Diamond Gals Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Dear All we invested in the sublimation system to be able to personalise mugs etc, and to be honest, we are not sure it has been worth it. firstly the ink is so expensive to buy, and we seem to go through so much to clean the heads nearly everytime we use it. we are using the Epsom d88 bulk system, can anyone advise on ink whether you can use the cheaper version and whether the cartridges are better than this bulk system.... getting fed up with it now...... mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny King Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 We went down this line a few years ago. But gave up when supermarkets got into photogifts. We found the time and costs where to much for the money that could be made on these item Maybe i'm wrong, If I am please tell me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Gals Posted August 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 No i think your right, time to get rid, me thinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny King Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 we still have our stuff, Makes great wedding -xmas-birthday gifts for friends and family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 Hi Damond, I've looked at this many times.. but always thought I would have to work too hard to promote it, and as some-one else said, the supermarkets are at it along with photo proccessing, which has helped see the fall of other high street chains. I seem to chat about it every year at the trophex show... But I'm not convinced, I have a feeling that there isn't many multi service centres that would say it was a massive hit... but I may be wrong!!...... But that would be a first...lol planet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Gardner Posted August 27, 2009 Report Share Posted August 27, 2009 we do quite a bit of sublimination more than we do in cylinrical engraving over the year it works out about £200 a week in sales and thats about £150 in profit. but to be honest we have reduced the range we do. all you really need is mugs and mouse mats. get to know the people in the photo sections in your local asda tesco etc as its great the amount of work they will send you if you do it same day as they take at least 10 days and customers dont like to wait. As to answer the first post i think you should uopgrade the epson d88 i had one a couple of years ago and it dried up all the time i now use a a4 epson r360 with a bulk cis systemi only do 1 or 2 head cleans a week. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I have only really just gotten into it over here in Australia (prob going onto 3 months now) but I am finding it to be a great add-on to my business (netting between $200-300 a week - approx 100 to 150 pounds). I did a fair amount of research before going into it and I stayed away from some of the "basic" stuff that you can get everywhere (i.e. mugs, caps, etc) and went more for the giftware option (like ladies compacts, lighters, cigarette cases, etc.) That being said, I also use it for wall plaques and trophy centers. In short, to me it is worthwile but then again, I am the only one in my area doing it. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny King Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Just been past klick the photo shop (Owned by timpo), They have just had a refit they are advertising photgifts from £5 mugs, mousemats etc also really pushing printing photos from your phone. Looks like they have stayed away from engraving and key cutting at the mo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Handy for you.... I forgot to mention that another avenue that I am getting into with the dye sublimation is keys. Definately will add to what I do in sublimation. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Gardner Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Handy for you.... I forgot to mention that another avenue that I am getting into with the dye sublimation is keys. Definately will add to what I do in sublimation. Cheers are you able to buy pre coated white keys ready for printing or are you coating them yourself. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny King Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Could be intresting. You got in before me Craig.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 are you able to buy pre coated white keys ready for printing or are you coating them yourself.Craig Pre coated from china. cost is approx 0.4 to 0.8 US$ per key. minimum order from them (they have other sublimation stuff as well) is US $2,000 and if you send them the blank that you are after, they will ensure they send you the right one (they have thousands of different types). Web addres is: http://www.sun-fly-sublimation.com/Prod ... ClassName= Sounds a bit expensive to start off but if a few people in a local area place an order (like a buying group) you would be surprised how quickly this can be achieved Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 We had a customer come in the other week, who had 'issues' regarding the quality of workmanship he had received elsewhere! He had, had a Black Matte Zippo Lighter "engraved" in our local market and from what I could see (bearing inmind I have next to no experience of sublimation) , or rather what i COULD NOT see it looked like the result of sublimation..and I will be honest - It looked W*@~!!! I find it a ballache posting pictures on here now so i'll send it to Lee for him to post up tomorrow LOL! In conclusion, I much preffer the engraved finish as opposed to the printed look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datakes Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 I ventured into inkjet sublimation a couple times but got tired of fighting clogged print heads, wasting expensive inks, and finding my days flying by trying to get a color match or photo to look correct. My ultimate decision was to eliminate inkjet sublimation from my service offerings and to switch to laser sublimation. This process has its limitations but has worked flawlessly for the larger plaques and metal plates I produce with it. It's a great compliment to the rest of my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrite Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 From the sounds of it, they may have had it done using one of the metaza impact printers. Good to have one (sublimation however seems to be cheaper to get into) to do shaded (non-colour) pictures onto flat (although the latest version will do curves) surfaces. That being said, for this process, the "shiny" materials work the best. Of course, without pictures, it is very hard to say Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANDY Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 gets my goat to be honest, clogging, jamming, sweating like a glass blowers arse. when we first got it. i nearly went mad trying to get a good print on something, took me a week to realise i was printing the wrong side of the paper most popular are mugs, pennants and the odd run of t-shirts. most large trophy orders get a free mug and pennant chucked in with a price list. not as popular as i'd hoped, again thats probably down to shopping center sally and her heat press. 600 printed medal ribbons in 48 hours = no feeling in lower body and squiffy eyes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Sublimation is a great product but it has a few downsides. Mainly that every man and his dog seems to be doing it, often too cheap. If you have passing trade I expect it goes down well, it's a very attractive product. Another downside is that if you don't use the printer fairly regulary, the heads block up and it can be a pain in the arse headcleaning. The obvious answer to this is use the printer often! That said, I personally think the products are amazing, get the colours right and put it on the right item and you've got a wonderful gift. We do a few bits and bobs but we have an industrial unit rather than a retail shop so do very little of the gift type items. One of the main uses for us is for our football customers. These days, the clubs (can't be just around us?) expect discounts and 'free engraving'. Well we don't do free engraving because it takes so long, but we do offer free sublimated plates for trophies - whip a sheet of A4 on a sheet of metal, chop it up and get it stuck on the trophies in a fraction of the time, and I the kids prefer them as they can read them easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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