# any information about printing melamine plates (plastic dinnerware) with custom graphics?



## bradley43434

I know this is a T-shirt forum, but I'm at my wits end trying to get some information about printing melamine plates (plastic dinnerware) with custom graphics.
To see what it looks like please go to:

[url=http://www.sarahandabraham.com/category.php?category_id=151

We want to be able to create and print art on plates similar to this.

If you can point us in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

Thank you.
Bradley Allen


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## MotoskinGraphix

*Re: Information please*

Does this help you at all?

http://www.experts123.com/q/what-is-the-process-for-printing-on-melamine-plates.html


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## Rodney

:: edited thread TITLE to be more descriptive and moved to a more appropriate section of the forum  :: ​


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## bradley43434

*Re: Information please*

Hey thanks.
I think I have found out the answer. Apparently there is a "propitiatory" method that is not being revealed by the manufacturer, Makit. But..............I'm workin on it.
Thanks!


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## MotoskinGraphix

From what I read......The image is printed on a thin paper substrate, applied to a thin layer of wet non cured melamine and over coated with another thin layer of wet non cured melamine and then oven cured. 

It doesnt sound like something you just do at home.

I also read about hand decorating the plates but they are just for show and not for actual use.


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## bradley43434

Thanks David.
Check out Makit.com
I think this is where all the printed plates are coming from. If you request information about being a reseller, and then review the FAQ sheet, you get an indication of the process, but in no way do they say actually what the process is. I have seen the same info that you have forwarded to me, and I just don't believe that's how they are doing it. I could be wrong. I have not been able to find "liquid melamine" yet (that I know of). There is a lot of research to do about that.
Thanks,
Bradley


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## bradley43434

Additionally, I do not know (yet) what the "thin paper" would be. My wife is picking up a kit (that is supposed to have a sheet of it in it) locally that you can draw on and then send Makit and they will put it on the plate.


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## bradley43434

And even MORE additionally..............the paper is flat, and the dish is concave. Makit does refer to the possiblity of "wrinkles"...........so.........
If they are placing flat images to a concave surface, then a wrinkle could occur, even though you don't see any on there website images, or any of their retailers images on the web.


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## MotoskinGraphix

It is a resin made with formaldehyde.


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## freebird1963

can't you use the CLTT paper and oem laser toner ?
dont think you could eat of them.
Ask Mick over at the DSSI forums.

Good lUck
Mark


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## bradley43434

In Makit's FAQ they refer several times to "water based" inks. It seems they want to make sure that if you use their paper supplied in the kit, that you mark on it with "washable" inks. I'll know more later if my wife can find a Makit kit at the local craft store.

Makit has been doing this for many years, and they say you can eat off the plates and bowl. Just don't put them in the oven or microwave.


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## bradley43434

Also see
Custom Picture Plate - photo on a plate, picture plate, Logo, Photo, Custom Plate, plate accessories

How do they do it?

Bradley


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## Rodney

bradley43434 said:


> Also see
> Custom Picture Plate - photo on a plate, picture plate, Logo, Photo, Custom Plate, plate accessories
> 
> How do they do it?
> 
> Bradley


It looks like those are done using dye sublimation


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## bradley43434

I just picked up the "kit" from Hobby Lobby. It had 50 pieces of what looks like plain paper, cut in a 10-3/8" circle and two boxes of Crayola water color markers. It gave specific instructions on how to draw on the paper so it could be molded satisfactorily and not smudge. All indications are the paper goes on the plate. Maybe they do coat the plate with "liquid melamine" put the image down and then put another coat of LM on it and bake it. They did refer to "trimming the edges". Here's the thing, I tried wetting the paper to see if it would lay flat on a plate we had in the cupboard, but sure enough, as I figured, there were little creases all around the perimeter of the plate, because you can't fit something flat over something round without getting creases. Maybe the liquid melamine reacts differently somehow.............it's baffling.


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## MotoskinGraphix

bradley43434 said:


> I just picked up the "kit" from Hobby Lobby. It had 50 pieces of what looks like plain paper, cut in a 10-3/8" circle and two boxes of Crayola water color markers. It gave specific instructions on how to draw on the paper so it could be molded satisfactorily and not smudge. All indications are the paper goes on the plate. Maybe they do coat the plate with "liquid melamine" put the image down and then put another coat of LM on it and bake it. They did refer to "trimming the edges". Here's the thing, I tried wetting the paper to see if it would lay flat on a plate we had in the cupboard, but sure enough, as I figured, there were little creases all around the perimeter of the plate, because you can't fit something flat over something round without getting creases. Maybe the liquid melamine reacts differently somehow.............it's baffling.


You can if you cut little triangles all around the outside of the circle.


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## bradley43434

I'll try it.
Thanks


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## bradley43434

Well...............I got some pinking shears and trimmed the edge of the paper circle..............no help.
It still develops wrinkles in the concave part of the plate.
Maybe I could do it differently somehow, I don't know.


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## bradley43434

Maybe the triangles need to be bigger or something.


