# Mugs - to cool or not to cool



## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

When pressing mugs what do most of you do for cooling the mugs? I have always cooled my ceramic mugs in a warm water bath - I noticed that when i did not do it I got a ghosting of the image most likely due to the fact that the temp of the mug caused the ink to continue to sublimate. But today i did some stainless steel travel mugs and was told they could cool on their own so i tried it and they came out just fine. Just wondering why on a stainless steel mug the ghosting doesnt happen


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

we dunk most things but of we can put a cold towel on it we do. mostly metal and other flat surfaces. 

i would guess the metal looses the heat faster so you don't have that problem.


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

We drop all mugs and metal 
dye sub parts in cool water to stop the out gasing process.
Metal cools faster than ceramic and that is why it does'nt goast as bad.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

CaptainRon, do you use a Mug Press or Wraps?


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## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

selanac said:


> CaptainRon, do you use a Mug Press or Wraps?


I use a Press


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## BRC (Mar 27, 2007)

Ghosting is usually caused by movement of the transfer paper on the substrate, not by the ink continuing to sublimate. If you don't remove the transfer paper immediately after pressing the paper and the mug will cool at different rates causing movement which will cause the ghosting. Simply remove the paper quickly and the ghosting issue goes away. There are other issues with sublimation especially on mugs like blowouts, where there isn't sufficient pressure on the transfer to hold the ink in it's boundaries which is often confused with ghosting. The ghosting issue may be helped by dunking the mug but you then run into the problem of crazing which is the fine cracks caused by cooling the coating to rapidly. If you are going to dunk the mugs make sure the water is not too cold.


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## Captainron19 (Apr 28, 2006)

Thanks! By the way is anyone sublimating those Iphone phone covers yet? Just picked up a couple of them to try out (the ones with the aluminum blank insert) and they look great. I didnt even press my first one yet and I am already getting a ton of requests. 

If you are doing them.... what are you charging?


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## akar (Jul 1, 2011)

These guys are talkin' about the iphone cases over here:
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t175039.html


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## TVS (Jan 25, 2008)

I have a big plastic container that i use to drop all the mugs and plats into after they come out of the presees, never had any issues with them doing it and the pictures are nice and clear.


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## mn shutterbug (Mar 19, 2009)

Baking sheet and small fan. Never a problem.


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## sharlynn (Oct 12, 2009)

Large fan pointed towards the cealing, put mugs on that, they cool quickly no ghosting and NO mess


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## mn shutterbug (Mar 19, 2009)

sharlynn said:


> Large fan pointed towards the cealing, put mugs on that, they cool quickly no ghosting and NO mess


Put the mugs on the ceiling or on the fan?


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## dim116 (Nov 27, 2006)

I used to dunk my mugs in water but recently stopped doing it. I just take the transfer off & lay them on a table. I have seen no difference in the photo quality.


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## Malpeque (Dec 21, 2011)

If you arn't cooling your mugs somehow and there coming out ok you have been very lucky so far.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

mn shutterbug said:


> Put the mugs on the ceiling or on the fan?


 
No just put them on the ceiling fan!


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## Cathy91722 (Feb 26, 2010)

When I purchased my sub printer and mug press the training I got was to take it out of the press _immediately _remove the transfer and gently drop it into warm water. Start the next mug... HTH


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## coolbeansgifts (May 24, 2010)

I take my mugs out of the press and leave the transfer on the mug , dip in the water and peel the transfer off, while in the water. The transfer is easy to peel in water. Many people may frown on this but it works great for me.


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## dcdesigns (Sep 8, 2010)

Seems kind of messy. How come you don't simply pull off the sub print before you place the mug in water? I tape mine so the tape extends below the mug a little so i can pull it and the entire print off if concern is burning your fingers trying to pull up the tape. I can see it perhaps if you are only doing a few mugs but in a production setting that water container would soon be filled with pulp.


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## coolbeansgifts (May 24, 2010)

Ha, see I told ya some would frown on my method.
I don't do alot of mugs at a time, and keep a towel near my bucket of water. I don't worry about getting burnt either,I just like stopping the sublimation process as soon as possible and sometimes I tend to be all thumbs,when trying to peel the tranfers.

My method is not for everyone , but like I say it works for me.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

I hear ya Cool Beans. Sometimes my paper sticks to the mug. Maybe just a little sliver, and I put it in the water, and remove it when I pull the mug out, and dry it. 

Once I had almost an entire paper stick to the mug, and I gave up trying to remove it and just put the whole thing or almost the whole thing in the water. It came off nice, and the mug imprint looked awesome.


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## sharlynn (Oct 12, 2009)

mgparrish said:


> No just put them on the ceiling fan!


