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All About Direct-to-Object Cylinder Printers

Direct-to-object cylinder printers are digital systems that apply full-color graphics directly to drinkware like bottles, cups, tumblers, and other containers. The object rotates during printing, allowing seamless 360° decoration on curved surfaces, whether its glass, plastic, silicone or stainless steel.

High-quality prints are easily achieved with direct-to-object cylinder printers using pad, screen, or digital methods. As personalization and customization continue to grow in demand, drinkware remains a popular choice across commercial, hospitality, and sports industries.

What are Direct-to-Object (DTO) Drinkware Printing Methods?

There are three primary methods for decorating cylindrical objects: pad printing, screen printing, and digital inkjet printing. Each DTO approach supports different production volumes, design requirements, and material types.

Direct-To-Object Printing Methods

Pad Printing on Drinkware

Pad printing is a popular, cost-effective method for printing images and logos on your barware, including pint glasses, wine glasses, tasting flight glasses, and more. Because of its flexibility and low setup cost, pad printing is often considered a direct-to-container printing method for small- to medium-volume runs.

1-Color Pad Printers

One-color pad printers are ideal for direct-to-container applications that require single-color, small-scale images or logos, typically between 80-190 mm.  These printing machines are commonly used for:

  • Mugs
  • Promotional cups
  • Event drinkware 
  • Simple branded glassware

They offer low setup costs, quick changeovers, and consistent repeatability.

1-Color Pad Printers for Drinkware

2-Color Pad Printers Machines

Two-color pad printers allow for more visual complexity by printing either one or two colors in a single cycle. These systems use two pads, two ink cups, and two plates to create multi-color designs. These machines are commonly used for:

  • Beer glasses
  • Wine glasses
  • Disposable drinkware
  • Promotional cups

A two-color configuration is ideal when direct-to-bottle branding requires a visual contrast without the complexity of full digital printing.

2-Color Pad Printers

4- to 6-Color Pad Printers

For applications that require more vibrant branding, multi-color pad printers support four to six colors in a single print cycle. These systems use additional pads and ink stations to layer colors with precise registration. They are commonly used for:

  • Ceramic mugs
  • Specialty barware
  • Promotional drinkware with complex logos

The multi-color printing method allows branding to pop while keeping production costs lower than with digital systems.

4-Color Pad Printers

Growlers

Growlers are a popular choice in taprooms and craft breweries, and printing allows logos and simple designs to be applied directly to these bottles, even on curved surfaces. This method is well-suited for bold, one- or two-color graphics and short production runs, helping breweries keep up with demand without extra cost or complexity

Learn about the Direct to Container Printer, the B150

Ceramic Mugs

Ceramic mugs are often considered among the more challenging drinkware items to print on, due to their handles and curved geometry. Since pad printing can conform to irregular shapes while keeping a clean, consistent image placement, it’s a popular choice for promotional mugs, retail merchandise, and hospitality branding.

Learn about the ICN-2200PS

Screen Printing on Cylindrical Containers

pad printed shot glass

Screen printing, while commonly associated with garment printing, can also be used on drinkware, including glass, plastic, and metal vessels. While screen printing can produce bold, high-opacity designs, it becomes more challenging on non-porous or curved substrates. Excess ink can lead to bleeding, bubbling, or uneven coverage, especially on glass and coated metals. It also requires extremely precise alignment for higher-count color images.,

Screen printing is best for:

  • One- or two-color designs
  • Bold logos
  • Simple artwork
  • Medium-volume production

 

Digital Direct-to-Object Printing with Cylindrical Inkjet Printers

Whether known as drinkware printers, cylindrical inkjet printers, rotary printing machines, or direct-to-bottle printers, the concept remains the same: digitally print full-color, stunning graphics on cylindrical vessels. This process enables seamless 360-degree decoration, high-resolution images, and variable-data printing, making it ideal for personalization, short runs, and premium branding.

What Can Digital Cylinder Printers Print On?

Digital direct-to-object printers are compatible with a wide range of substrates, including:

  • Glass
  • Plastic
  • Stainless steel
  • Aluminum
  • Silicone
  • Coated metals

Digital cylinder printing machines can accommodate straight-walled and slightly tapered vessels, from small shot glasses to larger growlers and tumblers.

Cylindrical Inkjet Printer: Helix®

The Helix® digital cylinder printer, Inkcups’ flagship machine, pairs speed with image quality through its patented Helix® software, available across the Helix® printer line. This system supports:

  • CMYK + white + varnish printing
  • Seamless 360° wraps
  • High-resolution image reproduction
  • Customization and personalization workflows

Because digital direct-to-object printing relies heavily on proper ink adhesion, substrate pre-treatment becomes vital. Different materials require different UV ink formulations and surface preparation to ensure long-lasting prints.

Learn about the Helix®

Extended Range Kit for Helix®

The Extended Range Kit expands the range of cylindrical diameters that can be printed on with the Helix® system. With this upgrade, users can decorate parts as small as 1.5 inches (38 mm) in diameter and as large as 5.0 inches (127 mm). The kit can be added to both new and existing Helix® machines.

