Newbie - Cost of printing a mug?

[mrs maggot]

i was going to reply yesterday, but wanted to see what others have put and John G and others have given the reply i would, if you are happy with what they are supplying, at £2.60 a mug i would get on with other aspects of your business that may need tweeking and leave your mug printer to earn a living

[Quinsfan]

Cost of getting a very good dishwasher safe mug fully printed can be done for someway under £1 + vat if you know what you are doing.

I am still a newbie to all of this and am only working from home with a small budget using the following equipment.
Ricoh 3110
Sawgrass inks
Trupix paper
Halogen oven

I understand that the more you order the less you pay but looking at several of the suppliers sites even the cost of the mug is around the £1 mark so how can you source and print a mug for less than this?

The reason I am interested is that I have been asked by a local artist to supply some china mugs with her artwork on them for her to sell at local craft fairs. I am currently trying to work out the costs and this is what I have come up with.

Mug ( BMS) £ 2.16 each ( Box of 6 ) £12.96
Paper Trupix £0.17 per sheet ( 100 sheets £ 16.74)
Ink 2 mugs per sheet £0.60

I appreciate that this is for a china mug and I am only buying 6 but even if I bought 36 of the 11oz european mugs at £41.04 that is still £1.14 a mug.

[pisquee]

We can get standard 10oz Durham style mugs for around 50-60p each
Our paper per mug works out at 4p
Maybe 1-2p for ink per mug

[Quinsfan]

We can get standard 10oz Durham style mugs for around 50-60p each
Our paper per mug works out at 4p
Maybe 1-2p for ink per mug

I am guessing from reading many of your posts pisquee that you have been doing this a long time and use larger printers, bulk ink and paper.
I am not saying that this cannot be done and I hope to be in the same situation one day but I am just wondering if my costings sound about right for the equipment that I have.
Many thanks
Iain

[pisquee]

I have no idea on small format printing costings, but I was trying to answer your query as to how people could make mugs so cheaply. My costings given obviously don't include overheads such as man-hours, electricity, depreciation on equipment etc.
If people are in this game competing on price alone, then you can't win if you are in the small format world and trying to compete with business buying mugs by the pallet/container and using wide format bulk inks and rolls of bulk paper.

[Quinsfan]

I understand that I would never be able to get my costs that low.
I am interested in how other people in my situation have worked out their costs. The only cost for ink I have found is from Sawgrass but that doesn't seem to work with the sizes you print for mugs or phone cases.

[mrs maggot]

can i please have some of the free electricity that other people seem to have, as well as free time, although i guess if its not your actual job, you already have an income coming in, and dont need to factor things in like electricity and time

[pisquee]

can i please have some of the free electricity that other people seem to have, as well as free time, although i guess if its not your actual job, you already have an income coming in, and dont need to factor things in like electricity and time

I was just keeping it simple with the costings here - for our actual figures these things are factored in. This definitely is our actual, and only job.

[pisquee]

I understand that I would never be able to get my costs that low.
I am interested in how other people in my situation have worked out their costs. The only cost for ink I have found is from Sawgrass but that doesn't seem to work with the sizes you print for mugs or phone cases.

Never say never - used wide format printers are relatively cheap on Ebay (around £250) which could bring your paper and ink costings down overnight. Getting enough business to justify buying mugs by the pallet comes with time.

[Quinsfan]

Pisquee
I would love a wide format printer but the front room is full with my vinyl plotter, heat press, mug oven, PC, desk, 2 screens, rolls of vinyl, 2 printers and boxes of mugs and other stuff.