No silly, I hang them from the fan on by bits of string then turn the fan on full........LOL

Actually the fan I have is a floor mounted fan which I zip tied a plastic mesh around the edge (then pointed upwards) holds about 10 mugs, cools in seconds


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## dcdesigns (Sep 8, 2010)

If the paper is sticking it's probably heated too hot or a question of using a softer coating. The softer the coating the more chance of dye migration so the water is important. Try it some time..simply tape your mug about an inch on both sides of the mug at the lower side but leave about 1/4 inch hanging over from the bottom. Then simply pull one side of the tape and almost always the entire print comes right off them plop in your water tank. You might ask..but the tape sticks to the bottom of the mug and i can't grab it? Thats why in production when you set up a mug press station of ganged presses or a taping station depending on how many you use you create a station that has a line of presses and you line the mugs waiting to be pressed just in front of them on the edge of the shelf or table so the tape does not get flattened down. I use to leave my thumbnails long and tape center of mug ends so I could peel up the tape but it's funny how one simple taping change in something makes things much simpler to the point i felt like a dummy thinking why did i not do it that way years ago? 
LOL


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

DC, 

Do you use a Cover Sheet? Someone recommended it. However, I found my problems seem to be more with the Sublimation Paper hanging to far above and below the mug. Seems to bleed in those areas. 

Should we leave the paper 1/8 of an inch shorter then the mug on top and bottom?


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## dcdesigns (Sep 8, 2010)

From my experience I use no cover sheet. I cut the paper so it's flush with the bottom of the mug. If you are ganging sheets and cutting lets say 3 on a letter size sheet sometimes the transfer paper does not always cover the entire mug on the prints but have never had any problems of ink residue left on the press element if making a mug with a bleed at top and bottom which could mess up another mug if not completley covered. Now of course if you are doing a full top to bottom printed mug you would want to make sure the paper covers the entire mug and perhapa a 1/4 inch over on top atleast in order to make sure your element does not get filled with inks that might come into contact with the next mug. Totally different ballgame then sublimation shirts on a flat press... so much less of a concern then a sublimation shirt but you do have to use some basic precautions.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

So you're saying the sub paper needs to be longer then the mug from top to bottom or Flush on the bottom, and longer on top? 

Does the Printed Image need to be printed an 1/8 of an inch or so from the end of the paper? See my photo.

Check out the Phone number on the bottom.


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## mn shutterbug (Mar 19, 2009)

I think you need to stay farther away from the edges, especially if using a press.

I just looked at the instructions on Conde's website and they state to stay 1/4" from the top and bottom of the mug with the actual print..


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

Thanks again Mike


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## dim116 (Nov 27, 2006)

I find that mugs are never exactly straight, especially on the top & bottom, so I never print that close to the edges. I make my transfers about 3" high which leaves the image around 1/4" or so at top & bottom. I always use a cover sheet about the same size as the mug to keep any stray ink from getting on the heating blanket of the press which could get on the next mug.
Not saying it can't be done from top to bottom but that's what I do.


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## mn shutterbug (Mar 19, 2009)

Same here. Three inches tall is my max.


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## dcdesigns (Sep 8, 2010)

From your photo I see the problems in your bottom text but i think you are using wraps. I experimented with them years ago but chose presses instead for more control and pressure and seemed to get sharper results and able to do full top to bottom printing. Wraps I presume can wear out like a press element after stretching so you can't get enough pressure on them but on a press you can simply adjust them tighter as they age. If i recall the wraps have less control in the pressure department. You have to have enough "heating element" or wrap over the length of the ceramic top and bottom to completly transfer the heat so i would presume you need to try and have your mug centered in the wrap. Looks like your paper is not getting enough pressure on the bottom from the photo..maybe a new wrap is in order? And remember it requires more heat at the bottom and the handle (more weight in the area to distribute heat) and nice and even pressure over the entire surface.


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

I use wraps. When they were new, I printed top to bottom with only a few bleeding. However, that was about 50 mugs ago. Now they blleed on all if I don't leave a gap before the top or bottom.

Guess I should get a Cutter/Plotter to contour cut around the edges of the paper.


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## Sues Shirts (May 17, 2011)

We have tryed it both ways with the same results. No ghosting... We use mug wraps.


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## dcdesigns (Sep 8, 2010)

With a good press you can press flawlessly top to bottom but i try not to do it on all mugs since the cost of these inks by the cartell cost so much as you know. But some designs look better top to bottom and if a customer is use to doing it that way im not going to turn down a job if the equipment will do it. 6 years ago I changed my presses and was surprised the ones i use now work perfect as claimed..now if i could get the inks to work without destroying a printer every year life would be grand!


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

DC, what press do you use?


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## SeñiorBob (Mar 9, 2021)

Captainron19 said:


> When pressing mugs what do most of you do for cooling the mugs? I have always cooled my ceramic mugs in a warm water bath - I noticed that when i did not do it I got a ghosting of the image most likely due to the fact that the temp of the mug caused the ink to continue to sublimate. But today i did some stainless steel travel mugs and was told they could cool on their own so i tried it and they came out just fine. Just wondering why on a stainless steel mug the ghosting doesnt happen


Question I use a mug press that uses a sort of wrap what can I do to prevent ghosting is applying more tape to the image ( I place 4 small pieces top sides and bottom ) the answer ?


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## lborba75 (1 mo ago)

I need some help. My mugs came out good when I took out of the press took off the print right away let them cool just on the table no issue repackaged them (very large order) pulled them out later and there is some ink spreading? I don’t understand!?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

lborba75 said:


> I need some help. My mugs came out good when I took out of the press took off the print right away let them cool just on the table no issue repackaged them (very large order) pulled them out later and there is some ink spreading? I don’t understand!?


Upload pictures. What brand mugs are you using? Are you sure they are made for sublimation?


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