Hi Lucia, in the Glass on Metal, Vol.12, No.05 of Oct. 1993 you will find the article by Peter Grigg : Applying Dry Enamels with a Screen printing method. This is the description of transferring photo images onto enamel. You can find the article on the website of GoM.   Gabor

Thank you Gabor. It seems there are several ways to transfer a photo image onto enamel. I appreciate your help. I will check the GoM.

You can also use transfer paper, I think Delphi sells some.  I've just bought it from a woman I take classes with.  You print on it with a black and white inkjet printer, not color, not laser and then you soak it in warm water.  It's basically a temporary tattoo.  When the decal starts separating from the paper you slide it onto your piece that has enamel on it.  Dry it completely (or it will bubble). Then fire it low (1350) and not very long (75 seconds).  After it is cool test a corner with a damp paper towel to see if any of the ink comes off.  If it does fire it again.  The longer you fire the lighter the design will be.  This works best with high contrast images, line drawings, etc.  Different kinds of the paper will give different levels of detail.  You can then add some transparents on top if you want to add some more color.  They come out looking like colorized photographs.

In other news Peter also goes to the same enamel classes I do.  His screen printing pieces are both awesome and sometimes hilarious!

Sarah. Thanks so much for your help. I called Thompson Enamel thinking I could use their decal paper but Tom said no and referred me to Delphi. When I called Delphi and asked about the process they told me their decal paper would not work on enamel, so I am very grateful for your help. I would love to do the screen printing technique but I didn't have the equipment. Your directions are very clear. I appreciate your help!

Glad to help.  Next time I see Jen (our photo transfer master) I'll ask for links to where she buys her paper.  If you look in my photos one of the things I've posted was my first photo transfer to get an idea what it looks like. 

If you do get a chance to talk to Jen about where her paper is purchased and exactly what it is called that would be wonderful. Thanks Sarah!

She gets it from Delphi.  Not sure the exact name.  One is about 2$ a sheet and one is more expensive.

Sarah,
Thank you. I will look at Delphi's site.

Did you ever find your print-it-yourself decal paper? I've found the paper at Hobby Lobby in their lampwork bead making department. I've used it when I ran out of the paper from http://www.beldecal.com/laser_paper.html. Order the clear laser decal paper.

I have used another technique for transferring a printed picture onto an enameled piece, without the use of a water-soak-transferrable decal. You probably won't even need to leave your house - you'll have all you need. I reverted back to what I learned about copper etching and transferring a "resist" onto the copper's surface using heat. So I experimented: I started with a sheet of printer label stock, the kind where one prints a label and then peels it off of it's shiny backing. First, I peel off the label from the front, then re-attach it to the back to provide more body and stability to the (now) shiny surface. The shiny side is what I print on, not the label side. One can also use glossy magazine paper, but it's a little flimsier, and I happened to have boxes of full-sheet label stock so that's what I use. I print the picture onto the shiny side of the paper with a Laser Printer, not an inkjet. (I have an older Brother Laser Printer. I understand that the toner used in newer laser printers might not work as well.) Cut out the printed image. Lay it flat down onto a smooth pre-enameled copper piece that is sitting on a heat-proof surface, like an ironing board. Cover the piece with a couple more smooth layers of cotton cloth, being careful not to re-position the printed piece on the enameled piece. Then iron it with a preheated iron set medium to high temp. Iron it for about 30-45 seconds, moving the iron around, until the toner image transfers to the enameled piece. It might take a couple of times, a little experimenting to get the correct temp and time from your iron and conditions. You should be able to lift off the paper and the toner image will be transferred to the enameled piece. I then sifted a thin coat of medium fusing clear onto the surface and torch fired it. More torch (or kiln) heat fades the image, from black to brown to tan to just a faint image, so don't overheat. Sharper images work the best. Shading and grays get lost. It worked for me the first time! Of course, if one has an uneven surface, like a domed or textured piece, this wouldn't work.

Delphi paper does indeed work on enamel. My profile picture is an example of this. Also good for this process is Fired-on Images MS paper. Google it. Available from several sources.

Can anyone explain the technique to transfer an image from a photo onto enamel? Thanks

On silk screening:  I have used EZ screen printing for transferring images (no affiliation with the company).   I didn't get a kit, but did purchase the small plastic frame along with the screen.  That was because I had a sheet of black foam and some plastic screen(from hobby store), and a light-exposure unit (sunlight works just fine).  You can watch their video: http://ezscreenprint.com.  It shows them using screen-printing ink, but of course, you will dust enamel through the screen.

Changing to the copy printer technique:  What you want to watch for if you do the laser printer transfer is the type of toner it has in it.  I believe it is iron oxide in the toner that makes that technique work. I have a cheap HP Laserjet Professional P1102w that works great for this.  It comes with toner, and the toner lasts much longer than any ink jet I have.  Still, you will pay a premium price for the toner refill.