How to Print on Handled Drinkware

Let’s state the obvious: handled drinkware is having its moment, and it’s one that’s unlikely to fade anytime soon. All the major players in the drinkware industry are offering cult-classic handled tumblers, designed to keep beverages like Diet Coke cool for hours. While these tumblers were once highly coveted for limited runs in trending colors, the focus has shifted to branded drinkware, often licensed with popular movie franchises, professional sports teams, or trending collections. However, decorating handled drinkware presents a unique challenge. Unlike straight-walled or slightly tapered vessels, the protruding handle complicates the decoration process. Could this be the reason why the original drinkware designs, which had such brief shelf lives, were often limited to single colors?

This stepped vessel was printed with the X5-T High Throw UV Flatbed printer.

There are several methods used to decorate drinkware, including sublimation, laser engraving, digital decoration, and DTF printing, but that come with specific limitations. Laser Etching is limited to about 1.5 inches due to the proximity of the handle, restricting the design area. Pad Printing is used by some companies but has limitations such as slow speed and high minimum order quantities (MOQ). Silk Screen UV is often employed for one-color, one-side decorations, but it’s less versatile for full-wrap designs.

The cost of competing decoration methods varies. Laser Etching is extremely cost-effective, with almost no cost beyond operator setup. Silk Screen UV typically costs about 0.05 cents per print for one color. Pad Printing costs vary, with some companies reporting about 0.02 cents per color.

However, each method comes with its own set of challenges. Pad Printing is slow, labor-intensive, and not suitable for low MOQ, which limits its effectiveness for smaller runs. Silk Screen UV requires complex setup processes, ink mixing, and screen costs, making it less cost-effective for smaller orders.

UV cylindrical printers are ideal for decorating drinkware but struggle with items featuring handles. A standard cylindrical inkjet printer holds drinkware in place with customized tooling on both the base and top. As the vessel enters the printer, it spins while the carriage moves the printheads above the surface. The printheads are positioned fairly close to the vessel, making it impossible to print over the handle. While some drinkware features removable handles, even the tab used to attach the handle adds too much distance between the printhead and the surface, making decoration difficult in a standard setup. This suggests that handle decoration might need to occur during the manufacturing process, altering the current workflow.

When presented with this problem in the past, one would turn to digitally decorating on handled drinkware with UV flatbed printers, forgoing the vessel traveling round and round and instead resting on the bed. While these printers typically excel at printing on flat and slightly curved products, they are able to decorate on curved surfaces like drinkware as well. Limited however, as the size of the artwork is typically on the small scale depending on the vessel. With a high throw flatbed printer, with a bigger distance between the printhead and the surface of the vessel, achieve a larger image size on handled drinkware.

The X5-T High Throw is perfect for those looking to print on handled drinkware. This UV flatbed printer can jet ink much farther than your standard flatbed printers, allowing it to print larger logos on curved and uneven surfaces. The handle does not pose an issue in this case as with proper tooling the mug can nestle and be held secure, eliminating the need to rotate. Print on a wide variety of handled drinkware, from camp mugs to travel mugs to stepped drinkware and everything in between.

We’ve found that 65% of our customers are looking for single-sided decoration, which is a perfect fit for a high throw flatbed application. Much like any other UV inkjet printer enjoy the instant cure of UV digital and the ability to touch, stack, and pack after the print has completed.

For more information on how to print on handled drinkware, and which UV flatbed printer is right for you, contact us to be connected with your local sales representative. Our knowledgeable team is happy to discuss your business goals, applications, and adhesion requirements to make sure UV flatbed printing with high throw capabilities is the right fit for you.

For additional resources regarding handled drinkware like mugs please visit:

• Application Spotlight: UV Printing on Mugs
• UV Inkjet Printer- The Ultimate Guide