CUP & PLATE PRINTING?

The Castle King

I am looking information on how to get started with printing on plates and cups. Where can I buy a sublimation ink printer in Ireland and is there anywhere in Ireland that supplies sublimation cups, plates and transfer paper. Thanks.

makeandcreate

The Castle King wrote: »

I am looking information on how to get started with printing on plates and cups. Where can I buy a sublimation ink printer in Ireland and is there anywhere in Ireland that supplies sublimation cups, plates and transfer paper. Thanks.

Depends on how much you have to spend.
If you want it to work out of the box then try Serigraf in Dublin or BMS in the UK. An A4 Ricoh with Sawgrass inks are the most popular set ups.
Otherwise you can buy an unsupported Ricoh printer, refillable carts and bulk sublimation ink off the old internet and then you just need a profile. Needs a bit more effort but you can set up for less than €100 doing it this way (or use an Epson printer but they tend to have clog problems if left unused for any length of time).
Serigraf sell blanks and you can get blank mugs from Done Deal and Adverts - but you've no come back as quality can be dodgy.
Finally, sublimation stuff comes up second hand regularly on Adverts, E Bay and the like - but I'd insist on seeing a printer working before I'd buy a used printer with sub carts.
You'd need separate presses for mugs and plates as well.
When looking for printers don't confuse dye sublimation ink printers with those suitable for sublimation using heat transfer! (I nearly did first time round).

The Castle King

Thanks Makeandcreate for info.
The press is no problem as there are many different ones and different wattage.
Seen an 8 in 1 and looks ok.
Problem is printer and inks as the inks seem very expensive. Getting blanks from UK could also be expensive with P&P as cups would be heavy.

makeandcreate

The Castle King wrote: »

Thanks Makeandcreate for info.
The press is no problem as there are many different ones and different wattage.
Seen an 8 in 1 and looks ok.
Problem is printer and inks as the inks seem very expensive. Getting blanks from UK could also be expensive with P&P as cups would be heavy.

That's due to Sawgrass having a basic monopoly on the desktop sublimation ink market. They also only support specific Ricoh printers which were not the great sublimation saviour they were portrayed to be. I know Epson had a case against them last year & I vaguely remember something about some patents expiring in 2014 but have not seen anything about it lately.
Basically it means that you pay €50 for 60ml of sublimation ink for your desktop sublimation printer but the big players with 44 inch printers are paying approx €100 a litre for genuine inks - Chinese generic stuff is cheaper.
It is illegal for distributors to sell the bulk ink to the general public (anyone without a large format sub printer) & Sawgrass actively pursue companies that do so - however, a google search can help you find cheap sub ink from abroad - Epson or Ricoh compatible. Choose a printer - I got a Ricoh for less than €50 - Pick up a set of empty refillable carts or a CISS system (I only used carts) and your bulk ink and bob's your uncle.
BMS in the UK - mugs weren't that expensive to ship if buying 3 cases at a time or pick up from Serigraf in Dublin. There's an Adverts seller at the moment with mugs & he had cheap(er) printers with what I assume was bulk Chinese ink over Xmas as well.
Just to say - I wanted to make my own Xmas pressies and that's why I started doing them then did a few runs for friends and sports clubs etc. Every photo website and his dog are offering subli printing really cheaply. If this is for a business you will need a strong USP and good marketing to get a return on investment. And the printer really needs regular use - some days I spent 4 hours unclogging heads for a €8 mug. Good Luck.