#BehindTheScenes with Production
Two things everyone likes when it comes to movies: behind-the-scenes takes and bloopers. With this in mind, we thought it would be worthwhile for all of you to see “How it’s Made – OSC Edition” and capture a few behind-the-scenes pictures and videos! We could have gone the bloopers route, but seeing as how the machines at our facility are pretty heavy-duty, we hope to never come across any bloopers. So, we’ll stick to behind-the-scenes.
Our production facility is made up of several different departments that each carry on different tasks. We have engraving, vinyl, sublimation, braille, and assembly to name a few, not to mention the departments who prep the work to be sent to those departments. It’s a whole operation here, and it runs pretty smoothly if I may say so myself.
This week, we went behind-the-scenes with the sublimation guys to see some every day projects they work on. Sublimation is the process of heat transfer onto different substrates such as ceramic, plastic, paper, or fabric. Have you ever ironed a design onto a t-shirt for a school event? Sublimation is similar to that here, but our capabilities are a bit more advanced.
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| Jaden Nate Tyler |
Yesterday we shadowed Nate (middle), one of our Sublimation Specialists, to see how this mug is made. Side note, but did you know you can submit your own design to be transferred onto a coffee mug? You betcha. And, we’ve got the team and resources to do it with minimal turnover time (shameless plus #1). Also, this Fargo Theatre mug is available on our sister site, FargoStuff (shameless plug #2). ☺
The Process
Let’s say you wanted to upload your own design onto this mug. First, go to this link and select the color of the mug you would like. Then, choose your font and copy, and email your design to artwork@officesigncompany.com. Trust me when I say that our artists are quick, friendly, and ever-so-helpful.
Once your order is submitted, our Art team will send you a proof that you are to approve before it is moved to production. Then, the artwork is sent over to our Production Printers who get the art ready to be sublimated. Much of the time, the art has to be “mirrored,” or printed backwards so that it shows up correctly on the substrate.
Now comes the fun part. The artwork is lined along this mug press and wrapped securely around the mug, which is then placed in our handy-dandy oven. See where “heat transfer” comes into play?
When 15 minutes pass, Nate takes the mugs out of the oven, unwraps it from the mug press and quickly places the mugs in water to stop the heat transfer process.
With a little cleaning and a little inspection to make sure the color and application is right, your mug is ready to go!
Shoutout to Nate for letting us feature his process on this week’s behind-the-scenes post. Stay tuned for next week’s with the Engraving Department! Cheers! (With a fancy mug made by Office Sign Company – shameless plug #3)
Written by: Rylee Wznick
Contact at: rylee@officesigncompany.com