NPC for Transparent Vessel Decorating

Nano Pin Curing (NPC) is a field-upgradable accessory designed for printing on transparent or translucent vessels. It protects print heads by blocking excess UV light during curing, helping extend their lifespan and maintain consistent print quality. NPC also blocks UV exposure inside vessels, streamlining setup and reducing handling time.

Integrated Pre-Treatment

The Helix® line of printers includes an integrated corona pre-treatment system that prepares the surface of cylindrical objects before printing. This improves ink adhesion by removing surface contaminants and increasing surface energy. In many applications, corona treatment can eliminate the need for additional pre-treatment methods such as flame treatment or primers, simplifying the production workflow.

UV Ink Adhesion Improvement Components

Double Helix® Cylinder Printer for Drinkware

The Double Helix® offers all the features of the Helix® but double the output. How does it accomplish that? Two print fixtures allow for double the production volume, better answering the needs of industries that require speed and medium-to-high production runs, such as the craft brew market, barware market, spirit market, candle market, and more. 

The Double Helix® can print full coverage, 360°, seamless graphics on parts up to 8.6” long. Print on cans, stainless tumblers, water bottles, stadium cups, wine tumblers, and even other cylindrical items including candle holders.

Application Spotlight: Printing on Candle Holders

Learn about the Double Helix®

Double Helix® Advanced Print Capabilities

Print Innovation

Through Helical technology, innovative and eye-catching print techniques can be achieved. Elevate your brand by offering the most stunning prints with any of the Inkcups’ Helix® line of cylindrical printers.

Mirror Print

View artwork inside and out with mirror print. This print technique works with clear substrates like glass and plastic. The use of a layer of white ink between two layers of color creates a mirror image of the artwork on the interior and exterior of the glass.

Learn about Mirror Print

Lustre Effect

This effect enables the printing of decorative metallic-looking embellishments on aluminum, stainless steel, and other cylindrical metal vessels.

Learn more about Lustre Effect

Tone-on-Tone

Tone-on-tone printing enhances the substrate’s natural color by using low-opacity inks or varnish rather than white. On metal, this produces a subtle contrast; on glass, the effect resembles embossing.

Learn about Tone-on-Tone

Full Coverage Printing

The full coverage process allows designs to extend across the entire length and circumference of a drinkware cylinder, supporting seamless, uninterrupted 360° graphics.

Photorealistic Printing

By using additional ink channels light cyan and light magenta, the Double Helix® can achieve higher-resolution, photorealistic images with improved tonal transitions and accurate skin-tone reproduction, making it ideal for personalized or photographic designs.

Contour Print

Give glassware a highly appealing 3D textured feel with a contour print. This print technique layers ink to give the object a raised, tactile surface.

Stained Glass & Etched Effects

By adjusting opacity and ink layering, the Double Helix® can simulate etched or stained-glass effects on transparent substrates.  Etched effects are achieved using low-opacity white ink, while stained-glass effects use semi-transparent color layers that allow light to pass through.

High-speed Cylindrical Inkjet Printer: Revolution®

The Revolution® is designed for high-volume production environments that require speed, automation, and consistent print quality. With 12 stations, automatic load and unload, and integrated pre-treatment, the Revolution can print up to 600 parts per hour. Unlike other printers, The Revolution® prints CMYK at a single station,  resulting in excellent print quality and color reproduction thanks to its highly accurate dot placement.

Common Printing Applications

Stadium Cups

Stadium cups are often used at sporting events, trendy outdoor restaurants and bars, weddings, and mass get-togethers like family reunions. Benefitting from the Revolution®’s automated handling and high-speed throughput, these cups are typically made of a food-grade, reusable medium to heavy-weight plastic.

Cylindrical Printer for Stadium Cups: Revolution

Pint Glasses

Have you ever noticed that beer is always served in a glass from breweries? Serving beer in a pint glass offers the best view of the drink’s color and clarity, as well as the foam formed from the release of carbonation. Plus, glass is a more inert material than plastic or aluminum, so it’s less likely to affect the taste of your drink.  The Revolution® allows you to personalize 16 oz pint glasses with your logo, custom artwork, or even a photo, making it a great souvenir for the craft brewery crowd.

How to Print on Glass

Paper and Disposable Cups

Paper or plastic disposable cups are extremely lightweight and make a great printing candidate for the Revolution® with its automatic load and unload feature. The system’s handling design reduces the risk of tipping or misalignment, even with low-weight substrates.

Stemless Wine Glass

Stemless wine glasses have become increasingly popular over the years, thanks not only to their modern aesthetic but also to their durability. With the Revolution®, you can print any design technique on a stemless wine glass to elevate your business.

Learn about DL Series UV Ink for Glass

Stainless Steel Tumbler

Stainless-steel tumblers provide an excellent surface for applying advanced decorations, such as the Lustre Effect. Print metallic graphics on the stainless-steel vessel with just a hint of the substrate’s shine coming through for a jaw-dropping effect.

