My first mug

[justy22]

Done my first mug, turned out very good apart i forgot to mirror the text, in fact i was very impressed with the picture one of my wedding photots

set my press to 180 o C with spare mug in came upto temp then i swapped with picture mug and immediatley started to count 180 secs temp dropped quite a bit and came upto top temp for last 40 secs

also my printed paper was used after about 10 mins of printing

just one question when printing on the sub paper am i right in thinking its the brightest side to print on

[AJLA]

Well done on your first mug, and yes it is the brightest side of the paper.

[AdamB]

For most papers, the bright side is the printable side ................ which type of paper are you using?

Also, most presses have an idle temp setting, so say yours is set for 180* then once it reaches 180* the beep would sound for you to change for your mug with the transfer. Once changed you start the timer but the timer shouldn't start until the temp reaches the set temperature.

As an example, once I get the beep I change the mug and press the start button. It takes about 40 seconds to reach the cooking temperature then the timer counts down.

You may need to look at your manual and check your settings?

Adam

[justy22]

Thanks for the replies guys, 2nd mug i let temp stabalise then start to rise then counted down from 180 then an extra 30 secs result very good but just a little overcook, i may try lower temp by 10 and allow full 180 secs at stabalised temp

im using this paper http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Sheet-Sublimation-Paper-210x297cm-Size-A4-108gsm-/330592813658?pt=UK_Computing_Printer_Paper_Accesso ries_ET&hash=item4cf8de025a

[John G]

Never had to stabalise the temp - put mug in for 180 at 180 and it should be OK. The temp will always drop as your putting a cold mug in, this is already taken into account with the 180 seconds.

[justy22]

Never had to stabalise the temp - put mug in for 180 at 180 and it should be OK. The temp will always drop as your putting a cold mug in, this is already taken into account with the 180 seconds.

Thanks for this i was a little confused as some people say let it come upto temp then start to count

[AdamB]

Not sure what press you guys are using but the three I've used won't start to count down until the (set) temperature has been reached ................... unless I've misunderstood something?

[John G]

Not sure Adam, just used the instructions that came with the press. When you think about it its the same or similar coating on a mug that is on subli metal, yet the metal cooks at 60 seconds and mugs at 180 seconds. I always took it that due to the longer cooking time the fluctuation in temp was already taken into consideration.

I maybe wrong but it works fine for me

[AdamB]

Not sure John - I know what you mean about cooking times for different substrates though. I think I cook a mug at 185* set for 165 secs. After putting the mug in the temp drops and then rises back to 185* then the timer starts. It probably takes about 20-30secs to do rise to 185* so my timings are more or less the same as yours.

I've been using these settings on hundreds of mugs with no problem no matter what the image, the only difference is the colour changing mugs that need less time.

I did an experiment the other day with subli metal. I had been using settings for ages but I tried upping them as I always have a problem with the reds coming through. In the end I raised the temp by 5* and the cooking time by 20secs to get a better transfer on images. Red still isn't 100% but I find other images are a lot better than previously and I thought they were exact at that time.

It's also worth noting that the times/temps that I use could have a lot of factors like the mug blanket is a little worn so once I get new one I may have to look at these again. There are so many factors that could affect everyone :-)

[John G]

There are so many factors that could affect everyone

Exactly, all presses are different - even the same models could be fractions out on the temp. The press I use doesn't have an idle time, just a temp gauge and a second timer which work independently of each other.

[justy22]

What DPI and other setting should i use when printing my design onto the sub paper

[John G]

I never adjust any photo apart from when it needs cleaning up, cropping, adjusting the lightness etc - straight out of the camera is best. There's no need to adjust anything - that is, if your printing from Coreldraw - never printed from photoshop.

[justy22]

what i meant was should i be using high dpi print settings

also got instructions for my press they say bring upto temp 180 then place mug in and immediately count down from 200 secs

[John G]

what i meant was should i be using high dpi print settings

Yes but what program are you printing from - can you not print, as the photo comes, or do you have to set values when opening the photo.

Use the instructions given with the press - if they don't work bring the seconds down to 180