Looking for a printing shop who will print on sublimation paper

[HappySparrow]

I'm new to the idea of sublimation printing. I'm in the process of starting a small business and want to put illustrations onto mugs, plates and tiles. I don't have much in the way of capital though so thought I'd buy a small mug press as a starting point and get the illustrations printed at a printing shop so as to avoid having to spend on a printer for now. The problem is that I can't seem to find a printer that will do this. Has anyone gone this route and found a printing shop that will print on transfer paper?

[webtrekker]

In all seriousness, I would start off with a halogen oven (from Argos, B&M etc) and a handful of silicone mug wraps (about £5 on ebay or I think one of our members has some for sale in recent posts). I'd spend the rest of my money on a sublimation printer (possibly an Epson, they run quite cheap) and inks. @InkExperts, who advertise in the forum, provide excellent equipment, inks and advice and should be able to get you sorted with a reasonably cheap, but good, setup.

Having your own printer allows you to tweak everything to get the results you want, and your prints are in your hand in minutes, not days. Also, should your business take off, you will already have the experience necessary to complete larger orders on time.

Think carefully about it, before jumping in at the wrong end.

[HappySparrow]

Thanks so much. I might do that then. Is there any difference in quality between the press and the oven method?

[Baldy]

Thanks so much. I might do that then. Is there any difference in quality between the press and the oven method?

In my personal experience, the print quality is no different, plus the wraps allow you to print much closer to the handles than most mug presses. The wraps are also a lot cheaper to replace than mug press elements.

The only down-side I've found is they take longer in the halogen (I do 9m@180c for singles) To be honest, I've been a bit busy with other jobs so haven't really played with multiple mugs yet, but no doubt other members here will be able to point you in the right direction. Webtrekker seems to be the Halogen Guru™ around here.

[HappySparrow]

Thank you!

[GermanDyeSub]

Superb advice by @webtrekker. There are good A4 Epsons out there that are affordable. Check with Inkexpress or Inkexperts. They have kits with sublinova ink which should be good for sublimation.

Signzworld offer affordable mug presses in the region of 50-60 quid if you want a starter/entry mug press. If you become a full member here you can also get a discount.