Mug printing problems

[soulclaimed]

Hi,

I'm having issues printing mugs currently, at first it was issues with the edge of the print not transfering properly within 3 cm from the handle, that's mostly resolved now but unfortunately now l, every mug I have pressed has issues with the print nearer the base, the ink just doesn't transfer in some spots. It's in the same place on every mug. I have tried the following:
Press at a higher temp
Press at a lower temp for longer
Use a silicone wrap
Flip the mug half way through
Preheat the mug base

I still have the same issue.
Any suggestions?

I'm having this issue with 2 different presses and the mugs I am using are xpres AAA orca mugs. I've gone through about 8 so far and issue is in the same spot each time

[Mrteajunkie]

A few things to consider.

You may be using two different presses but they may both be the same design with the same issues.

Your mugs won’t be straight edged, and probably taper away towards the base.
completely normal make sure there’s a snug fit across the base with your press as the press may not be tight enough against the mug.

When you pre heat the mug base how are you doing this?
try adding an inch of boiling water into the mug for 20 seconds then empty and press.

You don’t need a wrap in a mug press.

[soulclaimed]

They are different presses, they use the same style of element (the standard mug press element) but they are very different presses. I've tried with different pressure settings. When preheating my press I turned a cricut easypress style press with the platen face up and say it in there, it warmed it very quickly. I know you don't need a wrap but someone suggested that I try it in case there wasn't enough pressure

[Mrteajunkie]

If your presses are cricut style presses there’s your issue right there.

[soulclaimed]

No they're not, I just have one. My main mug press are normal mug presses. One of which I have had for about 8 years and one that is new

[Justin]

My initial thoughts were if it's the exact spot every time you have a dead spot on your blanket. Then I read again and you mentioned 2 totally different presses, I can't see you having the exact same issue in the exact same place which then leads me to the mugs, what have Xpres said? Do you have any other brand of mugs you could try? maybe post a pic of the printed mugs? No need for s silicone wrap.

[Emily Xpres]

Hi Soulclaimed

Have you raised this issue with our technical team? If not please raise it so we can look into it further and please provide the batch number from the box.

Due to the handmade nature of the mugs you usually do always see a slight dip in the sides towards the bottom of the mug, thats why we always recommend not printing top to bottom and we provide a template which is leaves an approx 1 cm gap at the top and bottom. I would be interested to see if it looks like an issue with the coating, or its an issue with the dip in the mug which is causing the problem. Could you add some photos on here?

[soulclaimed]

Hi Emily, please see below, this is just a handful of the ones that failed. I've done about 10 now all failing in the same place[ATTACH=CONFIG]7380[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]7381[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7382[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7383[/ATTACH]

[Justin]

Try leaving a 5mm gap top and bottom on your design. make sure your heat press blanket is tight but not overtight.

If you really need full wrap you should be able to achieve with these mugs as they are pretty straight by usual standards, you may need to look at shrink wrap and an oven though.

[Emily Xpres]

It doesn't look like a coating issue as the areas at the bottom are showing signs of under pressing. This is most likely due to lack of pressure at the base, maybe due to the mug sloping off slightly towards the base which is normal and why we never advise a top to bottom print to avoid this issue.

My advise would be playing with the pressure to see if the results improve. Heavier pressure I would try first to try and spread the pressure throughout the whole mug. Alternatively reduce the size of the artwork to leave a gap at the top and bottom of the print to avoid this issue.

If you are still having no luck then please give us a call and get a ticket raised with our technical team so they can investigate this further for you.

Emily