Newbie - Cost of printing a mug?

[markymark]

Hi there,

I currently outsource our mug production for the customised products we sell and I am considering bringing it in house.

Can anyone let me know what the average cost for printing a full colour mug, we currently pay our supplier £2.60...

Thanks

Mark

[GoonerGary]

It's impossible to work out, I think Sawgrass has a chart which claims a price, but you'll be saving half your costs if you do it yourself.

[pisquee]

£2.60 is a good price. (We don't go that low on wholesale production for other designers)
Assuming you have no equipment at all, you will need to buy in the mug press, printer, sublimation inks, and have space for stock and the equipment to be set up. You would need to keep the printer running to stop it drying up.
I assume that the company you buy from are producing lots of mugs and buying them in in quantity and so be able to get a better price than you.
In your costings you also need to take into consideration the man-hours for production... as a beginner you won't be able to produce as quick or well as the company you outsource to. You will have a lot of wasted mugs while you get the hang of it.

This is not to say you can't bring it inhouse, but you need to consider what it's actually going to cost.

You should do a business plan, which includes how many mugs you will need to make to break even (paying off all the new equipment and stock you've bought in) but also, how many mugs you need to sell to save money compared to outsourcing.

[John G]

At £2.60 a mug, I'm not sure why your looking to bring it in-house.

[jennywren]

At £2.60 a mug, I'm not sure why your looking to bring it in-house.

That's quite a reasonable price and if your happy with the quality, and Pisquee is right about the business plan.

[socialgiraffe]

In answer to your specific question, about £1.00-£1.30 (+VAT) depending on various things like the quality of the mug and inks used. This does not include man hours.

Whether the price you are paying now is a good price or not I can not comment on as there are so many variables to consider, for example, who does and how is the artwork provided?, Are you ordering out 1 or 100 a day?, all of which affect the final price.

Lastly, your price does not say whether it includes VAT or not which obviously affects how good the price is.

[John G]

In answer to your specific question, about £1.00-£1.30 (+VAT) depending on various things

Depends - if you use the cheapest mugs, paper and ink, yes - you could do it for the price SG quoted.

Offer your customers something that doesn't wash off in the dishwasher - buy a decent mug, add the carriage, and vat, and you're looking at around £1.25 for the mug alone - never mind the paper and ink to print it.

[Listawood]

Hi markymark,

If you'd like to get in touch with me on 01485 529 773 (or marketing @ listawood . com ), I'd be happy to talk you through my personal, all inclusive estimates on the cost of printing a range of mugs.

Best,

Ben

[socialgiraffe]

Depends - if you use the cheapest mugs, paper and ink, yes - you could do it for the price SG quoted.

I will try and keep this civil JOHNG.

How dare you imply that I am using cheap anything. You have no idea about my business and what materials I use. I am certainly not going to tell you what they are as that would constitute me justifying myself which I do not need to do with anyone. However all my work is for retail and is of the highest standard. I consider the mugs I use to be one of the best in the UK and as a bulk supplier I have a reputation of being one of the best in my industry.

Have you not considered that I am just a better price negotiator than you?

Presumably you would like to apologise for implying that my materials are cheap?

[Andrew]

Hi there,

I currently outsource our mug production for the customised products we sell and I am considering bringing it in house.

Can anyone let me know what the average cost for printing a full colour mug, we currently pay our supplier £2.60...

Thanks

Mark

If it is £2.60 inclusive of vat and delivery then the cost is okay which is based on the assumption they are short runs per design and not single. If it is £2.60 + vat and delivery for short runs then that is a bit steep.

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. There in lies the problem, the learning curve. This can be costly and off-set any savings for a long time if you struggle to get things right quickly. If I were a designer/licencee etc, I would concentrate on developing that area and the outgoing sales, then let a specialist print the mugs. Get your volumes up and negotiate a better supply rate. Look at other suppliers but get a couple of printed samples first to ensure quality.