polymer mugs - first review!!!

[AdamB]

So - I made some time today to test print some polymer mugs that I had got on my last order from BMS (sample 6 pack plus puck).

Before I start, apologies - I forgot to take photos but I'll try and get some up tomorrow of the mug I did (EDIT: images now added).

Firstly after I had found my mugs (apologies to BMS, they were that light I never knew they were in the box) I realised what people meant by the weight. Although they feel very light, there is a quality feel about them. They are the same size as an 11oz (European mug) and the puck fits inside very, very snuggly.

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A closer examination of the mugs reveal that they have a very glossy outer and the sides seemed very straight (always a good starting point). I noticed the symbol on the bottom of the mug that I believe is the SunFly symbol (if I'm not mistaken?) (IMAGE 3) so I was pleased that I was finally trying something that I had looked at many months ago! My first thoughts of a plastic mug was, well - just that really. What I mean is that I thought the mug would be one piece of plastic that had come out of a mould or something. As I looked at the mug I noticed a seam in the middle that looks like two haves have been moulded to the outside of a mug base to create the smoothed surface area ........................ I wasn't sure if this would affect the pressing or not? (SEE IMAGE 4)

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Onto pressing and as there were quite a few posts regarding times and temps I thought I needed a starting point so I took this from Martin (at BMS) who had given the following times/temps - 125 degrees idle temp, 170 degrees operating temp, 90 seconds cooking time. Although there was no pressure guide I presumed that this would be medium?

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I created some colourful artwork so as I will predominantly be using these for kids mugs. The artwork I created had a small white border at the top and bottom of the mug (I would do a full top to bottom print later).

I placed the puck in the mug, then in the press and waited patiently. I don't know why but I had this horrible feeling that everything would melt in front of my eyes (just like the wicked witch when Dot threw some H2O on her) so the finish beep couldn't come quick enough!

I opened the press, took the puck out of the mug (yes - use gloves as it's hot!) and then ripped the paper off the mug. Usually I do this with bare fingers so I have grown quite accustomed to singing my finger tips ............... but the mug didn't seem that hot - and there was no "shushhhhhhhhh" and "hissssssssss" as the mug hits the (room temp) water (yes - I dunk!).

What I did (briefly) notice was the vibrant colour and what I thought was an excellent transfer of image to mug.

After a few seconds I took the mug out of the water, gave it a dry and a closer examination. The colours were magnificent and the transfer (ink to gas, to mug) had worked spot on. The join (between the two halves that I mentioned earlier) could not be seen at all.

BUT, I did notice that there was a little bit of plastic that had melted on the base of the mug and it looked like the mug press was a little too tight (sometimes you notice the pattern from the blanket on the mug and know it's too tight), but apart from that I was really, really pleased with the first attempt.

SO - SECOND ATTEMPT, and taking all above into account I decided to losen off the pressure a little and reduce the temp down to 160 (or it may have been 165, I will confirm tomorrow) and take the time right down to 60 seconds (30 seconds less).

THIS MUG WAS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY. There was no sign of melting, no signs of fadeness - all was fabulous!

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After pressing the second mug and realising that I could now get rid of the other four to people that had enquired about them in the last couple of days (I had initially written off 6 to get things right) - I then came up with a EUREKA MOMENT!

The thing is, these mugs are 100% polyester and unlike normal mugs that have the polyester coating on them all of the mug is subliminal. So, I thought - can I print on the inside of the mug?

I printed a design for the inside of the mug and another for the outside but that's when my EUREKA moment took a nose dive! Because the puck is very, very tight there is literally no room for anything .............. not even a sheet of paper! I tried both ways - placing the paper inside the mug and inserting the puck and wrapping the paper around the puck and inserting the whole thing into the mug but it wouldn't fit and would only go half way in (I told you that the puck was a tight fit). I didn't risk forcing the puck as if I did I might not be able to get it out again once cooked! I did have a feeling that the image wouldn't transfer to the inside properly anyway as the heat on the inside would be a lot less than the outside but I never got to test my theory!

So, all in all - mugs are great and image(s) to follow tomorrow! (EDIT: NOW ADDED ABOVE)

Adam

[John G]

Great review, might be trying these too, price is an issue though!

[dj_doubler]

Great news Adam... good indepth review on the wonders of poly mugs :0) - cant wait to see the photo of these as I have been wanting to give these a go... may I ask what type of press you are using?

im thinking of ways already to get that paper on the inside with the puck lol - mabye get a puck made of wood but to the perfect diamiter? I know this would be abit of a pain in the backside but always worth looking into.