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## cprvh

Your close!

Contact http://www.halseyinc.com. They provide contract printing of the melamine plates.


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## bradley43434

Yeah, I saw Halsey, they are like Makit.
Is it possible that slits are cut into the paper? 40 years ago when the guy from Makit figured out how to do it, did he go to the trouble to figure out just exactly how much (and how many) slits (or sections) to cut out of the paper to keep it from wrinkling yet fit together so you couldn't see them?


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## bradley43434

Hmmmmmmm

I think I may be on to something


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## BRC

There is also the possibility that they have a fixture that it fits into and it uses pressure to hold the paper flat on the plate while it is being pulled around the shape of the plate. I have formed thousands of sheet metal parts using the same trick. With just the right amount of pressure, lubricant and tooling you can do some amazing forms. Such as the fenders on your car started out flat (unless they are plastic). That is why they need the extra material, so that it can be trimmed away because that is where the wrinkles go.


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## bradley43434

I know what you mean. I think they slit the paper in a fashion that fits back together when its layed in a plate with the "liquid melamine" (what ever that is). I tried it with a pair of scissors and water just guessing where the slits went and it worked pretty good the first time.


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## fcahoon

Has anyone figured out this mystery yet? I have several large customers looking for us to make personalized plates for them and despite days of research I can not find anything.

Frank Cahoon
Cahoon's Closet, LLC


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## bradley43434

I believe it is a propriatary secret.

If you want to know how to do it, then you're going to have to figure it out.

The companys that do it, aren't going to tell you how to do it.


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## toocute

So true! I emailed a company asking a few questions to try to figure out the process and the response that I got was " you have got to be kidding, we aren't going to give out that info"


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## bradley43434

It's probably not that complicated, just a bunch of trial and error that you have to patiently go through. We signed up as a distributor and once I get my hands on one I'll be able to figure out if I want to go to all the trouble of printing it myself, or let them do it for me, which will probably cost me less in the end.


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## fcahoon

Thanks for the input. I just am trying to get a big customer and they want someone to do all their work, including the plates. I could almost put up with the heart ache on the plates to get the rest of the business. I will let you guys know if I figure anything else out.

Frank Cahoon
Cahoon's Closet, LLC


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## toocute

Saw this on answer bag:

The special type of paper that is used for personalized melamine products, including plates, is called "melamine impregnated." That means that melamine resin has been incorporated into regular paper. Once you design your plate, or other melamine item's design on the paper, the manufacturer uses heat and pressure to bond this special paper to the product.


Read more: What kind of paper is used to personalize melamine plates? | Answerbag What kind of paper is used to personalize melamine plates? | Answerbag


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## bradley43434

I'm not so sure about that. I bought the kit that includes the paper. I can't believe it's anything but regular paper. There were 50 sheets in the box and it only cost about $5. It looks like regular paper, feels like regular paper smells like regular paper and gets wet like regular paper. I have been meaning to burn a piece to see if it burns like regular paper................wait a minute, I'll go do it right now.......................back, burns like regular paper, smell like regular paper when it burns. It's just paper.


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## toocute

So you think you can use the paper in the kit and a heat press? I would love to know how these plates are done. I know there are polysub mugs but are there polysub plates because then you could sublimate onto the plate with no problem.


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## fcahoon

I spoke with our rep from Conde yesterday about it and she said they had played with it, but to her knowledge did not have much success. She was going to check back with the product development people again to see if they have made any more headway and let me know. The only way I have found so far is to get special heat applied paper to print the design on. From here I have found some people mention a clear heat applied paper to cover it, but I can't seem to find an economical supply to do the volume I need plus there is a lot of issues with getting things lined up correctly. The other option is to print the design and then apply the liquid melamine over the design and then cure it in an over. The first issue is finding the liquid melamine and then there is the issue of safely and accurately applying to in such a way to get a smooth even covering while keeping the design in place. At best that seems labor intensive and hard to get consistent quality. Anyway, this all appears to be some great secret.

Frank Cahoon
Cahoon's Closet, LLC


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## toocute

Thanks for the info! That would be great it Conde produced a polysub plate!


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## texemb

I talked to Makit and during my questions of the product I learned that the paper and "puck" of melamine are together - then heat & pressured into the shape of the bowl, plate, etc.


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## toocute

Would this process be something I ccould do at home? Whjat would be needed do you think?


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## cleos

Pad printing?


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## texemb

No not pad printing. Think more like heat press and formation. NOT using a normal heat press. From what I understand it's literally a hockey puck size piece of melamine. Then it's placed into a form shaper with the printed element and the the puck below. Then it's pressed and heated at the same time. (Kinda like the way they form plastics, bottles, etc. etc.) It's tons of pressure.

However, in the research I've done I did find one woman's site that says her's are hand stamped and occasionally a crinkle from the transfer paper will appear in the design. I'm doing the same bit of research for the last 6 months and I'm not sure how it's done.


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## toocute

Keep us posted. I would love to know. Thanks


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