DSF

Hi Folks,

I am new to mug sublimation printing and Photoshop and need some guidelines. Hope you can help?

I have an Apple Mac running OS X 10.9.3 and Photoshop Elements 12 with a RICOH Aficio SG3110 DN printer. I have followed best I can the following guide http://sawgrassink.indigofiles.com/prod ... 0_-_MP.pdf, even though this is for Photoshop Elements 8/9/10, and believe I have installed the latest Richoh driver and Sawgrass colour management add-on.

I have been watching some YouTube training videos and quite a few suggest not to print from Photoshop but to finalise the image in Photoshop and re-open the image in CorelDraw to print. Please could you advise if this is really necessary as I don't have CorelDraw and am not sure you can even get it for Mac OS X10+?

One other consideration is the printer is setup in my garage which is quite a lot cooler than the house temperature as such the mugs, press and paper are all quite cold. When sublimating at 180 degrees for 3 minutes (as recommended by the mug supplier) I wait until the press has returned to 180 after closing the clamp on the mug/paper before starting the timer. Is there any other suggestions to ensure the best quality image as my first mug was a little dull?

By the way I am using Xpres / Economy Sublimation Paper and European RN Coated Sublimation Mugs both from BMS/www.printerowners.co.uk

Many thanks


Keith

Hello Keith

I looks like your pdf help file is from the American Sawgrass website. This is the link to the European site http://sawgrasseurope.indigofiles.com/t ... -11-MP.pdf

I think that the information is the same but it is always worth using www.sawgrasseurope.com as the information can differ somteimes to that for the American market. The instructions for PhotoShop elements 8-11 should be ok for setting up elements 12.

When sublimating you should always ensure that your mugs are at room temperature and that your printers and heat presses are also in a warm environment. If the mugs are too cold or if the presses can't heat up properly then you will get a poor result.

I hope that this helps you.

Best regards

Kris

HI Keith,
don't listen to people who says to save in PS and open and print i corel. this is complete untrue. save you self a lot of money and don't buy corel if you own photoshop already. this is perfect software for raster graphic and printing on mugs or anything else.

btw. there is no CorelDraw for mac.

Hi Folks,

thank you for the comments and suggestions all taken on board!

So, here is my first mug press. Some issues: the image is a little blurred and the top of the mug (rim) has gone a brown/orange colour slightly? Any suggestions??

180 degrees for 3 minutes and let press return to temperature before countdown room ambient temperature and mug too... The sublimation seem to work so perhaps its the image or the print???

Cheers,

Keith



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Start the countdown as soon as you close the press, assuming the mugs are at room temp then this should be fine.

pisquee;88767 wrote:Start the countdown as soon as you close the press, assuming the mugs are at room temp then this should be fine.

Hi Pisquee, I will try that does pressing for too long damage the image (make it blurred then) Elsewhere I was advised to let the press return to temp before count down?

Yes, over cooking can blur the image, and burn the ink affecting the colours.
We press at 200 degrees for 200 seconds, counting as soon as the press is closed. As soon as one mug is removed the next one is put in - we make mugs in large batches, and want a constant workflow, not waiting around for presses to reheat up.

Hi All, here's a link to my first mug. Any tips on why it's so blurred?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22251687@ ... 796097580/

Keith Coppuck;89256 wrote:Hi All, here's a link to my first mug. Any tips on why it's so blurred?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22251687@ ... 796097580/

Hi Keith

I notice that the image on the mug is back to front - I know this is a long shot but, you def have the paper the right way around? ie printed side to the mug!


regards


Arthur