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View Full Version : Consistently poor mug prints!



Martinx
05-03-2011, 09:19 PM
Using the same Mug Press I had to print 10 mugs with the same design
which I printed on one sheet. Print looked great until I came to pressing the print on the mugs.

First one good, second one ok but third and fourth very poor!
I turned the mug press off each time. I can't understand it at all.
Does the press need a certain amount of time to cool down between each mug?

Consistency is so important to me! Can anyone shed any light on this or give me any advice on alternative printing methods?

Thank you
Martin

bms
05-03-2011, 09:36 PM
When you say very poor, what makes it very poor? Can you elaborate?
What printer/ inks are you using and what temp/ time combination are you setting your mug press to?

accdave
05-03-2011, 10:34 PM
I turned the mug press off each time. I can't understand it at all.
Does the press need a certain amount of time to cool down between each mug?



Quite the opposite, should be one out, one straight in, or at least thats my method

mrs maggot
05-03-2011, 11:27 PM
can you explain why you turned it off each time ?? perhaps put a picture of the mugs up left to right, good to poor, amazed you got 10 wraps off one sheet of paper - how big is your printer :)

AdamB
06-03-2011, 12:05 AM
................ hold on a sec Martinx - are you using the same bit of paper for each mug?

Prints should only be used the one time, no matter how much ink 'seems' to be left on the paper - if this isn't the case then I apologise but if it is then this may be the problem?

smitch6
06-03-2011, 12:27 AM
well spotted Adam, bless him it wouldn't surprise me if thats the problem
we'll have to wait for martin to let us know

i'll admit that was one of the 1st things i thought about when i 1st started out
'could i re-use the prints'
2nd was how long do the prints last for (that got asked and answered by someone else :) )

Paul
06-03-2011, 01:08 AM
amazed you got 10 wraps off one sheet of paper - how big is your printer :)
no one said it is full wrap designe :) it maybe small logo so on one A4 you can place 30 of them ;)

Martinx
06-03-2011, 09:28 AM
Thanks for your reply guys. Sorry I should of gone into more detail. Anyway, in response to your questions

'bms' - Epson S21 printer using ArTainium Inks. Print quality on paper great. Press time 180sec @ 180deg. First few mugs fine, then the black print was more brown and looked almost out of registration! and at one point point paper scorch marks left on the mug!! Weird

'mrs maggot' - The mug press has no idol setting and I was concerned about the blanket overheating so turned off. I wanted to double check each mug separately rather than going full steam one in one out.
Should I go with accdave in that keep the production line moving? Paul is right the print was a logo on one side of the mug only, therefore I managed to get 6-up on one A4 sheet and 4-up on another.

'Adam/Smitch' - I didn't use the same print, but wouldn't that be great if we could, all that time and money we would save...Dragons Den here we come!

I have been pressing mugs for a good few months now and thought I had perfected the process. Up until now I had only ever done one off's so this was my first multiple print job.
Having read quite a few debates on here about the Mug press v Oven, I'm concerned that the Mug Press isn't equipped for producing consistent prints on multiple mugs with the same design. One off's great.
I'm sure that's for another debate entirely.

Thanks
Martin

smitch6
06-03-2011, 09:37 AM
i use a mug press and done 16 the other day
and 12 came out exactly right thankfully
the 4 that didn't was because i played with time and didn't have the image position just right so that was my fault

smitch6
06-03-2011, 09:40 AM
are you using a protective wrap of some description?
it sounds like they are burning,
maybe the thermostat on your blanket is faulty
hence thats why the 1 works fine but after a while it gets too hot and burns them

i get the odd paper going brown when doing mugs but generally they come out cooked but not a deep brown

my guess is its your blanket

accdave
06-03-2011, 09:51 AM
I've been using a mug press for over 2 years with no problems. I have a mug oven which has been sat on top of a cupboard collecting dust for nearly 2 years :)

bms
06-03-2011, 10:56 AM
When does the 180 seconds count down start from? I would have safety mug in press until it reaches operating temp, then put in you mug, start countdown ( I would do 210 seconds from this point). When mug finished put next mug in and start countdown and repeat. If you are switching off for a while and then putting your mug in, then the time in the press is much longer. Scortched paper suggests the press is hot. There is no problems in doing multiple runs with a mug press - they will easily do 50, 100 at a time and even more if you had the work.

mrs maggot
06-03-2011, 11:12 AM
if i'm doing a run of mugs i tape the design onto them all first, and then press them one after the other, i make sure the press is back up to temperature before doing subsequent mugs

