Full Black Print

[NickH]

I have tried to do a print that has a fully black background..... It isn't as simple as it looks.

The first couple seemed to go a goldy brown across the middle, so I turned the heat down from 180 to 170 for 180 seconds and then the edges were faded as if there wasnt enough heat. I went through around 8 mugs and gave up!

I don't think it's an ink issue as the rest of the black bit looks great (as does the black parts on a normal print, text etc).

How do people find the perfect heat / time combination without using tens of mugs?

[webtrekker]

Any chance of posting a couple of pics showing your results?

If you are meaning a full-coverage, handle to handle print, then that's something I'd prefer to tackle with an oven rather than a press.

[NickH]

The lighting isn't very good.

It was horizontally across the middle, however when I turned the heat down the edges at the bottom didn't seem to be done.

[webtrekker]

Usually, black turning brown indicates 'burning.' The first thing to try, as you have already done, is to decrease the temperature, however, because of the heat-sinking effect of the thick mug base and, to some extent the handle, you end up with fading in these regions. My only suggestions are -

• Try the lower temperature to counteract the burning, but first preheat the base of the mug before pressing. You can do this by standing it on a hot plate or on top of the heated platen of a flat heat press if you have one, or insert the mug base into your mug press to preheat it before inserting it fully for the final press.
• Try using an oven and silicone mug wraps. A cheap halogen cooker (£20 - £50) is a good starting point, with wraps about £5 each from ebay. An oven heats up the whole mug uniformly and avoids the heatsinking problems.

[NickH]

Would it work in an electric kitchen oven? I guess I just put the print on as usual and then in a silicone wrap?

[webtrekker]

Yes, it works in a kitchen oven. Be aware though that gases and/or particles may be swirling around during the process and could affect food cooked in the oven later.

I did only a handful of tests in our kitchen oven just to verify it worked before buying a dedicated halogen oven. The halogen oven circulates the hot air better for even heating.

For a quick trial you could try just tightly taping your print to a mug without using a silicone wrap, but best results are obtained with the silicone wraps or thermo-shrink film/bags.

[NickH]

Amazing, I think I will do the same.

So something like this wrap? https://www.dyesublimationsupplies.co.u ... -%252d11oz

What sort of heat / timings does it need compared to a press?

[webtrekker]

Amazing, I think I will do the same.

So something like this wrap? https://www.dyesublimationsupplies.co.u ... -%252d11oz

What sort of heat / timings does it need compared to a press?

Yes, that's the type I use. Cheaper on ebay, but delivery times are longer as they're from China.

You might want to consider placing a cut-down piece of Teflon sheet, or baking sheet, between the silicone wrap and your transfer to prevent any staining of the silicone caused by gassing-out etc. They'll last longer.

[NickH]

Thanks, yeah I have a couple of sheets. I'll give it a go.

[webtrekker]

Great, but don't expect perfect results straight away. It takes some trial runs with various times and temps before it all comes together. At the same time though, don't be easily put off. Just post your results on here and there'll always be someone to offer more advice.

A good idea is to buy an oven temperature gauge. They're fairly cheap and give a better indication of the actual temperature.