor paper from the tray of warm water, squeegee off the excess water, and place it on a firm surface. Then you would pull out the film pack and wait just a couple of seconds, then peel it apart, take the goopy side and place it on the watercolor paper, and start rolling it with a brayer, a rubber roller usually used for screen printing, for a few minutes. Then you would carefully peel back the “negative” to be sure that the image had adhered to the watercolor paper.
I believe I have the steps to the process right. It has been ages since I have done this, obviously. Writing all of this copy, I realized that this process was a load of work!
These two images were made from 35mm Transparencies (Slides) and “printed” using a Vivitar Slide Printer
