MDP mug press. Read here owner review and pics.

[gazfocus]

Just a word of warning about these presses. We bought the Freesub branded ones a couple of years back from Signzworld. After a month of being great, the screws holding the press together came loose and once they came loose, they kept doing so, making them virtually unusable. The screws, in my opinion, are not long enough as longer screws wouldn't keep coming loose.

While they worked though, they were great...much better having pressure at both ends of the mug rather than just in the middle.

[Tony4415]

Thanks for the info

[Mrteajunkie]

Small update.

[tonycarr]

Great thread thanks for your review of this press Mrteajunkie.... im looking to purchase this press, just checked the current price on signzworld and as of Nov 21 they are £109 but am probably going to pay the extra £40 and purchase from MDP as they have a branch only 20min drive from me and iv read on more than one occasion about the excellent help and support that they give to there customers, that's not to suggest that Signzworld don't but any problems i can just pop up there being that there just up the road.

One Question though as I'm new to sublimation...... what temperature does sublimation begin at, because you mention that you (warm your mugs in hot water) prior to pressing...would this not activate the ink if the mug is hot?

regards tony

[gazfocus]

Great thread thanks for your review of this press Mrteajunkie.... im looking to purchase this press, just checked the current price on signzworld and as of Nov 21 they are £109 but am probably going to pay the extra £40 and purchase from MDP as they have a branch only 20min drive from me and iv read on more than one occasion about the excellent help and support that they give to there customers, that's not to suggest that Signzworld don't but any problems i can just pop up there being that there just up the road.

One Question though as I'm new to sublimation...... what temperature does sublimation begin at, because you mention that you (warm your mugs in hot water) prior to pressing...would this not activate the ink if the mug is hot?

regards tony

Hi Tony, I believe the dunking in water that Mrteajunkie is talking about is AFTER the mug has been pressed and not before, as you cannot get the sublimation paper wet before pressing.

The purpose for dunking mugs in hot water (I would actually use lukewarm water rather than hot water), is to speed up stopping the sublimation process.

We actually leave the paper on our mugs while they cool, and use a couple of big fans to help cool the mugs faster (we do around 500 mugs a day).

[tonycarr]

Thanks for that gazfocus.... i must have i read it wrong

Although saying that i was looking at Ink Experts and they said about pre-heating mugs as well

It is advised to preheat your blank sublimation mug to ensure heat is within the ceramic before pressing.
Why is preheating the mug important?

• Preheating mugs helps to improve the reaction and transfer of ink yielding a better quality and more consistent transfer when heat pressed.
• Preheating also decreases the risk of fading towards the bottom of the mug – fading is common on the bottom of the mug as the ceramic is more dense this means it requires more heat to obtain a good even transfer from the design.
• Preheating also avoid a sudden change in temperature when it is placed into the mug heat press. Sudden temperature change can result in fine cracks in the ceramic or even shattered mugs.

How to preheat your mug?
Mugs can be preheated in a number of ways we use the following methods depending on the particular job we are undertaking-

• Prepress / preheat in your mug press – the blank mug can be placed into the heat press for 30-40 seconds. The mug should warm / slightly hot to the touch but not too hot to handle.
• Fill the mug with boiling water and leave for 1-2 minutes. Again the mug should be warm / slightly hot when handling.
• Soak mugs in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes – this method is ideal for large print runs or bulk orders. Mugs should be removed and dried before pressing.
• 

[gazfocus]

Thanks for that gazfocus.... i must have i read it wrong

Although saying that i was looking at Ink Experts and they said about pre-heating mugs as well

It is advised to preheat your blank sublimation mug to ensure heat is within the ceramic before pressing.
Why is preheating the mug important?

• Preheating mugs helps to improve the reaction and transfer of ink yielding a better quality and more consistent transfer when heat pressed.
• Preheating also decreases the risk of fading towards the bottom of the mug – fading is common on the bottom of the mug as the ceramic is more dense this means it requires more heat to obtain a good even transfer from the design.
• Preheating also avoid a sudden change in temperature when it is placed into the mug heat press. Sudden temperature change can result in fine cracks in the ceramic or even shattered mugs.

How to preheat your mug?
Mugs can be preheated in a number of ways we use the following methods depending on the particular job we are undertaking-

• Prepress / preheat in your mug press – the blank mug can be placed into the heat press for 30-40 seconds. The mug should warm / slightly hot to the touch but not too hot to handle.
• Fill the mug with boiling water and leave for 1-2 minutes. Again the mug should be warm / slightly hot when handling.
• Soak mugs in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes – this method is ideal for large print runs or bulk orders. Mugs should be removed and dried before pressing.
• 

I would strongly advise against using water to preheat your mugs.

When we are using mug presses we wrap the mugs, place them on a hot plate for a couple of minutes to pre heat the bottoms and then put them in the mug press to do the sublimation process.

Introducing water to the pre heating process is asking for all sorts of trouble in my opinion

[tonycarr]

I would strongly advise against using water to preheat your mugs.

When we are using mug presses we wrap the mugs, place them on a hot plate for a couple of minutes to pre heat the bottoms and then put them in the mug press to do the sublimation process.

Introducing water to the pre heating process is asking for all sorts of trouble in my opinion

ok ill take that on board.. thanks for that, that does sort of lead back to my original question though... perhaps im missing something but if the mug is heated slightly for whatever reason and by whatever means would that not start the ink transfer process prematurely and maybe lead to smudges or ghosting? .....again sorry if im missing something and sounding totally fik LOL

[gazfocus]

ok ill take that on board.. thanks for that, that does sort of lead back to my original question though... perhaps im missing something but if the mug is heated slightly for whatever reason and by whatever means would that not start the ink transfer process prematurely and maybe lead to smudges or ghosting? .....again sorry if im missing something and sounding totally fik LOL

Not at all the sublimation temperature differs depending on the ink etc, but in general starts at about 150-160 degrees. Pre heating the mug on a hot plate or even in your press for a short while as ink experts advise won’t get the mug hot enough to start the sublimation process.

[tonycarr]

ahh ok that answers my question perfectly i did think that ...ish but wanted a clarification ... thanks again