Progress update!

[SciArtImages]

Hi,
Received my set up from BMS last week - printer, mug wraps etc, to use with a halogen oven. Thought I would show you my progress.
After printing a couple of mugs with a colour chart to make sure the profile was about right I jumped straight in to try some full wraps! After a few wasted mugs because of scorched paper and 'wrinkling' on the bottom of the mugs I think I got the settings right and decided to leave a few mm at the bottom to avoid the wrinkling. The attached pictures show some of the mugs I printed - one of them has very slight wrinkling at the bottom - I would have shown you all the mugs I printed but I managed to sell some at a craft fair I did over the weekend - glad I bought the kit, I think it adds something to my range of art and cards.
Neil.

[jennywren]

Its always satisfying manage when you have got it right, and it's onwards and upwards. I still can remember feeling very proud of myself it's when it finally came right. that lovely glowing feeling. i am really pleased for you.

[SciArtImages]

Thanks Jenny, it felt almost magical when I undid the wraps and found I could actually do it!
Neil.

[AdamB]

Looking good Neil ...................... and I suppose the good thing is that no one can say "is this the right colour" - unless they compare it to one of your cards!

Brilliant (and fascinating) stuff there though mate - well done you :)

[John G]

Hi Neil,
Images are looking good - i'd have thought, using clamps and an oven, you'd get edge to edge (top n bottom) full wraps.

[mrs maggot]

looking very nice

[SciArtImages]

Thanks for the comments.
Adam - even if people do notice a difference in colours, I can always rattle on about ink composition etc (not that I know anything about it!)
John - I decided that as I wanted a few mm gap at the top then the same at the bottom looked OK. I'm sure with more practice I could do top to bottom, but I think I quite like a small border top and bottom.

Neil.

Edit: forgot to mention, the whole point of starting this thread was to say a big THANK YOU to all the posters whose messages I have mined for details and advice, and which have allowed me to get up and running fairly quickly. Thanks!
Neil.

[John G]

It's good to see success so early on with your sublimation equipment. I too leave a gap top and bottom but that's down to my press not being strong enough.

[mgibbs]

I think a gap, top and bottom, looks better personally.

Mark

[Squadron Prints]

WELL DONE - pleased for you! It is so satisfying when it all goes right!

[bms]

Yep, all looks good. Just a small comment on the designs - I know the clamps get almost to touching around the handle on the European mugs so you might get even closer than you are at present.

[SciArtImages]

Martin,
The first batch I did I used a 230mm design, which got closer to the handles but I got a bit of fuzzyness at the edges (which I now think is down to the paper scorching I was experiencing). So I thought to be on the safe side I would go down to 220mm. Now I think I know it was due to the scorching I will try 230mm again. One thing I did do was chop up one of those silicon baking trays and wedge a sliver between the metal and the rubber of the wrap, right at the ends so that I get good pressure as near to the handles as possible - seemed to eliminate a gap that I could see on holding a clamped mug up to the light.
Neil.

[SciArtImages]

Spent a lot of time yesterday mugging, think I only had one out of 3 dozen not turn out as I wanted.
These are some of my latest - spent a lot of time deciding on the exact layout!
435
436
437

[AdamB]

Nice Neil :)

The colours look very vibrant and the spacing looks very 'clean'.

Well done you mate - well done indeed.

[John G]

Lookin good - I think they'll be a good seller!

[Stitch Up]

Lookin good - I think they'll be a good seller!

That's the acid test really - will they sell?

Personally, I think it will prove difficult to sell them at a profit because they're not personalised in any way. If you go into a Pound Shop or Wilkinsons, I'd guess you can pick up similar mugs for a £1. I believe to make a profit, there has to be a theme or personalisation of the product.

[Paul]

it would sell in the art gallery where your artwork is displayed or something...

[SciArtImages]

Thanks for all your comments.
The question 'will they sell' is to be honest the reason I bought the kit to do it myself rather than pay a lot more to get short runs done - a test of what sells is a lot cheaper with a few of each, all my own copyright too. But I don't think personalisation is the be all and end all. I have nothing against personalised products, but would never buy one for myself or others. A good quality product that is slightly different from the norm - then I would.
After all, one could apply this principle to anything - why would anyone ever buy a jag when it is 'just' a Mondeo in smart clothes? Or a Picasso vs going to Ikea for a pic (and in no way am I comparing myself - just an example!)
Neil.

[Matt Quinn]

After all, one could apply this principle to anything - why would anyone ever buy a jag when it is 'just' a Mondeo in smart clothes?

Well they do - apparently - I used to be very partial to Jags and Range Rovers 'till the 'Fix Or Replace Daily' crowd got them; even gave in to 'the call of the green' oval with one of their more recent offerings - And was left bitterly disappointed. It turned out to be a cheap, nasty piece of badly-designed poorly made junk. It had nothing really to do with the Land Rover brand I knew...

It was so bad that instead of selling it on I sent it for scrap!

As a result I'd never look at another Land Rover again - save for restored older models; modern Jags just scream "CHAV" to me and say all sorts of negative things about the owner. Again a brand I'd once have favoured is brought down to 'tat'. - I guess what I'm saying is that "you can fool all of the people some of the time". But eventually, as you seem to be suggesting, it devalues your brand and drives the loyal core customers away forever.

Chasing the apparently quick-and-easy money isn't always a good strategy; hardly ever in fact unless you can service a high volume market.

There is clearly value in your images. And the sort of person who cannot differentiate between fine art photography and random commercial images is unlikely to be a sustainable customer. My own view is that the very limited numbers would be a major part of your USP. The only thing I would say is that you need to add an imprint somehow/somewhere - Perhaps as a label on the bottom? - Or very small branding in the white space?

Protecting your images is important too in this contect

[jennywren]

Your mugs and cards look like they belong in a niche market, and both together complement each other. I know when we have craft markets around the shops a couple of times a year that they are mobbed by like minded people, and I sure that before you invested in sublimation that you would have done your marketing. So I know that you unique mugs alongside your cards will do well, especially at Craft Shows. I would not bother with the label at the bottom of your mug, it is to hard to do this and if they copy your work they will do so regardless, or at best take your idea and use it, the trick is to have faith in what you do and forget what everybody else is doing. I use acetate boxes for my mug which makes the mug look more expensive and creates that overall finished look to a individual gift. With a small press you then can continue the themes in coasters and mousemats. Nice to see outwardly thinking in products.