Gift Mugs make great coffee Mug Gifts

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• What is the difference between a "Wrap-Around" decoration and a "Handle-to-Handle" decoration? (For a graphical representation, please click here)
  
  
  The human eye can only see a certain amount of information placed on a cylindrical surface. In our case this works out to about:
  - 3" in width for our 11-oz and 18-oz mugs; and to about
  - 3.5" for our 15-oz and 21-oz mugs.

  Based on this, the standard decoration included in the price of a custom mug is:
  - 3" x 3" for our 11-oz and 18-oz mugs;
  - 3.5" x 3.5" for our 15-oz and 21-oz mugs;

  If we now place another decoration (based on above indications) on the other mug side, we then obtain two images that can be seen with one "eye-full" on either side of the mug. This is what we call a decoration on both mug sides.

  Measuring from the extreme right of one image to the extreme left of the other image (as defined above) we can now determine the total "width" of a Wrap-Around decoration - whereby the space between the two images is also decorated.

  The Handle-to-Handle decoration represents the TOTAL width/height we can physically decorate on any given mug, stopping short of the mug handle.

  Thus we can decorate areas with the following approximate dimensions only.
  (For a graphical representation, please click here.)

  	Standard Size	Wrap-around	Handle-to-Handle maximum areas we can decorate	Horizontal Center Distances
  11-oz & 12-oz mugs*	3" x 3"	~ 3" x 7.75"	~ 3" x 8.33"	~ 5.02"
  14-oz stainless steel mugs	2.75" x 2.75"	~ 2.75" x 7.75"	N.A.	~ 5"
  15-oz mugs	3.5" x 3.5"	~ 3.5" x 7.75"	~ 3.5" x 8.33"	~ 5.18"
  18-oz steins	3" x 3"	~ 3.0" x 7.75"	~ 3.0" x 8.33"	~ 5.09"
  21-oz mugs	3.5" x 3.5"	~ 3.5" x 10"	N.A.	~ 6.2"
  * Note: For dimensions of our Coaster mugs please consult here. Please note that above measurements are what we can physically decorate on our white coffee mugs. The designs shown in any of our web site  illustrations or anywhere in this web site are only for illustration purposes and might or might not correspond to the dimensions and/or measurements above indicated. All measurements are approximate and can vary from mug to mug. They are not absolute. We always recommend to have a sample mug decorated before running a large custom mug order.

  
  
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• How "light" a color can you reproduce on the sublimation coffee mugs?
  
  Like with any other printing process, the sublimation decorating process cannot reproduce all the colors you can see on your monitor.

  "Light" colors with a density of about 15% or less will print so faintly that they will not be very noticeable on the printed mug.

  For example, a 15% black (which would be a light gray on your monitor) would not print "right", and so is it with almost all colors, except for white.

  You can very easily determine the percentages of the colors in your digital artwork by temporarily switching from your RGB screen mode colors to CMYK, "the printing mode colors" in your graphics program.

  There under the CMYK color scheme you'll see the percentage of all the four CMYK colors, namely, cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

  You can now adjust the "density" of your colors so that they are around 15% or higher to assure that they will be visible on your printed mugs.

  At the same time you can also check if your colors are out of "Gamut", that is, colors that cannot be printed under any circumstances and with any printing process and hence, should be changed to colors that can be printed.
  
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• I cannot decide on what mug side (with respect to the mug handle) to put my mug decoration.
  
  We normally recommend to have the mug handle to the left of a single-sided mug decoration so that when sitting at a table/desk the person(s) sitting across from you will see the mug decoration instead of "a blank" mug.

  This, of course, only works with right-handed coffee drinkers - as we presume that the coffee drinker knows what decoration is on his/her mug. Thus, the more persons that sit across from the coffee drinker the more will see the mug decoration - how about this for multiple exposure?!
  
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• How come that sometimes text, straight lines and delimited designs appear a little bit tilted. That is, they're not completely parallel to the mug's top or bottom?
  
  Since we do not print directly on the mugs themselves but first on flat media which we then apply around the mugs, the slightest difference in the mug's physical dimensions, or the mug not being perfectly cylindrical and straight, causes these slight misalignments which can and do vary from mug to mug as not all mugs are created equal. This effect can be seen on the mugs as the decoration does not appear to be parallel to the rim/bottom of the coffee mug

  These slight misalignments are not because we do not have any quality control. Even though we cannot guarantee a perfectly perpendicular appearance of the decoration on our mugs, these effects can only be minimized by designing art specifically to account for this rather irksome and unavoidable fact. To "compensate" for this we very slightly rotate our own images depending on which mug side they are. We do, however, not change, re-touch or rotate any customer supplied images which are always used AS IS.

  Thus, should you have single-sided design that is to be applied to both mug sides send it to us as single-sided images or panels and do not incorporate them into one continuous - wrap-around - image as this will prevent us or you from rotating them individually into the right position.

  Unfortunately there is very little we can do for wrap-around and handle-to-handle full area designs that cannot be broken down into distinct "right" and/or "left"; image portions or panels which could then be independently rotated slightly.

  A sample mug decoration will permit you to determine the approximate amount that your digital image file should be "adjusted" so that a more or less horizontal mug decoration will result. The ideal adjustment would be along a curve. Yet, since every mug is different, no perfect solution can be found and every mug decoration will be different.

  To minimize or "hide" this effect, a total up-down mug decoration can be chosen whereby the decoration covers the entire "hight" of the coffee mug. Yet even there, any horizontal straight line might appear as a slight curve on the finished coffee mugs.

  For a discussion on this subject and how to overcome the "curvature" or "warp" effect, please consult our Gift Mugs Corner where we and our customers try to hash out these "problems".

  As you can see, the decoration of coffee mugs is not - and maybe never will  be - a perfect science.
  
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• The size of my photo you show on your virtual mug decoration of the order confirmation is smaller than what I see in my monitor. How is this possible?
  
  We print all of our mug decorations with a resolution of 300 dpi's and hence all our graphic programs are calibrated to this 300 dpi resolution. This means that any image we display on our monitors will be shown in that resolution. If the image you supply has the desired final dimensions and has also a resolution of 300 dpi's, then the resulting virtual mug decoration will show in the proper dimensions/size and also be printed as such on the finished mugs. If your digital image does not meet with these requirements, than the resulting mug decoration will be in the dimension shown in our virtual mug decoration that accompany all our order confirmations.
  
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• My design appears centered on the design mug. However, when I print a sample the cup outline in gone and the design is to the left of the box. How can I tell if it is correctly centered. I cannot locate the full resolution (300x300) diagram
  
  Since you have created your mug with our Design Generator, the image you see in the monitor cannot be printed as shown in the monitor. We suggest you submit your order exactly as you created it in the monitor and then send us an e-mail telling us of your concerns.
  
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