Cross-sections of Myristica malabarica (Lam) seed and mouse brain tissue were imprinted on such ordinary surfaces as printer paper and TLC plates, and successfully imaged by desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) at 250 μm resolution. Chemical images representing the distribution of the alkaloid malabaricone C in the seed substructures and individual lipids in the substructures of the brain were obtained. Practical implications include analysis of irregular or soft materials, easy recording, transportation and storage of the latent image, and posterior analysis of the samples by different techniques without the requirement of addition of matrices or use of specific types of surfaces.