# When to peel and dunk??



## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Alright, I've been "playing around" with mugs a little and have been doing alot of reading on this forum about various things. And, there are a couple things I am a bit confused about.

*1) When am I supposed to peel my paper?* 

I've read different comments about some who peel right away and others that let it cool first. Some refer to whether the paper is a hot peel or cool peel. How do you tell if you paper is hot or cool peel? I bought Texprint XP so what is that? I've been letting my mugs cool to the touch before I peel mine.

*2) Is it best to dunk your mug / pour water into it or let it air cool?* 

I've read various opinions on this as well with some suggesting to peel right away then dunk and others saying to pour water into the cup to cool then peel while still others let their's air cool before peeling.

Can anybody out there cut through all of this confusion to offer some suggestions as to what works best for those who do mugs quite often?

Thanks!

John


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## LeT (Feb 23, 2007)

Hi,

I've printed hundreds of mugs and I always use the same method and that is to remove the transfer immediately after taking it out of the press (or wrap). Before I press the mug, I set-up a container filled with room temperature water (not too cold) and immediately submerge the entire mug to cool it down. 

Yes, there are varying opinions on which method people use but I use this one because I don't want to take a chance that the transfer will ghost or double image, etc. because the mug is still extremely hot and the sublimation process is still happening.

I'm not sure what type of paper Texprint XP is but I just use a "general" purpose transfer paper for mugs. I've also never heard of a hot or cold peel transfer paper for sublimation but I could be wrong. There are different types of papers for different substrates. IE: High Release for fabric, etc.

I suppose it comes down to what works best for you. For me, while the mug is cooling, I move on to printing the next mug and so on and that system works for me.

Hope this helps!


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## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

With dye sub it will continue to sublimate even after you remove the mug from the press if the paper is left on. If you are happy with the outcome of your mugs leaving the paper on then it's fine, but if they are too dark or blurred then you really need to remove the paper from them as soon as you remove the mug from the press or wrap. You do need to be careful when removing the paper because if it shifts on the mug you can get ghosting.

As for the dunking or running water over the mugs it is a personal preference. If you do use water to cool them do not use cold water as this may cause crazing on the mug surface or crack the mug itself. It's best to use a lukewarm water or at least room temperature. I personally don't like having water near all of my electronic equipment which is where I press my mugs so I just let them air cool unless I'm in a hurry to cool them. If you ask 100 different people you will get 100 different opinions so you just need to find what works for you.


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## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

I sublimate mugs and peel right away and I let the mug air cool. I tried water cooling and it worked for quite a few mugs, then I had one crack as soon as I poured cool, water in it. I'm never in such a hurry that I can't wait 10 minutes for a mug to cool.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

We peel and dunk right away. The air cooling method has never worked for us. The images blur quite a bit when we do that. Others have had different results but we each are happy with our results.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

LeT said:


> I've printed hundreds of mugs and I always use the same method and that is to remove the transfer immediately after taking it out of the press (or wrap). Before I press the mug, I set-up a container filled with room temperature water (not too cold) and immediately submerge the entire mug to cool it down.


Thanks for the reply Lynn....

Do you peel the transfer paper before you submerge the mug in the water?

How do you remove the paper when it is so hot? I've tried that but cant' seem to get the tape to remove and worry about moving the transfer paper while trying to remove it...thus causing the ghosting?

John


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Fred / Ross / Terry...thanks for your feedback...

It seems all agree that peeling right away is probably best.

How do you do this without the risk of moving the paper while you are trying to peel the tape up that is holding the paper in place?

Is there a trick to this that I need to know? How many pieces of tape do you folks use to hold the transfer paper?

Thanks again for takeing the time to help me out.....

John


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## rmsigns (Oct 28, 2007)

hey john,
i've never done mugs before but am interested, so your questions are great! i am reading all the answer..hehe now.. where do you get your mugs from?
thanks 
m


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## LeT (Feb 23, 2007)

treadhead said:


> Thanks for the reply Lynn....
> 
> Do you peel the transfer paper before you submerge the mug in the water?
> 
> ...


