About Us

JG Electronics opened its doors in 1990, focused on repairing IT and electronic equipment — the work that gave us our name.

By 1991, we had moved into selling PCs. Back then, a typical machine had no colour, a 10MB hard drive, and just 64KB of RAM — less power than the most basic phone today.

Printers were another challenge. Inkjet technology was still new, and most businesses relied on dot matrix printers, essentially typewriters with a ribbon. Photo‑quality printing was reserved for companies willing to spend R60,000 or more which was the price of a good car at the time.

In 1994, we discovered a company in the United States producing a photo‑quality printer that cost only R3,000. It took 30 minutes to print a page, but it opened new possibilities. With some experimentation, it was found that with the right coatings on a tile and the right amount of heat, a photo could be transferred onto the tile. That was the beginning of sublimation transfer printing.

We used Fargo Primera and Sony Video Printers — originally designed for radiologists — to transfer images onto mugs and other coated products. At the time, coated blanks were unknown in China, so we either imported them from the USA and UK or developed our own coatings locally. We continued coating products ourselves until 2004, when demand outgrew local production.

Heat presses were another hurdle. They were only available from overseas and cost thousands of rands. We solved that by designing and building our own range of T‑shirt and mug presses right here in South Africa.

In the mid‑1990s, Sawgrass™ introduced the first inkjet‑printable sublimation inks. We became their agent and have represented them ever since.

From those early days, JG Electronics has grown from strength ro strength. Our Johannesburg branch is now in its fourth premises, with 2,500m² under roof. We also have branches in Cape Town and Bloemfontein.

We import full 40‑foot containers and receive shipments roughly every three and a half weeks. Today, we represent a wide range of respected international brands.