Anthony

[Paul]

great review! now let us see some pics ;)

[AdamB]

Great review, might be trying these too, price is an issue though!

Yeah I know John - £1.50 each (including VAT) and you need to buy a box of 48 (£72). But saying that, I'm looking at shifting these at the same price as my normal mugs as they are the same size and are quite unique. You could also brand them as BBQ mugs (less breakage) and Camping Mugs etc - if they're branded right then they'll sell ............... but getting in smaller batches would be better at this early stage (even cheaper would be a better bonus).



Great news Adam... good indepth review on the wonders of poly mugs :0) - cant wait to see the photo of these as I have been wanting to give these a go... may I ask what type of press you are using?

im thinking of ways already to get that paper on the inside with the puck lol - mabye get a puck made of wood but to the perfect diamiter? I know this would be abit of a pain in the backside but always worth looking into.

Anthony

Hi Anthony, I using (I think) a DF1 at the moment (see: http://www.printerowners.co.uk/hardware-equipment/528/df1-mug-press.htm for press). I have another one but I used this one for the poly mugs. Getting a puck made which is slightly smaller would probably work but let's not forget that we don't know if it 'will' work yet. If the outside of the mug is at 165 degrees then the inside will be probably 10-15 degrees less (at a guess), so would the image transfer at that time and temp? If not you'll need to up the settings and risk melting the outside - catch 22!

It would be good to see if it does though as my mind is doing overtime! Think a design on the front as an example a nice ocean scene with boats, colourful fish and a treasure chest etc (this is aimed at kids), but on the inside you could do the same design but shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean with sharks swimming about! (the list is endless).

[AdamB]

great review! now let us see some pics ;)

Will do mate - I meant to today but forgot ................. sorry :-(

And do I get anything for making a review? Maybe a day top of the leaderboard in the arcade section (I was top once, when it first started and no one had seen it).

[dj_doubler]

Will do mate - I meant to today but forgot ................. sorry :-(

And do I get anything for making a review? Maybe a day top of the leaderboard in the arcade section (I was top once, when it first started and no one had seen it).

lol you have to earn the right to be top in the arcade like me :0)

Ref: the colourful fish / ocean etc... I want one! I want one! thats not for kids... its a adult mug lol :-)

You are right in regards to BBQ and camping also worth a go at showing local schools etc... as you can pop on the school logo etc... I would sell them at the same price as the normal ceramic mugs... you cant really put a price on safety... great for kids etc...

[barryslip]

I too have had good results with my first poly mug! I printed identical images on a poly mug and a regular European ceramic mug. The picture looks exactly the same!

I pressed using Martins time/temp settings using TruPix paper and the BMS DF12 press.

Very impressed, and will definitely be ordering more in the future.

I'm trying to think of ways to print on the inside too - I'm wondering if an old mug blanket put inside (folded inside-out) and pressed against the edges with a smaller puck would work. Anyone with am old blanket willing to give it a try???

I've uploaded a pic of my first polymer mug. I didn't try full top-to-bottom on this one, but I reckon (looking at all the other photos in this post) that it's possible. Hope this is useful?

[dj_doubler]

I too have had good results with my first poly mug! I printed identical images on a poly mug and a regular European ceramic mug. The picture looks exactly the same!

I pressed using Martins time/temp settings using TruPix paper and the BMS DF12 press.

Very impressed, and will definitely be ordering more in the future.

I'm trying to think of ways to print on the inside too - I'm wondering if an old mug blanket put inside (folded inside-out) and pressed against the edges with a smaller puck would work. Anyone with am old blanket willing to give it a try???

would this not cause melting? -

@barryslip do you have any photo's you can post?

[chongsta]

where do you get the metal puck from Adam? I dont see them at BMS - Martin?

cheers
Dave

[dj_doubler]

http://www.printerowners.co.uk/sublimation/641/11oz-polymer-sublimation-mug.htm

You can add or remove the puck from the drop down menu... looks like you have to order the sample pack with the puck

Anthony

[AdamB]

where do you get the metal puck from Adam? I dont see them at BMS - Martin?

cheers
Dave

see: http://www.printerowners.co.uk/sublimation/641/11oz-polymer-sublimation-mug.htm Dave - see the option button for the puck option

[Mugsman]

yes they need a puck or insert as they will cave in when pressed

[Fidget242]

We've also had fantastic results with these mugs, the kids love them! the inside printing is a fantastic idea and hope somebody comes up with a way to do this.