Welcome!

Yes, I remove the transfer before submerging the mug in water. 

To make removing the tape easier, I bend the end of the tape back onto itself so it's stuck together which leaves a little tab that won't stick to the mug. I can quickly grab this little tab and pull the tape/transfer off. Use heat resistant gloves to handle the mug. You can buy them from your sub supplier but I heard there's a product called the Ov Glove or something like that and I think they sell them at Walgreens.

By pulling the tab, I can remove the transfer in one shot and this prevents the transfer from moving around, etc.

Don't be too afraid because it's not that touchy. There's a little room for error if the transfer happens to slap back on the mug or move slightly. Just practice and you'll be a pro in no time!


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## LeT (Feb 23, 2007)

treadhead said:


> How many pieces of tape do you folks use to hold the transfer paper?


I only use to small pieces of tape on each end. Just make sure you wrap your transfer very tightly around the mug. You don't want it loose or you'll get wrinkle marks pressed into your design. Not good!

Please learn from my/our mistakes!


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

rmsigns said:


> hey john,
> i've never done mugs before but am interested, so your questions are great! i am reading all the answer..hehe now.. where do you get your mugs from?
> thanks
> m


Hi Maureen..

I got mine from Coastal Business but you can get them from many different suppliers out there. Coastal is a sponsor and I like to use forum sponsors whenever possible.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

LeT said:


> To make removing the tape easier, I bend the end of the tape back onto itself so it's stuck together which leaves a little tab that won't stick to the mug. I can quickly grab this little tab and pull the tape/transfer off.


Aahhh!!! Never thought of that...great idea!!

Now...just to be clear....you have one piece on each side of the transfer or two pieces on each side??

Yeah...I probably need to get some gloves..LOL. Gets a bit tricky trying to handle the mug and pull the transfer while it is still hot.  

Thanks again for the great feedback!


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## aportis (Jun 13, 2007)

I use one piece of heat tape on each side of transfer, wrap mug with plain paper and then followed by a mug wrap. Place in 400F oven for 12 minutes. Remove wrap with oven mitts (obtaining a good grip with your mitt is important here), remove plain paper and lift one end of tape slightly with toothpick and pull transfer off. I drop the mugs into room temperature water.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

aportis said:


> I use one piece of heat tape on each side of transfer, wrap mug with plain paper and then followed by a mug wrap. Place in 400F oven for 12 minutes. Remove wrap with oven mitts (obtaining a good grip with your mitt is important here), remove plain paper and lift one end of tape slightly with toothpick and pull transfer off. I drop the mugs into room temperature water.


Thanks Aportis!!


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

I really appreciate the feedback folks....

I am going to follow these suggestions just as soon as my new order of mugs come in. I'm also going to get me some oven mitts as well.

I will report back with my results.

One more question if I can.

I am using a mug press and doing 400 deg at 6 mins. I've heard various times so want to know if I've got the right dwell time here.


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## LeT (Feb 23, 2007)

treadhead said:


> I really appreciate the feedback folks....
> 
> I am going to follow these suggestions just as soon as my new order of mugs come in. I'm also going to get me some oven mitts as well.
> 
> ...


I use just one piece of tape on each side of the transfer.

Your temperature is good and pretty universal for most mugs. Now, the dwell time...that can vary by manufacturer. I use Marck gloss mugs and I find that 6 minutes is good. I also use the Joto matte mug and that only requires 5 minutes max. Some of the cheaper imports can press at 4 minutes.

So, as you can see it varies. I suggest you ask your supplier what the time and temp should be for their brand of mug.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

LeT said:


> I use just one piece of tape on each side of the transfer.
> 
> Your temperature is good and pretty universal for most mugs. Now, the dwell time...that can vary by manufacturer. I use Marck gloss mugs and I find that 6 minutes is good. I also use the Joto matte mug and that only requires 5 minutes max. Some of the cheaper imports can press at 4 minutes.
> 
> So, as you can see it varies. I suggest you ask your supplier what the time and temp should be for their brand of mug.


