DSF

I am using quite a basic press at the minute and on a couple of prints they have started to fade on the straight lines by the handles. They are full colour rectangles so should be a clean line either side of the handle.

Is this down to the press not getting enough heat in the areas by the handle?

Yes.

You can either increase the pressure a little or shrink the width so it fits inside the blanket.
I work on a rule where if I can see the heat tape then it’s not going to transfer right.

The handle and thick base of a mug act as heatsinks. Some presses can cope with this but many can't.

You could try preheating your mugs but, if you are intent on producing full-area prints I'd suggest using an oven and silicone wraps as opposed to a mug press.

Cheapest option is a halogen cooker (with the glass bowl) as sold in many stores for around£20 to £50, or a dedicated oven such as the 'Blizzard' model which is in the low £100's but can hold more mugs at a time.

Use the forum Search facility to find many posts about fading and ovens.

as a temporary fix you could try placing the mug so the handle isn't in the centre of the gap but more over to one side, then half way through turn it around so it's nearer to the other side and probably add some extra time in there too.

Thanks for your help.

I checked my template and it seemed really wide so I took 1.5cm off each end. I did a test (which wasn't full colour) but I could see how much better it is going to fit when I try one next.