DSF

have you got a picture where the paper is on the phone case and the vacuum is on ready to go

Not at the moment, but I have a feeling I will be doing a couple of mates cases later, if I do I will take some photos for you.

I've got the same issue with the corners. But I believe the reason for this might be a different paper or different vacuum pressure. I fixed the issue with the corners by using film instead of paper. But I really cannot understand how you all manage to print on the front edges of the case. Please check the photo below.
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Wow... I go to LA for a gaming expo, get sick when I come back, and then I return to the forum to find all these PMs and thread updates. Sorry!

Okay, to answer the questions...

1. Sawgrass inks
2. Ricoh SG7100DN printer
3. TruPix paper

@asfasf
The printed edges are likely not taking the ink because there may not be enough of an overhang of paper below the sides of the case. I'm happy to make my templates available for others to use - is there somewhere specific for me to upload them to, can anyone let me know? Certainly, if the paper is low enough (literally just 1mm-2mm beyond the size of the case) then the ink will be pulled into the edges... assuming your vacuum is powerful enough and doesn't have poor suction, of course.

@ArferMo (funny name!)
Socialgiraffe is right in that I literally do it exactly as you see in the photos. No faffing around, no folding, no creasing... just laying the jig on top of the printed side, then taping the top and the bottom. Nothing more. The vacuum takes care of the rest, and the dye will jump to the corners as it sublimates, just like it does to the rest of the case.

@membrane
My machine doesn't have any suction control... which machine are you using? Mine is the 'big red one', albeit black and with all the peelies removed as I'm a bit obsessive about those things. I literally switch it on, start both heating elements immediately with it still set to the default temp, set the timer to twenty minutes and put the jigs in to heat up from cold. While that's going on, I'm preparing the prints and cases. No fancy stuff though, just exactly what you see from the images.

@socialgiraffe
Glad you got good results from my process - it was so much wasted time and money to get there but I'm so glad I did. Other than the odd glitch here and there (cases that were already bent and I didn't notice, so they don't fit), I pretty much have a 100% success rate with my cases. Actually as far as the actual PRINTING process is concerned, it's definitely 100% success. Every now and again the tape pops off one jig while I'm doing others and it means that the design shifts as it's already started to sublimate, but I expect those types of failures. The printing process itself never fails. I'm also honoured at the award Oh and thanks for picking up the ball while I was away and fielding those questions; I appreciate it!

@ArferMo
You asked for a pic where the print was on the phone case and the vacuum was ready to go... this is that actual image. This is EXACTLY how it gets put into the vacuum press, except with flipped on its axis so that the jig is on the bottom and the case/print is on the top. Nothing else was done; no folding, squeezing, creasing, taping.... just those two bits of tape at the top and bottom and everything else hanging loose.

Thanks for the two explanations. I was hoping for a picture the other way up while the vacuum is on so I could see what the silicone membrane looks like up close on the corner please.

Hope you enjoyed the show.... whats new from over the pond ?

ArferMo;90119 wrote:Thanks for the two explanations. I was hoping for a picture the other way up while the vacuum is on so I could see what the silicone membrane looks like up close on the corner please.

Hope you enjoyed the show.... whats new from over the pond ?

I don't have any orders for cases just now as I took my stores offline while I was away and have been catching up on programming since getting back, so the store's only been active again for a few days. I suppose I could just fire the press up tomorrow evening and take a photo. I'd do it just now but the kids are in bed and the beeps are such a high frequency that it'll wake them up. Yeah, I'll take a couple of photos tomorrow. I must try and get some lighting into that room so I can get a video made. I tend to work in near darkness, so it makes no sense to film the process!

Show was as corporate as ever, with at least 10,000 people there who shouldn't have been there as it's supposed to be trade only and over 18s. The number of kids there was ridiculous. Stand outs... Borderlands Pre-Sequel was a lot of fun to play, The Order: 1886 was incredibly cinematic and played like a dream, This War of Mine was... wow... just so emotionally crippling. The remake of Gauntlet was fun, Alien Isolation was much better than Alien Colonial Marines, and Batman: Arkham Knight was definitely better than Arkham Origins. The Witcher 3 blew me away with how detailed the textures were though. The Order was more realistic, because of the way it's rendered, but Witcher 3 had more detail by far.

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate this. As for the front edges I actually tried to print a huge image that is waaay bigger than a case. The result was the same. Perhaps I should look into vacuum strength and/or mold shape.

I forgot to mention I use Ricoh SG 3110DN and TruPix paper so I stand a good chance of getting it right with your assistance.

Apologies for the poor quality - I filmed this on my 'phone, using the built-in light to try and make it viewable. No fancy editing; just very raw footage. The heat elements weren't even on, just the vacuum to show you guys what it looks like before it goes in, once the vacuum kicks in, the corners, and the vacuum pressure:

Great.... Super.... sussed it your vacuum is pulling much more than mine I only get to 0.6 and its not pulling the corners in tight enough.

Where's me tools could be a split pile or loose connection.

LOL after watching your video I picked up my phone to see who had just messaged me LOL