The problem with cheap mugs and cheap ink

[barryslip]

Just thought I'd post this! A friend bought a printed mug 4 years ago. He just asked me why it's faded like this. It's clear to see that the cheaper mugs and/or inks don't really last! I've just printed him an identical one using RN coated mugs and the Ricoh printer. He's obviously over the moon with the difference.

Just thought I'd share it!

[pisquee]

Not all sublimation mugs are dishwasher proof, or even wash proof really ... also, are you sure that that mug is sublimation?

[barryslip]

Well, he bought it from an eBay seller 4 years ago as a "Sublimation mug" and it was quoted as being "suitable for use in a dishwasher". He said it was vibrant - for a few months!

[rossdv8]

We have a couple of big companies here that allow customers to take in photos to a kiosk and create a mug, then post the result. One had a large W in the name, but I won;t mention who it is. I have a friend who has had a number of mugs made, and uses a dish washer. These mugs cost $22 each to have made. That is with the customer doing the art work at the kiosk. They are fading.

I just tell people not to use a dishwasher, regardless of whether the coating is supposed to be dish washer proof. I'm thinking about printing it on our logo. Just in case.

[enabled]

How long do people really expect a mugs image to last? Personally after 4 years I would not mind purchasing another mug, it is not a terrible time span for a mug, in my opinion anyway.

I have purchased mugs from companies like moonpig and funkypigeon in the past and even notice that their mugs have slowly faded over the years. Obviously after a few hundred cycles in the dishwasher you cannot moan though lol.

[arko]

............whatever happened to the good'ol fashioned sink and hand wash?.............................

[Listawood]

Remember that our Duraglaze mugs are the go-to for dishwasher resistance: independently tested to over 2,000 cycles with no sign of fading. Assuming one cycle per day, that's five years (which I'm told is longer than the average relationship!)

LTS

[Andrew]

Remember that our Duraglaze mugs are the go-to for dishwasher resistance: independently tested to over 2,000 cycles with no sign of fading. Assuming one cycle per day, that's five years (which I'm told is longer than the average relationship!)

LTS

All of these testings are laboratory submerged testings at a certain temp. The hotter cycles break down the coating down far quicker than an eco cycle and customers are so varied in how they do things it is hard to make claims with sublimation mugs. We only give guarantees against using eco settings for this reason. It's all bit of a minefield.

[Paul]

Also what dishwasher tablets are used in this test? If any? Some of them are more agresive then others

[GoonerGary]

I wouldn't trust any claims and the testing procedure which is only about marketing and trying to mislead you. When they make claims about the 100 year light fastness of photographic pigment ink and papers, it was tested using a light source of 1 lux. A lux isn't sunlight or even daylight, it's about the brightness of the moon or a candle. Enjoy those prints in darkness for a century.