Mug press advice please!!

[gemma81]

Hi,
Is there any advice for the right time and temp for mug pressing? I've been looking at a few threads and I know all machines are different and it is a case of trial and error but I just need a step in the right direction.
I have a Ricoh printer using sawgrass sublimation ink and truepix paper (all from BMS). I have been setting the pre heat temp to 110 and a heat temp of 170. I place the mug in the machine when it reaches 110 then it stays in and when it reaches 170 it is in for 140 secs. The image and text are transferring but the colours are not as bright as what is on the paper (a bit faded, blacks are more grey). I even read on a different thread that there should be hardly any image remaining on the paper after. Is this right? as mine is still brighter on paper than on the mug when I'm finished!
Do I need a higher temp? Or leave them for longer? Or do I just need to trial run both and see.
Also am I using the machine correctly or does the mug need to go in straight away instead of letting it reach the pre heat temp?
Sorry for such novice questions and any advice would be really appreciated! Thank You!

[Justin]

Do you have a mug in the press whilst its heating Gemma? Always good practice whilst heating/cooling to protect the element.

Have you printed anything else thats looked ok or is this your first attempt? Do you have the profile installed and what software are you using?

180c for 180secs is a. normal starting point but I've never used a machine which needs the pre heat. Ricoh SG inks transfer nearer to 140 seconds usually so you;'re on the right lines.

Some of the image will remain on the paper, it should just look dull when you remove out (the paper that is)

[gemma81]

The first attempt I put the mug in straight away, second I waited for it to reach 110. So then I did a bit of research which led me to your advice of putting the mug in straight away to prevent the elements burning out. All four attempts seem to have the same results and the image left behind on the paper were still brighter than the mug. Do you think it's better to raise the temperature?

At the moment I am floating between PowerPoint (I know it's not conventional but I was keen and it's the only program I knew how to use well! :biggrin:) and Fireworks CS6. I have installed GIMP and a free trial of Photoshop but it's going to take some learning as they look very involved!

[Justin]

Not sure which press you're using but you could get it up to 180c and try 180 secs, see what happens.

Do you have profile installed?

Are you printing on the brighter side of the paper?

[gemma81]

Thank you Justin I will give that a go.

I did check but i couldn't see a difference in the sides of paper, i will have another look in a better light.

I'm not sure what you mean by a 'Profile' installed? (Sorry... i did say i was a total beginner! :redface:)

[Justin]

You need a profile installed to get your colours/quality right. If you've bought a Sawgrass system you can follow the install links from the SG website and it talks you through setting everything up, this should be your first port of call.

https://www.sawgrassink.com/Special-Pag ... izard.aspx

I'm not sure but I don't think profiles are supported by the software you're using so you might have to look at that again.

One side of the paper is brighter white and this needs to be facing down in your printer.

[gemma81]

Ah thank you so much Justin. I will look into the Profile thing and Software and check the paper. I thought I was doing so well! Thanks again. :redface:

[webtrekker]

Graphics software, although pricy, is often overlooked by beginners when considering their startup costs. It is essential for sublimation printing that your software can use an ICC profile (or the Sawgrass Power Driver equivalent) or you won't get good prints.

Photoshop, Illustrator and Corel all allow use of profiles. As a cheaper alternative Gimp does too although I've never used it for sublimation so don't know how easy it is to set up.

With regard to having a spare mug in your press to stop element burnout, that's a good idea, but make sure you use a blank mug and not a printed 'mistake' as using a pre-printed mug could result in ink being transferred to the blanket of your press when reheated.