The thing I'm wondering is (and I'll give it a try on monday) is are you not able to use the aluminium water bottle as a slightly thinner puck? ie, put the image for the inside in the mug, then insert the water bottle?

I purchased some polymer mugs early last year from an ebay listing and as he didnt supply a puck, I improvised and used an aluminium water bottle - it worked fine for those ones. The mugs were slightly different though as it had Patent Pending USA on the bottom and they weren't as glossy or nicely finished, the bottle was slightly loose in the mug but it still pressed without distorting...

[AdamB]

We've also had fantastic results with these mugs, the kids love them! the inside printing is a fantastic idea and hope somebody comes up with a way to do this.

The thing I'm wondering is (and I'll give it a try on monday) is are you not able to use the aluminium water bottle as a slightly thinner puck? ie, put the image for the inside in the mug, then insert the water bottle?

I purchased some polymer mugs early last year from an ebay listing and as he didnt supply a puck, I improvised and used an aluminium water bottle - it worked fine for those ones. The mugs were slightly different though as it had Patent Pending USA on the bottom and they weren't as glossy or nicely finished, the bottle was slightly loose in the mug but it still pressed without distorting...

I have just added some image to the first post ............... but before I did I was excited to test the water bottle theory.

Unfortunatley (coincidcence) the water bottle seems to be the same width, if not slightly wider as it won't fit all the way down to the bottom (unlike the puck that fits snuggly and all the way to the bottom as shown in the images above).

[Justin]

Excellent review :-) Images look incredibly vibrant. Have you tried a full wrap yet? By the looks of the mugs you'd possibly need to leave a small gap at the top?

[AdamB]

Excellent review :-) Images look incredibly vibrant. Have you tried a full wrap yet? By the looks of the mugs you'd possibly need to leave a small gap at the top?

Thanks Justin :-)

Not tried a full wrap yet but there's no reason why it shouldn't work as Martin said he had done some on late last week and was going to upload images on Monday. If I get time I will do a full wrap one .................... but it may have to wait until I get some more in (I have sold the ones I have left and the cash will go towards another box).

[Paul]

some blody good pics you snaped there adam! All explained very well! I think you should test more stuff for us!
regards to logo at the bottom of the mug yes it is sun fly logo. good to know Martin is dealing with them.Now lets hope we can see some plates here in the uk ;)

[Justin]

Is the bottom of the mug flat? What size/position is the logo? The old "Can we print on the base" springs to mind!

[boristrump]

anyone try just with mug wrap and oven?
if so what the temp and time for halogen oven?
please give info on temp and time s i might try one but need to know the temp&time thing btw is it true you can sub inside the polymer mug as well?

[Justin]

Can't see these surviving 12-20 minutes in an oven

[AdamB]

Thanks Paul - thought it was the Sun Fly Logo :-)

FAO Justin, the base isn't flat (can't really see in the photo). The base sits about 3/4 mm deep from the bottom of the mug (if you see what I mean). There is an area that could be printed (opposite the SunFly Logo) but you would have to build it out to get the heat to it with metal of some kind - but then you risk melting the plastic (catch 22).

[Justin]

Lol, yes, this could be an issue! I see Sun Fly do sample packs Paul with the plate in, $55 shipping costs

http://www.innovativesublimation.com/sublimation-free-samples.html

I like the look of some other products, coasters, keyrings etc. Also a double sided polymer jigsaw? Sounds interesting.

[bms]

regards to logo at the bottom of the mug yes it is sun fly logo. good to know Martin is dealing with them

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we don't deal with SunFly - logo might come from the factory that produces this logo, but we don't source them from SunFly. Hence we don't have a source for the polymer plates as our suppliers don't currently do them.

Great review though Adam.

[AdamB]

Yeah - I think me and Paul had a conversation (I think Kaz was in on it as well) about the sample packs. There was chit chat about getting a sample pack and dividing between a few members as there were a few of the products that were duplicate .................. still expensive to try though!

The SunFly lady posts on here every now and then doesn't she? Would she not send us a pack for FREE and we'll stick up a review on the items for her. That way any suppliers can see how they work and that 'we' (the guys that do the work in selling individual items) can do something with them.

[AdamB]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we don't deal with SunFly - logo might come from the factory that produces this logo, but we don't source them from SunFly. Hence we don't have a source for the polymer plates as our suppliers don't currently do them.

Great review though Adam.

