Photographer Bruce Johnson of Grand Marais now has equipment capable of transferring images—photographs, artwork, logos, and lettering—onto many different objects such as mugs, T-shirts, and metal sheets. Johnson can create personalized gift items, produce team sportswear, and custom-make promotional business products.
Christmas is coming and along with it comes the perennial question of what to give the person who already has everything. Grand Marais photographer Bruce Johnson— also a special education teacher at Cook County High School since 1984—may have just the gift for the loved one who is hard to buy for.
Johnson is well established in his portrait, nature, and sports photography business, but he has branched out with some special printing equipment that allows photos, artwork, logos, and lettering to be printed onto many different kinds of objects.
In a process called “sublimation,” special ink on special paper is converted to a gas and applied at 400 degrees to coffee cups, water bottles, beer mugs, kids’ mugs with character handles, photo displays on stands, achievement plaques, slate tiles, T-shirts, sweatshirts, blankets, jigsaw puzzles, coasters, Christmas ornaments, mouse pads, note tablets, wallets, clip boards, bookmarks, eco-friendly reusable shopping bags, piggy banks, clocks—and about 1,000 more objects, if that’s not enough!
Images are infused into the objects, which must be made of or coated with polyester, and don’t rub off once they have been applied.
About four years ago, Johnson went to a photography conference and was intrigued when he saw photos that had been transposed onto metal— a technology that has been around for about 20 years, he said. He decided he wanted to do the same thing but it would be two years before he found out where he could buy the equipment. He orders supplies from companies in Minneapolis and Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
Johnson keeps experimenting with new objects and makes sure his final product is just right. “I’m finding out there’s a learning curve as far as making a few costly mistakes!” he said.
One really fun gift idea is Johnson’s color-changing mugs. They start out dark blue or black, but when hot liquid is poured into them, they transform, displaying colorful images. Johnson can also print onto a set of four coasters that interlock like a jigsaw puzzle.
Gunflint Mercantile in downtown Grand Marais currently carries Johnson’s color-changing mugs with brilliant photos of Cook County scenery on them, along with cutting boards, oven mitts, and greeting cards created by Johnson. Of the color-changing mugs, Gunflint Mercantile owner Chelsea Lueck said, “I’m selling a lot of them!”
When asked what his goal is for this business, Johnson said, “It’s something to do when I retire from teaching!” He also said he went into the business because he wanted to offer locally made products featuring Cook County.
“Anything you can put on the computer I can put on the product—anything that can be Photoshopped,” Johnson said. He can help come up with ideas, and orders can be viewed and modified through email. Johnson’s prices are modest and his turnaround time is very quick. He can be reached at (218)387-2197 or brucejohnsonphoto@gmail.com.
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