The Tervis Tumbler Company makes a line of customized insulated plastic tumblers. They needed the graphic that fits between the layers of the container, to be equally visible from outside and inside the tumbler. (Image courtesy of Tervis Tumbler)

Tervis Tumbler Company, based in Venice, Fla., went looking for an alternative method to decorate and customize its unique line of tumblers. But what is a tumbler, exactly? It’s a clear plastic insulated mug. Tervis places an embroidered image in between the two clear plastic layers that provide the insulation.

 

It’s fairly time-consuming and labor-intensive to interrupt the tumbler-building process and insert the embroidered piece, so Tervis went looking for an alternative method. Tervis still manufacturers and sells the mugs with embroidered images, but the company wanted a line that was simpler, faster and even more customizable.

 

PERFECT FIT

Tervis turned to Trinity Graphic—located up the road a bit from Venice in Sarasota—because Trinity was well known for its expertise in packaging. Trinity then turned to its equipment supplier Pitman for help finding the right solution for this tumbler quandary.

 

Pitman suggested taking a look at EFI’s line of VUTEk wide-format UV-curing printers. It seemed somewhat odd to consider using a wide-format printer for the relatively tiny prints on clear polyester that would be inserted between the insulating layers of a Tervis Tumbler, but Trinity took a look.

 

What they found was EFI’s VUTEk QS3200, a 126"-wide UV-curing production-ready hybrid inkjet printer. With it, Trinity could crank out thousands of individual images on one roll, quickly cut them out on an automated digital cutting table and have them tumbler-ready in no time. Moreover, since the GS3200 has white ink capability, Trinity could ensure a quality image viewed from both outside and inside the tumbler. 

 

Trintiy Graphic employs its EFI VUTEk QS3200 and GS3200 UV-curing printers to print onto a clear polyester. The printers’ high speed and white ink capabilities allowed for production of the double-sided prints needed by Tervis. (Image courtesy of Trinity Graphic)

“Initially, the issue was that on the outside the image was crisp and clean, but looking at it from the inside you just saw a blob of white. I was asked if I could source something that could do a better job,” explains Robert Smithson, Trinity Graphic’s CEO and director of technology. “We went to EFI’s VUTEk facility in New Hampshire and we brought along some files and the polyester we were printing on. The testing went very well and we brought samples back for Tervis. They thought it was phenomenal.”

 

As the machine prints the images on the polyester, it lays down four-color process for the inside image, a layer of white and then another layer of four-color for the image you see from the outside. Smithson says the process ensures the image looks just as good from the inside as it does from the outside because the white ink provides good opacity and a solid white point. Plus, UV-curable ink is lightfast, which is important for Turvis because its tumblers are often used outdoors on patios, at the beach and swimming pools.

 

Trinity’s Esko Multi I-cut flatbed cutter works in tandem with the printer to crank out about 5,000 pieces per day. (Image courtesy of Trinity Graphic)

The next step was to produce 50 samples and seal them between the two tumbler layers for testing. In this case, testing meant 50 washes in a dishwasher and 50 times into a microwave to make sure the ink didn’t break down under the repeated stress, moisture and heat.

 

“The images are printed on clear polyester on a 150-foot roll, web to web,” explains Smithson. “We print two 52-inch rolls together. We tested this on a QS machine and at that time the GS machine was just coming out. With the new VUTEk printer we were able to shift from 600 to 1,000 dpi.” 

 

For die-cutting the images printed on the 52-inch rolls, Trinity added an Esko Multi I-cut flatbed cutter to its stable of equipment. With the I-cut/GS3200 combination, Trinity is able to prepare the individual pieces for insertion in the tumblers super-fast.

 

“It’s a lot easier for Tervis compared to the embroidery method, where it’s lined up manually, placed in between the inner and outer layer of the tumbler with glue dots, and then pressed into position on the inner layer of the tumbler. We came up with an easy way to print on the material where it would be simply dropped in and would then go straight to the electronic welding machine where the two layers are welded together,” says Smithson. “We’re shipping 5,000 pieces per day, and they’re asking me to increase that to 8,000 a day. They’re up in sales and this technology has been a great path for them to take to help make it happen.”

 

This printing method also allows greater flexibility as far as printing custom short-run variable data projects. “We can print specialized runs for golf tournaments and other special events, not to mention game-day tumblers for universities and other sports events, plus licensed images. It’s limitless because you can now place any type of image, including photography, between the two insulated layers,” says Smithson.

 

Trinity Graphic, a well known packaging printer, came up with a solution that involved a wide format UV-curing inkjet printer. (Image courtesy of Trinity Graphic)

BEYOND CORE BUSINESS

The addition of wide-format printing capability has allowed Trinity to go far beyond this one custom project, and its core business, to significantly grow its entire business. Business is so good, in fact, that Trinity is considering adding another printer and will add more employees over the coming months. Right now, the two VUTEks at Trinity are running almost around the clock.

 

Smithson says Trinity is printing for a variety of high-end point-of-purchase projects, as well as short-run packaging and other specialty applications.