Thanks Martin - so are we saying that theseARE Sun Fly products with their logo on them, but not from Sun Fly themselves ................... or something else?

[bms]

Thanks Martin - so are we saying that theseARE Sun Fly products with their logo on them, but not from Sun Fly themselves ................... or something else?

I don't know if they are a SunFly product. What tends to happen in China is a factory produces a product for possibly several different clients. I don't know if SunFly does the manufacturing themselves of this product (i.e. wholly owned subsidiary of SunFly) or if they are a collation service of products from different factories (partly owned by SunFly, no ownership etc) which have been manufactured for sublimation (with input from companies such as SunFly or others). Having not visited SunFly then it can be difficult to know what sort of organisation they are (apart from reading their website).

We don't buy from SunFly at present, but do source these direct from China. At the end of the day, does it really matter if they are a 'sunfly' product or not?

[John G]

Are acrylic mugs the same as polymer mugs - in other words are acrylic & polymer one of the same. :redface:

[AdamB]

At the end of the day, does it really matter if they are a 'sunfly' product or not?

Not being an expert on this Martin I don't really know - but - if I am selling something that has a brand on them, and the brand is recognisable (which this one is) then it wouldn't take two minutes for one of my customers to have a look on their website and see the poly mug. If it's the same one with the same build and quality then it's no problem as those customers have a focal point to view the item, but if it's not the same quality or build but with the brand on then they would 'expect' it to be - and (probably) so would I.

I don't have nothing to compare it to so I cannot say, but as a generic question does the poly mug from Sun Fly have the join in them like these do, I don't know?

If the mugs didn't have the brand on them then there would be no comparisson - but it does.

Hope that explains the question you asked?

Also Martin, would you be able to sell these mugs in lesser quantities? I definatley want some but at £72 per box it's still a bit of a gamble to have valuable stock sat not being used (in this present climate). Maybe spiltting the box in half to 36?? (sample packs of 6 work out at 12p more per mug if I order 5 sample packs to get 30).

[Paul]

At the end of the day, does it really matter if they are a 'sunfly' product or not?
I does not :) but sun fly have a web site so is good to catch up with new stuff before they arrive in uk :)

its little bit like find the logo on the item and can not find anything about it on the net. :) you can with sunfly logo... :)

[boristrump]

very funny :( joker in the pack! some say for mug press setting are around about temp at 170 deg time around about @ 150 seconds So anyone have success with mug wraps and halogen oven? temp& time setting any info on this?
Can't see these surviving 12-20 minutes in an oven

[JSR]

Can't see these surviving 12-20 minutes in an oven

I asked the question here: http://www.dyesubforum.co.uk/vbforum/showthread.php?2513-Polymer-Mugs&p=23795&viewfull=1#post23795 and Martin said they should be fine in an oven.

[bms]

Also Martin, would you be able to sell these mugs in lesser quantities? I definatley want some but a £72 per box it's still a bit of a gamble to have valuable stock sat not being used (in this present climate). Maybe spiltting the box in half to 36?? (sample packs of 6 work out at 12p more per mug if I order 5 sample packs to get 30).

I don't see us selling these in different quantities/ prices. They are priced on boxes of 48 as we don't have to unpack and repack hence we offer an incentive to go for the full box rate. Anything less than 48 at a time would be at the slightly higher cost. At least we offer smaller packs - there are plenty of bigger suppliers that won't split packs of anything!


its little bit like find the logo on the item and can not find anything about it on the net. :) you can with sunfly logo... :)

Do customers really do this or is it us that do this? We've had discussions on here in the past about RN v ORCA - we may care, but I don't think the customer does. They just want the mug to do what you say it does. If you say it's dishwasher safe (however defined) then they are happy, but they don't know the difference between RN, ORCA, RHINO and all the other coatings.

Likewise I don't see too many retail customers buying a polymer mug spending any time at all trying to source the origin of a logo on the bottom of a mug. Even I haven't done this! I've visited the sunfly website today and seen their logo on their website, but I'm struggling to match the pic on the bottom of the mug to the logo on the sunfly website. I'm sure now someone will link to the match and be first to say SNAP!


Are acrylic mugs the same as polymer mugs - in other words are acrylic & polymer one of the same. :redface:

Go on then, open up that can of worms...

