Novice Questions

[mshaw3]

Hi, a real newbie to this and you've all probably heard this story a million times before. But I've been looking around at starting getting into this and I think perhaps mug printing would be a good basic starting point. Would this be a good assumption? I'm not exactly looking to make it into a business from the off, just perhaps creating some mugs for some sports teams I help run etc, completely free, just to get the idea of how it all works.

I've been looking around at various different specific mug presses but it seems like the ovens maybe the best buy to start with. What do you think? Any specific ones to go for and how much should I be looking to pay?

I have some of these already, but am I correct in thinking that as a basic starting point, I would need:

A PC
Adobe Illustator/Photoshop
Mug press/oven
Printer with sublimation ink
Vinyl

Thanks in advance,
Martin

[Justin]

If you're going to be working with vinyl you'll need to budget for a cutter as well. Photoshop is ideal for printing from.

Many start off with presses and move onto ovens as the need arises. Unless you're going to be printing a lot of mugs straight away I'd get a decent mug press and start out that way.

If you're not already a Premium Member we can get you some good discounts with suppliers for just £10 a year.

My advice would be to book an appointment to go and speak with Xpres as they're not far from you at Castle Donington. They can demo some equipmewnt and discuss what you need. You may or may not decide to buy from there but it will give you a very good overview.

What specific equipment you buy will very much depend on your budget.

[mshaw3]

That's great, thanks for that information Justin.

[Mlef]

I started with a starter set that included a printer (ricoh that later turned sawgrass) and a basic 1 mug handpress.

I would suggest going for a good supplier with the help of this forum and don’t go cheap on off-brand ink or printers without support.

We decided we’d upgrade when needed and we did once we got our very first order of 2000 mugs

the base cost of the items we purchased was decided to be covered after selling 100 mugs so I think our initial expenses were roughly €500 on machinery and another bulk on blanks, testing, freebies etc.

good luck! This forum has been a major help for me looking for the right items to buy.

[mshaw3]

I started with a starter set that included a printer (ricoh that later turned sawgrass) and a basic 1 mug handpress.

I would suggest going for a good supplier with the help of this forum and don’t go cheap on off-brand ink or printers without support.

We decided we’d upgrade when needed and we did once we got our very first order of 2000 mugs

the base cost of the items we purchased was decided to be covered after selling 100 mugs so I think our initial expenses were roughly €500 on machinery and another bulk on blanks, testing, freebies etc.

good luck! This forum has been a major help for me looking for the right items to buy.

Perfect, thanks Mlef.

[mshaw3]

Sorry, just one more probably silly question... Is there a different process for plastic sports bottles and glass? I'm sure I'm just missing something here, but I can't find the answer.