Issue Preview: Drinkware, Heat Transfers, Wrap Coverage, and GP+ Team Sports

In the February issue of GRAPHICS PRO, set to mail on Jan. 25 and hit a screen near you on Jan. 26, print and graphics professionals cover turning cups and mugs into a business staple, bringing heat transfers from the realm of hobbyists to a successful business model, and wrap coverage to meet customer needs.

Plus, don’t miss GP+ Team Sports, which takes a deep dive into the wide variety of products you can offer the team sports market.

Cheers to Drinkware

Paula Aven Gladych

• “The drinkware market has grown to become the second-largest market for custom decoration after apparel, valued at $4.35 billion in 2021.” — Michael Barron, Inkcups
• “I see the drinkware market not as oversaturated but starting to get people’s cupboards full.” — Sara Thompson, JDS Industries
• “Sublimation is our number one department for drinkware.” — Travis Ross, Make Your Mark Design

Getting Value from Heat Transfers

Kristine Shreve, Kristine Shreve Consulting

• “The first thing to get out of the way is the concept that heat transfers are for hobbyists or people who aren’t necessarily concerned about the quality or fastness of the finished product.”
• “For a professional shop, heat transfers offer a different option. These are professionally made transfers, which are created with quality and attention and care.”
• “For some shops, transfers allow them to take smaller orders and get them done quickly without interrupting the production flow they have set up to handle bigger orders. Heat transfers can also be a great way to test out the viability of a new market and its size before investing in equipment and supplies for that decoration technique.”

Coverage Considerations

Charity Jackson, Visual Horizons Custom Signs 

• “We explain to the customer their options; we can do spot graphics, partial wraps, and full wraps with various options in between, including stripes and a partial wrap plus spot graphics.”
•  “Many times, a full wrap isn’t necessary, and we explain this to the customer. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach.”
• “To determine the customer’s coverage, we have to look at their budget, company branding, and advertising expectations.”

Find these articles and much more in GRAPHICS PRO February.