[Paul]

Likewise I don't see too many retail customers buying a polymer mug spending any time at all trying to source the origin of a logo on the bottom of a mug. Even I haven't done this! I've visited the sunfly website today and seen their logo on their website, but I'm struggling to match the pic on the bottom of the mug to the logo on the sunfly website. I'm sure now someone will link to the match and be first to say SNAP!


well. often I am on my local carboot sales anif i find anything interesting with the logo at the bottom I always doing my research. I also do that when I am going out with my metal detector. odd logos/signs helped me find out lots of interesting stuff... but it must be only me :)


http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/8122/41062789.jpg

on the both logos you can see this same 2 letters SF. sunFly?? ;)

[AdamB]

... but it must be only me :)

There must be two of us then Paul :-)

[bms]

Still don't get the logo match. I can see SF in the colour logo, but the markings on the mug look like W V W W to me.

What makes you think they are the same?

[Mugsman]

i got nothing on bottom of mine

[Kaz]

Not seeing SF or WVWW, but definitely looks like the same logo, just at a different angle in the colour one

[Paul]

Still don't get the logo match. I can see SF in the colour logo, but the markings on the mug look like W V W W to me.

What makes you think they are the same?

lol :)
how about now??
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3994/logosfi.jpg

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2224/logosf2.jpg

[John G]

Blind man on a galloping horse could make that out Martin:biggrin:

[dj_doubler]

looking at those mugs from the first page is making want to order some of the poly mugs... I am going to have to think hard about it and make a choice I have some great idea's but its a difficulty choice to make.

@AdamB - when you made that design are they just standard cliparts etc...

[AdamB]

Perhaps this will make things clearer?

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[John G]

Mugsman, when you bought your mugs did they come with the tool or puck and if so what was the total price and were you impressed with the end result.

Cheers John

[AdamB]

i got nothing on bottom of mine

You got yours from a different source though mate didn't you?

[AdamB]

@AdamB - when you made that design are they just standard cliparts etc...

Yes mate - I have been purchasing various packs of vectors and clipart packs along the way as I have always done things graphical (posters and the like). I make my own templates to use from these.

[Mugsman]

You got yours from a different source though mate didn't you?

yes i got them from novachrome and i have a wooden insert not a puck

[Mugsman]

Mugsman, when you bought your mugs did they come with the tool or puck and if so what was the total price and were you impressed with the end result.

Cheers John

no had to buy insert as well as i got 84 plastic mugs£96.90 plus vat lol john cant rember of hand how much insert was but results are good

[John G]

Cheers for that - i'll check it out, along with my acrylic mugs :cool:

[boristrump]

i've got the Polysub mug compare to Sun-Fly Polymer mug which i sent for sample there's no contest Polysub is first class superior quality than Sun-fly
Sun-fly Polymer mug has a horrible rim joint on the handle compare to Polysub there's no such rim at all! and no branding of any kind on the bottom of the polysub.

[AdamB]

i've got the Polysub mug ..........

Where did you get these from mate?

[AdamB]

Where did you get these from mate?

Sorry - just seen your location ................ things are so much easier over the water :-(

[John G]

Shame there's no Polysub distributors in UK

[AdamB]

Shame there's no Polysub distributors in UK

ditto John :-(

[boristrump]

forgot to mention this when i got my Polysub Mugs last year they enclosed an safety Certificate with it CPSIA doc. much like the UK health and safety, within the Certificate how the Polysub is certified that Polysub is child safety approved this gave me much confident to sell to nursery and other establishment. to be honest i made a good profit. i have to ask did anyone get any such safety certificate from Sun-Fly or BSM sublimation supplies regarding children safety?

[Jimbo]

Here's a US supplier with the Polymug, they also do a travel mug version.

http://www.dyetrans.com/group.php?webmaincat=sub_prods&websubcat=mugs&websubcat2=polysub&title=PolySub Plastic Mugs

[barryslip]

Hi all

Sorry to open up this thread again! I was just wondering, are the polymer mugs OK for us in a dishwasher? I've got the ones from BMS.

Cheers
Barry

[bms]

Yes they are. There is no coating on the polymer mugs so there is nothing to come off - the ink goes into the product.

News Flash: we have some more Polymer products arriving later in the Summer - polymer White travel mugs, polymer small expresso mugs and saucers and polymer plates and polymer coasters.

[barryslip]

Thanks for the quick reply Martin! I'm very much looking forward to more polymer products soon!!!

[Draner]

Where on earth are we going to store all them Martin?

[Paul]

plates and polymer coasters.

woooo hooo!!! any ideas about prices for those two items??

[AdamB]

excellent!

[bms]

Where on earth are we going to store all them Martin?Back seat of your car??Pricing to follow once I can get images and details on the website...