Sublimation mugs - stale??

[Grafaig]

I have a bunch of 10 oz mugs that I am trying to sublimate using a convection oven. I have done this numerous times in the past and the mugs come out perfect, but, I was given a box of mugs from a client who wants them sublimated, and out of 11 mugs, only 1 has turned out. I have attached the sublimation paper as tight as possible without ripping it and the bottom half of the image comes out quite muddy. The paper, still shows good ink, almost like something on the mug is blocking full adhesion. I have cleaned the mugs using pure isopropyl alcohol to remove any fingerprints or residue before attaching the paper, still no luck. I have used this technique numerous times with excellent results. The circle in the image is supposed to be green but obviously that is not the case. Although I don't have a pic of the other side, the image is basically coloured text, and that works out fine, if not slightly less dull colour wise.

My concern is the mugs were from a print shop that went out of business in approximately 2006, and yes, they are that old. They were stored in a non-climate controlled garage for several years but other than that, I have no history on the mugs themselves.

I am attaching an image of the mug so you can see what's happening.

Thanks!

B

 

[w2csa]

Could be that ‘‘tis set of mugs were not properly coated with polymer.

 

[Grafaig]

Unfortunately, I have 5 boxes of them lol. I did open a different box and tried, first mug came out good, so thought I was in the clear, but then all the mugs after failed.

I tested the design with a different style of mug and well, the results speak for themselves. Attached is an image of what the above mug is supposed to look like.

 

[cprvh]

The coating shouldn't go bad. Could be seconds. What mugs are they specifically? Brand? Anything on bottom of mug?

They are old enough they could be soft coated mugs that were used with the old thermal sublimation printers.

 

[VizualVoice]

a factory applied sublimation coating (which is really just a layer of polyester) should not have an expiration date. I'd start with verifying that your heat press is actually outputting the temp it says it is. Also, where are your transfers themselves coming from? Is it something you printed in-house so you know it's good ink on proper paper or did that come with the mugs too?

 

[Dan Berg]

I have different questions. Why would you accept someones product to do the subbing unless of course it is family. Profit structure should be on materials and labor. When you put someones materials in the mix it really messes things up. I have done it once or twice but we charge the markup on the materials plus the dye sub materials and labor. The client gets no break whatsoever for supplying their own materials other than they are credited the wholesale cost of the items.