by Industrial Print Magazine Staff
Direct to object (DTO) printing is well suited for producing custom gift products. Innovations in digital print systems, inks, and primers/surface treatments continue to push the possibilities.
Surrey, U.K.-based Proper Goose provides personalized gift products from playing cards to glassware and tins. The company started in 2015 as FDCCovers designing and making its Limited Edition First Day Covers. It soon branched out into the personalized gift market and became Proper Goose in 2016.
Trade Printing
In 2021 Proper Goose identified a gap in the market for personalized drinkware and opened up a trade-focused division of the company, Bottled Goose. This division offers custom bottles and tumblers, glassware, and homeware products. Decorations are done using a Helix Hi-Fi printer, Double Helix printer, and Magicoat pretreatment system by Inkcups.
Bottled Goose specializes in delivering high-quality product printing for businesses of all sizes, from small start-ups to large brands. It offers co-branding, print on demand, wholesale, as well as sample and tooling services. It is supported by a team of software developers, printer experts, and a state-of-the-art production facility.
One challenge with printing for the trade means there are sometimes fluctuations in the volume of products required, which vary from items such as spirits bottles for distilleries, perfume bottles and candle holders for cosmetics houses, or thousands of units of branded glasses or bottles for events. Bottled Goose finds that the Inkcups Helix range of DTO presses is able to handle this variability.
DTO in Action
The capabilities, quality, and speed offered by the Helix range of printers allows Bottled Goose to work with leading brands like Duplo, Kew Gardens, Lucozade, and Winchester Distillery.
According to Inkcups in a published case study about Proper Goose/Bottled Goose, the cylindrical inkjet printers are well suited for digitally printing on drinkware, ideal for premium glassware, stadium cups, tumblers, barware, shot glasses, water bottles, and candles.
Because Bottled Goose requires seamless printing onto cylindrical and tapered products, the ability to print onto prefilled bottles is crucial. “The very nature of supplying to the trade means that there can be fluctuations in volume of products required. This varies from personalized, one-off items such as specialist whisky bottles for a client, to tens of thousands of units such as branded glasses or bottles for events. The Inkcups Helix range offers this flexibility with no compromise on quality. The simple process from receiving the client’s artwork and then it being sent directly to the printer, offers an easy and streamlined experience for clients. Speed and efficiency from the first moment,” notes the study.
Testing the output quality for Bottled Goose products is an important element of its reputation for offering a bespoke service. According to Inkcups, tests on the durability of the printed product confirm that it is dishwasher safe, scratch resistant, and outstanding quality.
Whitby & Co.
One of the services offered by Bottled Goose is custom prints on Klean Canteen water bottles. The company recent created a batch for its client, Whitby & Co., a U.K.-based distributor of outdoor accessory products.
Using its Inkcups printers, the custom drinkware provider printed 60, 16 ounce colored bottles with a custom design for the Kendall Mountain Festival. Designed by a local artist, the artwork—a full wrap around the bottle—captures a mountain and sea scene, featuring a tent, a hiker, and wildlife elements.
Printed in a denim blue color with a 100 percent varnish overlay, the design stands out against the matte finish of the container. The water bottles were exclusively sold at the festival.
Continued Evolution
Proper Goose and its Bottled Goose division continue to look for new opportunities with DTO printing.
Jun2026, Industrial Print Magazine