Hmm...didn't realize it was dependant on the mug manufacturer.

Very good to know. That is where I got the 6 minutes from...the sheet that came with the mugs.

Thanks again!!!


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## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

I would read the mug press instructions and start there. Some presses stay at the temperature setting while others cool down to an idle temp. Mine for instance idles ay 309 deg and has a cycle that goes to 385 for only 3 seconds, but the complete cycle takes about 5 minutes to complete. If I was to have it do 6 minutes once it was up to 400 the mug would be toasted. So read the press instructions first. The instructions with the mugs are assuming a press already at 400 degrees which for newer presses just doesn't happen since most cut back to save on the heater. 

One thing to be careful of when running several mugs is to let the press cool to it's idle temperature if that is the type of press you have. If you don't the time will be too short and the sublimation cycle will not be complete.


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## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

I use a mug press at 3 minutes. 6 minutes will scorch the mug, although that might depend on who's mugs you use. The instructions on my mugs say 5 minutes at 400* but even that leaves a little bit of scorching. To remove the paper, I just get hold of an edge on the tape and pull fast, just like a band aid. I've never had a mug ghost.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

rrc62 said:


> I use a mug press at 3 minutes. 6 minutes will scorch the mug, although that might depend on who's mugs you use. The instructions on my mugs say 5 minutes at 400* but even that leaves a little bit of scorching. To remove the paper, I just get hold of an edge on the tape and pull fast, just like a band aid. I've never had a mug ghost.


Hey Ross...what does a scorched mug look like?? My colors havn't been what I'd call crisp and bright and I'm wondering if that is what I'm doing using 6 minutes?? I do have an ICC profile loaded but keep reading about how bright and colorful dye sub is and have seen some nice looking mugs.

I'll double check the press & mug instructions but am curiouis about your commment.

Thanks!

John


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## rrc62 (Jun 2, 2007)

treadhead said:


> Hey Ross...what does a scorched mug look like??


They turn yellow. If they scorch too bad, the paper fuses to the mug.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

rrc62 said:


> They turn yellow. If they scorch too bad, the paper fuses to the mug.


Well..I don't think I've had that problem...thank God!

Thanks for the feedback...

John


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## rusty (Feb 9, 2007)

Just my .02 cents. I don't do mugs, but I sublimate a lot of other materials including ceramic tiles.

1) Don't use tape. Tape causes ghosting and blurry images, especially if you peel immediately (which I don't do). Tape cannot hold the paper without moving during the removal process. So IF you must use tape, let it cool first so that it's not still sublimating when you peel it off.

2) Use the adhesive sublimation spray. spray the image, and then wrap the mug. It aint gonna move with the spray. Even when you peel the paper off, it will not move while being peeled. You will get a much crisper image than using tape.

The only downsides of the spray is that it's expensive and messy. It's like $10 a can, but the can lasts quite a while. And you'll want to spray either outdoors or inside a box, because the spray will settle on the table or ground as if falls out of the air.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

rusty said:


> Just my .02 cents. I don't do mugs, but I sublimate a lot of other materials including ceramic tiles.
> 
> 1) Don't use tape. Tape causes ghosting and blurry images, especially if you peel immediately (which I don't do). Tape cannot hold the paper without moving during the removal process. So IF you must use tape, let it cool first so that it's not still sublimating when you peel it off.
> 
> ...


Hey Rusty....

Thanks for the suggestions.....

I'm getting a bit frustrated at this point.  

My new shipment of mugs came in and my first try was pouring water into the mug right out of the press...then peeling the paper off. I tried the method of folding the tape over on itself to creat a tab to help pull it. Still, I have a slight hazing around the fonts. The picture itself looks good.

I'm trying again but not going to remove the tape right away after I pour the water. We'll see. I'm also backing down my dwell time (at 400 deg) from 6 min to 4 min.

I may just pick up some of the spray and give it a try if I can't get this to work.

I'm buying all of my product from Coastal (paper and mugs) so I don't think it is a materail issue...but one never knows.

John


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