Printed My First Mugs

[Daveb]

Hi! Just printed my first half a dozen mugs. Very happy with results, although there were some variations although I didn't change any settings for time, temp or pressure. I suspect these slight variations are because the mugs are not 100% true and uniform.

Just as a rule of thumb, can anyone list the most likely problems/fixes for a mug printing beginner?

For example, near the very top and bottom of a full mug print there is sometimes a little bit clouding or smudging. Is this time to increase/decrease pressure, or increase/decrease temp, or increase/decrease timing?

Another is that the blacks are not always as black near the top and bottom.

Thanks for any help.

Dave

[Mattie]

Hi
If we are printing a full mug wrap top to bottom we find it works best if you pour about half a mug of boiling water in then let it sit for a while, then pour out the water and dry (make sure completly dry and no water on outside) then put your design on and press.

[Lee]

I found swopping the mug around half through sorted everything out...

[Daveb]

Hi
If we are printing a full mug wrap top to bottom we find it works best if you pour about half a mug of boiling water in then let it sit for a while, then pour out the water and dry (make sure completly dry and no water on outside) then put your design on and press.

Alligiftor, Thanks for that - means I have to print another mug.

Im still looking for any general rules though for changing time versus temp versus pressure. What are the tell tale signs for when you should change one of these settings, and in which direction?

Part of my test print has small white text on a black background in the middle of the mug. On 2 prints, same image, same settings, one came out with the text white and the other with it grey. I'm thinking that this might be because of small variations in mug diameter and sides that are not straight - so increasing the pressure would help?

Dave

[Daveb]

I found swopping the mug around half through sorted everything out...

TPM, Thanks. I had wondered whether putting the mug in upside down would make any difference. Would taking the mug out halfway through upset the countdown timer? Dave

[mgibbs]

Its certainly worth, in my opinion, using good quality blanks so you get a high quality, consistent finish.

You'll find that if the mugs aren't straight your image will be slightly curved. This is most noticeable when you have a rectangular image that extends near the top or bottom of the mug.

Mark

[Kaz]

Dave, I change mine half way through, I do it really quickly, takes about 5 seconds, if that, you could set your timer for 5 seconds more to be on the safe side, or however long it takes you to turn it round

[Daveb]

Its certainly worth, in my opinion, using good quality blanks so you get a high quality, consistent finish.

You'll find that if the mugs aren't straight your image will be slightly curved. This is most noticeable when you have a rectangular image that extends near the top or bottom of the mug.

Mark

Mark, It's my first box of mugs, so I'm not sure, are slight variations not the norm? We are talking maybe 1mm variations. I thought the extra pressure would maybe compensate for that? Dave

[Daveb]

Dave, I change mine half way through, I do it really quickly, takes about 5 seconds, if that, you could set your timer for 5 seconds more to be on the safe side, or however long it takes you to turn it round

Kaz, I was wondering if it would reset the timer. My press timer starts counting down after it reaches the set temp (185C) - I've never taken a mug out halfway through, easy enough to find out I suppose ;o)

[Kaz]

Hmmm, not sure about that, my mug press is part of a combi and the timer only works on the flat bed section, not on the attachments