Cuchulainn Workwear brings print production in-house with Inkcups direct to object technology

Cuchulainn Workwear has expanded its printing capabilities and brought promotional product production back in-house, with investment in Inkcups direct to object printing technology.

Based in Jonesborough, Northern Ireland, Cuchulainn Workwear specialises in providing high quality customised workwear and promotional items, including drinkware and coasters, pens, notebooks, keyrings, and more for businesses across all sectors.

The company wanted to offer customers a wider range of branded products while keeping production under one roof and creating a true one stop shop offering.

After carrying out extensive research into the options available, managing director Alan Murphy decided to invest in two Inkcups direct to object machines: a Helix One benchtop cylindrical UV inkjet printer and an X5-T flatbed UV inkjet printer.

The addition of the two machines represents a significant investment for the company and a major step in broadening its in-house printing capabilities. Jolene Muckian, executive marketing assistant, explained: ‘This will allow us to streamline processes and significantly improve efficiency.’

With both direct to object printing technologies now in place, Cuchulainn Workwear can expand the range of promotional products it decorates in-house, offering branded cups, pens, travel mugs, and other customised merchandise alongside its existing workwear offering.

The company was able to put the new equipment into production quickly. The two machines were installed in June 2026, and by early July, it had produced its first customer order of 25 branded travel mugs.

‘Seeing the machines in operation so soon after installation reinforced the positive impact of the investment and demonstrated our ability to begin delivering high quality promotional products to customers immediately,’ commented Jolene. ‘As this was our first order on the new equipment, we were delighted with how it turned out.’

The support and training offered by Inkcups had been an important consideration for Cuchulainn Workwear during its initial research. Following the installations, this support helped the team build the knowledge and confidence needed to begin using the new equipment for customer production within a matter of weeks. Installation and training took place over several days and was overseen by Sven Karkossa, field service engineer, Inkcups Europe.

‘Sven made sure we understood each stage before moving on, answered every question we had, and gave us plenty of time to practice until we felt confident. The machines themselves are very user friendly and the training gave us the confidence to start producing customer orders almost immediately after installation,’ Jolene continued.

Having established production on the new equipment, the company is now training other members of the team to operate the new machines, helping to build wider knowledge and confidence across the business.

Sven added, ‘While any new equipment can seem daunting at first, the great thing about Inkcups direct to object printing technology is how simple and straightforward the machines are to operate. With automated workflows and features like a fully automatic tooling fixture with height adjustment on the Helix One, these machines are designed to break down barriers to entry into direct to object printing. The fact that, with just a few days of training, the team was up and running and creating customer orders really highlights this.’