Know How to Start a Mug Printing Business from Home
The people who are passionate about how to start a mug printing business from home are smart. If it is possible to make lots of money from home, why would they search otherwise! Chances are also high; they have seen how customers crave a same day printing service in London for printed mugs. Or, the same scenario can be common in any part of the world, no wonder. The fact is, the personalised gifts market size will be USD 2.01 billion or £1.47 at a CAGR of 5.83% during 2021-2025.
So be sure that you have thought the right way, and we have designed this article especially for you. Nowadays, business from home is a common, popular, and comfortable business model. Let’s see how it can be profitable with the mug printing business.
Table of Contents
How to Start a Mug Printing Business from Home
People love to have a quote, image, unique text or an old photo that portrays a sweet memory on their mug, don’t they? So it would help if you won their hearts through your start-up tactics. No worries, this post contains them all. Want to know the best part? Please move on!
Learn about Various Usage
It is imperative that you would learn about different sorts of mug usage. The more you know, the more you understand the market demand. Especially with the help of advanced technology, the mug printing market is growing at a rapid pace. So it would be wise to get all the available ideas to shine in this business.
A printed mug can be a wedding gift, a birthday gift for friends or family members, a corporate gift for employees and vendors. So you see, people from different walks of life can easily be your potential customers.
Plan Before You Proceed
Unless you plan by defining your goal, you won’t shine in any business. A well-thought plan has two major parts: an aptly identified goal and a precise budget estimate. At the same time, you have to decide –
- Who are your target customers
- What are their expectations
- What are their reasons for dissatisfaction
- What sort of mug designs are trendy and
- How would you beat the competition
Choose Your Mug Type
Are you going to print all types of mugs? Guess not. However, it is essential to have a good understanding of different types of mugs. It would help you choose the type you want to provide for your potential customers. Let’s go through the points below.
Coffee Mugs
This is the most wanted mug type in the printing industry all over the world. No matter in homes or restaurants, these are the most common stuff. Remarkably, the custom printed coffee mug sells better. You can customise this in different sizes, patterns, and designs. This can undoubtedly be one of the best mug types to start a business from home.
Pottery Mugs
Pottery mugs are popular for having an aesthetic look. You will see many folk-loving people preferring pottery or earthen mugs. These mugs are eco-friendly because of decomposability and simultaneously quite affordable. Agree?
Ceramic Mugs
Do you know why ceramic mugs are ideal for hot beverages? Well, it is because these are resistant to high temperatures. Whether you drink coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, these can retain heat far better than stainless steel or plastic mugs. Moreover, you will find these very easy to clean.
Transparent Mugs
The transparent mugs are the best fit for cold beverages such as soft drinks, juice, cold coffee, etc. These are usually glass-made stuff. People love placing these highly innovative items on their transparent surfaces. You can produce them in different sizes and designs.
Travel Mugs
People prefer these mugs because of the excellent sealing facility. They can carry both hot and cold beverages safely in the time of travelling. At the beginning of your home-run business, such people can also be your target customer!
Sports Mugs
Sports-loving people love to have a sport-themed mug in their hands. Also, they love to gift or award such items to the athletes. Therefore you will see a great demand for these mugs in the games and sports industry.
Stainless Steel Mugs
These mugs are popular for their long-lasting features. At the same time, these are low-weight and resistant to corrosion. People love carrying beverages in humid climates with such a mug.
Choose Your Printing Method
When we have several options, we can choose the most suitable. Let us introduce you to the essential printing methods. Would you mind going through the points below?
Dye Sublimation Printing
If you want to ensure a long-lasting brisk appearance with crystal-clear images and vibrant colours in your printed mugs, you may prioritise this method. This technique employs organic colour dyes and heat transfer to ink the chosen design or piece of art. You will see dozens of businesses lusting for accurate colour photographic reproduction in their promotional mugs.
