newbie´s troubles

[mrs maggot]

That was going to be my next question, mind you I have a combination microwave that the microwave bit has broken in, but the oven still works fine, I might try them in that.

[James990]

I use a halogen oven all the time its great, takes longer, but you can get on and do other things.

[webtrekker]

@mrs maggot

Since the silicone wraps are so cheap it's well worth a try.

@James990

How many mugs does the halogen oven hold? Do you adjust times/temperatures according to the number of mugs?

[James990]

It depends on how long the piece of string is.

The size of the oven and the size of the mugs I am doing at the time will determine how many mugs goes in as will therefore the time and temp settings.

[Sedgewick]

How do silicone wrapped mugs stand up to dishwashing? Are they dishwasher proof?

They're so much cheaper than buying a mug press, that there must be a down side or everyone would be doing it!?

[webtrekker]

How do silicone wrapped mugs stand up to dishwashing? Are they dishwasher proof?

They're so much cheaper than buying a mug press, that there must be a down side or everyone would be doing it!?

My mugs stand up to dishwashing very well, no matter whether they are made with a silicone wrap or a mug press. As I've said before, I think the quality of the mugs, and especially their coatings, far outweighs any other factors. If you print onto cheap mugs then, even if the print looks ok as it leaves the press, it will most likely fade in the dishwasher in a short time and some colours, usually red for some reason, may start to bleed over time.

I know the wraps look a bit 'Heath Robinson,' but believe me, they work very well, and there ARE many people using silicone wraps.

[socialgiraffe]

They're so much cheaper than buying a mug press, that there must be a down side or everyone would be doing it!?

There is only one bulk supplier that I know of that is using mug presses, everyone else are using ovens. The mug press is very good for low volume use and are very good for the home business/hobbyist user. I can understand why some companies use them as the energy use of a mug press is a lot less when printing in 1's and 2's though.

[Customprintwales]

I use ovens and wraps most of the time. Occasionally if I've only got 1 or 2 mugs to print then I'll use the press.

Wraps make life so much easier and you can get closer to the edge without the heat sink effect and also closer to the handles.

I've tried the green ones linked to earlier but had a lot of problems with the clips springing lose during baking. I know use the brown ones with the hook and eye at the top and bottom of the wrap. I find it gives a more secure fastening.

But there's also blue ones that have spring clips at top and bottom of the wrap.

Using wraps is also a cheaper way of getting into different mug styles as you don't need to buy a new heating element or press if you want to do latte mugs etc. Going for a different style of mug can help boost sales and profits because of the shear amount of competition in the standard mug market.

[Sedgewick]

I use ovens and wraps most of the time. Occasionally if I've only got 1 or 2 mugs to print then I'll use the press.

Wraps make life so much easier and you can get closer to the edge without the heat sink effect and also closer to the handles.

I've tried the green ones linked to earlier but had a lot of problems with the clips springing lose during baking. I know use the brown ones with the hook and eye at the top and bottom of the wrap. I find it gives a more secure fastening.

But there's also blue ones that have spring clips at top and bottom of the wrap.

Using wraps is also a cheaper way of getting into different mug styles as you don't need to buy a new heating element or press if you want to do latte mugs etc. Going for a different style of mug can help boost sales and profits because of the shear amount of competition in the standard mug market.

Wow. I did so much research and didn't find a preference for mug wraps until now. Oh well, too late as I've bought my mug press.

How come so many posts are about which mug press to get? It's so odd that it isn't mainly about wraps.

I am using my press as a small business owner though who already has a brand, albeit new - meaning that I'm selling to consumers rather than B2B, so the volume will be manageable.

[webtrekker]

I use ovens and wraps most of the time. Occasionally if I've only got 1 or 2 mugs to print then I'll use the press.

Wraps make life so much easier and you can get closer to the edge without the heat sink effect and also closer to the handles.

I've tried the green ones linked to earlier but had a lot of problems with the clips springing lose during baking. I know use the brown ones with the hook and eye at the top and bottom of the wrap. I find it gives a more secure fastening.

But there's also blue ones that have spring clips at top and bottom of the wrap.

Using wraps is also a cheaper way of getting into different mug styles as you don't need to buy a new heating element or press if you want to do latte mugs etc. Going for a different style of mug can help boost sales and profits because of the shear amount of competition in the standard mug market.

I had that problem with the last batch I bought, along with the problem of being unable to close/loosen some on mugs with the smaller handles. I got around this simply by bending the small square locking tab on the large side of the clamp with some pliers. They all work fine now.