Fading at the base of mugs

[Jollyware]

Hi again,

Can any one tell me why this happens please.

vB_ID:3217

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[AlanD]

I was getting fading at the base and eventually tracked it down to the mugs. First box I had were perfect - next 2 boxes faded at base, 2 more boxes from a different supplier were fine. Put a straight edge on the mug side, does the mug taper towards the base? if so even pre-heating the mug base may not make a difference. It has become clear to me that not all mugs are the same. Doesn't matter what the suppliers claim regarding the coating if the mug isn't straight you will struggle.
Perhaps we should start a campaign to get mugs rated for straightness as well as dishwasher durability, I bet mugs and ink are being wasted by the skip load.

[bigj2552]

dont be so quick to blame the mugs here.....

your mug press blanket could have a cold spot at one end....

set your time for your mug press, add another 10sec onto that time....
then half way through sublimation, turn the mug around and continue heating...
then come back and see us

[Jollyware]

dont be so quick to blame the mugs here.....

your mug press blanket could have a cold spot at one end....

set your time for your mug press, add another 10sec onto that time....
then half way through sublimation, turn the mug around and continue heating...
then come back and see us

Cheers, will give that a try when I next do one .

[AlanD]

When I had similar issues I printed the mugs the other way round - same problem always faded at the base, top was fine

[DANNYD]

Might be a taper at the bottom of the mug, had problems with the Isub ones i got, testing my coralgraph ones at the moment, seem a lot better, Just out of curiosity about sticking the mug in at 100 degrees, is that the same for all mug presses?

[JMugs]

Anything to do with sublimation is subjective, every factor can have an effect.
Starting at 100 degrees works for my DF1 press, my xpres presses are different.

[Andrew]

It does look like a straightforward not enough heat to the base scenario but what is the tiny purpleish band at the bottom? Is that from the transfer? Looks strange.

[ArtyGamer]

If it's at the base, and the problem is STILL at the base when you turn the mug around to transfer, it means that the mug itself is already too cold and not reaching the temperature for the sublimation process to complete. Had the same issue at the start when I was using my vacuum press so I started to turn the mug upside down to allow the heat to fill the mug and heat the base up. They've all been perfect since. In the case of an actual mug press... I dunno... you could perhaps heat the mug up first by sitting the base in some boiling water for thirty seconds, then dry it off completely before pressing it.

Anything's worth a try, at this stage.

[rossdv8]

I solved my problem with fading by getting a cheap Chinese press with the thin horizontal elephant. The press makes up for any taper. There are good quality presses that look like they do the same, I think maybe the DK3 is one of them.

Since I changed presses I have had no problem with my bottom fading.