Martinx
06-03-2011, 11:13 AM
I try to cut the paper to the exact height of the mug, but got a burn mark across the lip of the mug and at the bottom after 2 mugs. The edges left and right of paper no burning at all. I sorted that prob by cutting height of paper slightly bigger with a 2mm over hang top and bottom. My issue here is this can cause probs when you want text or an edge of a pic horizontally straight. I use paper from xpress but nothing in between that and blanket. Maybe the heating element is the cause for concern here! Might invest in an oven and wraps for jobs where consistency is key and use press for one off jobs! It's all trial and error! I ended up doing the job of 10 mugs over 2 days and wasted 3 mugs! Not great but will get there.

mrs maggot
06-03-2011, 11:29 AM
i have a teflon sheet which i use on mine

accdave
06-03-2011, 11:38 AM
I use pre-cut sheets of paper which overlap the top & bottom of the mug. Luckily my partners Dad works for a card printers so I got the last batch of 2,000 for 1p less than a penny :)

Martinx
06-03-2011, 11:56 AM
I just wait for temp to hit 180 then start countdown, once it's finished and beeps I turn it off. I will follow ur guide BMS before I do anything else. I do usually use a safety mug but don't think I did in between mugs on this ocassion and will leave machine on in future and follow your tip Mrs Maggot.

Thanks for all your advice, appreciated as always.

Martinx

mrs maggot
06-03-2011, 12:09 PM
supermarket will have them as "teflon" baking sheets - or for the mug press, just cut open on of those sandwhich toaster bags you can get for 99p

smitch6
06-03-2011, 12:41 PM
or as lots of use use
normal greaseproof paper
my wifey bought my 2 boxes from morrisons for £1 each still haven't got through the 1st box yet :)

quick and disposable

John G
06-03-2011, 12:58 PM
You've never said what make the mug press is!

Mine doesn't have an idle - once switched on it reaches the temp, but I always keep a sacrificial mug in it. When you have loads to do its a case of take the printed mug out when it buzzes, put fresh one in for printing. Done this with orders of 200+ mugs and its never burnt the blanket out - no need to switch off.

jennywren
06-03-2011, 07:50 PM
if i'm doing a run of mugs i tape the design onto them all first, and then press them one after the other, i make sure the press is back up to temperature before doing subsequent mugs
i also do this and use a Teflon sheet, the same as mrs maggot

mrs maggot
06-03-2011, 08:02 PM
Ive just had two crap mugs - they were too cold, filled them with hot water then tipped water out, some water on outise of the first mug i think and ruined the print, 2nd one just still not warm enough, you can see how cold it is by how much the press drops down in temp from 180 to 156 in seconds

Martinx
06-03-2011, 09:24 PM
Thats interesting! I keep my mugs in the garage and go grab them when I need them and they are very cold! It might be worth bringing a load into the house to keep warm bless em!

smitch6
06-03-2011, 09:30 PM
lol
and get some greaseproof paper to wrap the mug with when you press
as i was getting burning on my mugs until i used the g'proof paper

it's really cheap and just throw it away after you've used if 6 or so times

Martinx
06-03-2011, 09:37 PM
Will do definitely. With the grease proof paper will I need to increase the temp and the time?

smitch6
06-03-2011, 09:56 PM
you won't as its thin it's fine

mrs maggot
06-03-2011, 10:10 PM
looks like we have found your problem mugsquad - the mugs are too cold, im bringing the mugs & the press in, even the vinyl has struggled this past week with it being cold again

jamescork2
13-03-2011, 10:30 PM
Hi guys, I only do about 3 or four mugs at a time. Only had trouble with browning on the paper when gone over temp. Once the timer has gone off, I wait 10 secs take the mug out and I have the next one ready. No problems. The onlt other problem I have thought about, is if the preasure has not been right, not enough.

danlad
14-03-2011, 10:24 PM
This may sound silly, but are you letting the cup get to 180c then letting the timer start.

chongsta
01-04-2011, 10:34 PM
A neat little trick i picked up from Andrew here...

If you get fading of the design at the top and bottom of the mug, heat the mug up from the base. I use a little portable heater I bought from B&Q for £12.99

I tape the design on and then lay the mug with the base facing the heater, about 10" away. Ive never had a bad one since! The base of the mug takes longer to heat up when in the press and this results in the design not fully going on. Over the winter this has saved me! I was losing around 3/10 mugs to fading.

Dave.

logobear
01-04-2011, 11:44 PM
The bottom of mugs has more ceramic and takes more heating.
Our press has an idle, but we stach em on top of the t press if it is on to warm up the bottoms, otherwise a drop of boiling water, or you can sit the next mug on top of the press while doing the current one to give it a nice warm bottom.
If you are doing long runs just invest in a decent press. I have struggled to use ovens as productively as a good press, I gave up!