Coated Metals

Powder-coated and painted metals can be challenging substrates, but with the appropriate primer and ink system, strong adhesion can be achieved. Specialized primers, such as XF Primer, promote adhesion for UV inks on coated drinkware surfaces.

Rocks Glasses

Bottoms up! Impress customers with the ability to print on the flat bottom of rocks glasses. The flat bottom of the glass is ideal for UV flatbed printers such as the X5-T, making this design unique to cylindrical printing. The technique’s mirror-printed design allows the image to be seen through the bottom of the glass while sipping.

Water Bottles and Sports Bottles

As sustainability trends move away from plastic water bottles, reusable bottles made with aluminum, glass, and recyclable plastiare becoming more common.. Flexible UV digital inks like XFLEXX and BB ultra-flexible inks allow full-color direct-to-bottle graphics to bend and fold on flexible substrates without cracking, peeling, or distorting the print.

Learn about UV Inkjet Printing on Sports Bottles

Shot glass to Growler

Cylindrical printers are known for the wide variety of drinkware they can accommodate, and that  list of vessels continues to grow! The extended-range kit allows the Helix® to print on small-diameter substrates like shot glasses, or on wider diameter vessels like growlers and three-wick candle holders. Like other drinkware, shot glasses and growlers are available in various shapes, sizes, and volumes.

Inkjet Printing for Shot Glasses: Featuring the Helix®

The Benefits of Digital Printing on Drinkware

Digital direct-to-object printers can efficiently decorate a wide variety of drinkware vessels. While pad printing, screen printing, and dye sublimation offer high-quality prints, these methods can’t compare to the design techniques or output speeds of digital cylindrical printers. The benefits of digital printing are unparalleled.

Watch: Why go Digital with Inkcups Video Series

Enhance your Digital Printing Process

Digital cylindrical printing involves more than just the printer itself. It requires an efficient workflow that supports preparation, printing, curing, handling, and finishing. All of Inkcups’ UV cylindrical printers can be paired with automation tools designed to improve throughput and support direct-to-container production across a wide range of applications.  Additionally, Inkcups has developed a print-on-demand workflow that can be integrated into any order management system to streamline the direct-to-object printing process.

Learn how to Automate your Print on Demand Process

Automation

Robotic automation systems can be used for y loading and unloading cups, bottles, and other drinkware containers from cylindrical inkjet printing machines. By reducing manual handling, automation improves consistency, increases throughput, and minimizes the risk of part misalignment or other issues during production. This enhancement is especially valuable in high-volume printing environments where speed and efficiency are critical.

Learn more with Inkcups’ Mechanical Engineer’s Automation Q&A

Print-on-Demand Workflow

Print-on-demand (POD) is a fulfillment model in which custom products are produced only after the customer places an order. This workflow not only increases business efficiency but also enhances buyers’ product customization and personalization options. Benefits of print-on-demand workflows include: 

  • Reducing excess stock and warehousing costs
  • Expanding  product offerings without increasing inventory
  • Supporting one-off and short-run personalization
  • Integration with order management and e-commerce systems

This workflow approach is especially well-suited to promotional products, customized drinkware, and short-run limited-edition campaigns

Print on Demand Drinkware Solutions

Inkcups Complete Solution to Printing on Glass

Direct-to-object printing on glass presents unique challenges and requires pre-treatment. After annealing (a process in glass manufacturing that gradually cools the material, relieving internal stresses and improving durability), glassware is sprayed with a hot-end or cold-end coating to protect it during transit. While these coatings improve glass’s overall strength, they create a surface that is difficult for ink to adhere to properly. This means that printed graphics may peel, fade, or fail when used repeatedly.

By adding a pre-treatment step to your glass printing process, you can improve adhesion by removing the hot-end or cold-end coating and burnishing the hydrophilic surface to remove any additional dirt and debris.

MagiCoat® Pre-treatment System to Helix® Process

MagiCoat® is a dedicated pre-treatment system from Inkcups designed to integrate with the Helix®, Double Helix®, and Revolution® cylindrical inkjet printers. When used as part of a complete production workflow, the MagiCoat® pre-treatment system (MPS) ensures that drinkware will withstand up to 200 residential washes or 600 industrial washes, depending on the application and ink system.

MagiCoat® System Capabilities

Compared to other methods, MagiCoat® is one of the safest pre-treatment options available. Key features include:

  • Capacity to pre-treat up to 15 items per minute

  • Eight independently rotating stations
  • Three flaming stations with six total flaming heads
  • Controlled exposure for consistent surface activation

Read about the compliance testing conducted for the MagiCoat® system here:

Call to Compliance: MagiCoat®

Call to Compliance: MagiCoat®

Inkcups Global Support

Inkcups’ technical support is unparalleled, provided globally in person, remotely, and on call. We realize how valuable time is, and we are proud to say we solve 90% of cases the same day. On top of the personalized support you can receive, we have a wealth of knowledge throughout our website, including the Learning Center and Support Hub.

Learn more about Inkcups Technical Support

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