So this method can serve their non-stop demand. Another merit of this method is, it doesn’t need damaging substances such as Cadmium or Lead. So you can pride yourself in having an eco-friendly means of mug production at home!
Digital Photo Printing
This technique requires specially coated paper to print images, texts, or designs. Additionally, it requires a waterslide transfer for applying the image to the substrate. Thus, it enables you to create full-colour, high-quality images on the mugs. This is the best approach for printing photos or cartoon images on pottery, earthenware, or bone china mugs.
Direct Screen Printing
This is an ideal method to create simple, smaller designs on earthenware or bone china mugs. Also, if you want to skip overlapping colours or an extensive image, you can rely on this. This process requires the ink to pass through a screen or a mesh. Then the stencil works on the stretched mesh. A stencil comprises tiny holes that create the ultimate image. Indeed, it is an apt way of starting a business on a low budget from home!
Pad Printing
Generally, printers use this method for imprinting logos on golf balls. However, you can apply this for mug printing as well. It can be a distinctive approach.
Litho Printing
This age-old printing technique is the best solution for printing on ceramic or bone china mugs. It is also known as transfer printing. Here, you need to paint the selected image or design on special paper and cover-coat it on the mug. Afterwards, you need to transfer the print into a water slide transfer. This method can afford a wide range of colours. You can apply this to produce promotional mugs.
Get the Basic Equipment at Home
Want to get the best result? Then you must have the necessary logistic support at your home to start a mug printing business effectively. And the kickers are as follows:
- Mug heat press machine
- Heat resistance tape
- Sublimation printer
- Transfer paper
- Readymade mugs for printing
- A design-friendly PC or Mac
- Photo programming software such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic, Luminar, Corel Draw, Corel PaintShop Pro, Affinity Photo, Adobe Photoshop Elements, etc.
- Quality mug supplier
- Packaging items
And yes, try to deal with a reputed wholesale supplier. Remember, apart from an alluring design, the customers always look for durability in their purchased mugs. Plus, it would be a cost-effective solution for you. And concerning design, if you do not feel confident enough, it would help best if you hired a pro designer. You can quickly manage that from one of the best from marketplaces like Toptal, Upwork, etc.
Besides, you can personalise a mug to ink a hand-drawn design. As an age-old printing experience in Print Britannia, we recommend Sharpie brand pens for this. It ensures a durable design in mug printing.
Emphasise Online Store for Your Brand
Before building a website or setting up an online store at eBay or somewhere else, choosing a business model is a must. This is crucial for a home-based mug printing business. You would be glad to know that it takes a minuscule amount to register and set up an online store. So you had better manage the necessary permit and license to avoid any legal issue. Then you move on with your e-commerce business. In this regard, it would be best to select a catchy brand name so that you can stand out from the crowd. And, of course, you should produce outstanding mugs for this as well.
Learn about the Average Cost and Earning Possibilities
On average, in the United Kingdom, you have to spend around £3-4 per mug only. And a 5-in-1 heat press printer will cost approximately £450. And it will take around £100 to run this business per month.
Still, getting worried? Hey, no worries! For example, you can earn at least £1 for a one coloured-logo coffee mug even at a 50% gross profit margin! Else, you can run your mug printing business on a part-time basis also.
To Sum Up
Now you perfectly know how to start a mug printing business from home. And when you are enthusiastic enough and know what the best path is, nothing can stop you. Wish you a stroke of good luck!.
FAQ
Question: What’s the ideal size of a coffee mug for employees?
Answer: A mug that can contain 150ml to 250ml is ideal for a coffee mug.
Question: Can any mug be printed on?
Answer: Yes, but you must prepare the mug for the chosen printing method. Also, it needs to be white to come up with the perfect colours.
Question: How do I permanently write on a mug?
Answer: For this, you have to follow the steps gradually given below:
- Washing and drying the mug
- Rough-outing a design by pencil
- Drawing your design with Sharpie paint markers
- Baking mugs at 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes to set the paint
Letting it be cool finally
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