How to Print Sublimation Mugs? Step-by-Step Guide

In this piece of writing, we will be responsible to inform you about how to print sublimation mugs and how to print on sublimation paper for mugs? As we know, the sublimation process has great importance in the whole printing industry.

Therefore, it is essential to learn about the steps to perfectly sublimate mugs, cups, and other items. For this purpose, we have done a lot of research and experiments to finally come up with the best steps to print sublimation mugs.

The printer roller is one of the most important parts of the printer. It is responsible for feeding the paper into the printer. If the roller is dirty, it can cause the paper to jam. Here are some tips on how to clean the printer roller.

How to sublimate coffee mugs in oven? In the below lines, we will be sharing all the steps with you. So, that you can perfectly print your sublimation mugs. Let’s start!

Steps – (How to Print Sublimation Mugs?)

In order to define sublimation mugs vs regular mugs? There are 5 main steps that you have to follow for creating perfect prints on sublimated mugs. Remember, that all of them are the same in importance. Moreover, without them, you can’t print sublimated mugs.

1: Create your Designs

How to do sublimation on mugs with cricut? The first major step for printing sublimation mugs is by creating your favorite designs, images, and other graphics. Make sure that you make these designs in vibrant colors and an attractive style.

You can use software programs like Photoshop, Canvas, and Illustrator to print sublimation mugs. But, it mainly depends on the type of printer you are using to print sublimation mugs.

A normal sublimation ceramic mug is about 2-3 ounces. Therefore, the best designs you can create will lie in a resolution of 3 inches in length and 9 inches in width. Moreover, you also have to keep 1.4 inches short from both the top and bottom of your designs.

2: Print your Designs

For creating perfect designs to print sublimation mugs, you have to choose a specific transfer paper. This transfer paper must have a resolution of 8.5×11 inches for accurate results.

Load your sublimation inks and transfer papers to your printers. Now, your basics regarding the mug sublimation process are done. It is time to move on to the important steps and complete them to print sublimation mugs perfectly. 

3: Trim the Designs 

In this step, you have to trim and place your creative designs on ceramic mugs or other items. But, remember that this trimming of the designs must be accurate for proper printing on sublimation mugs.

Therefore, we had already told you to trim 1.4 inches of your designs from both top and bottom of your transfer papers. Now, you have to tightly wrap your designs on the surface of the ceramic sublimation mugs.

Moreover, you should also use heat-resistant tape or butcher paper for this process. As you have to place it on the top of the sublimation mugs. So, that these mugs can be saved along with your designs from the heat provided by the heat-press machines.

4: Place the Sublimation Mugs in Heat-Press

How to sublimate a mug without a mug press? After placing the butcher papers correctly against the sublimation mugs. It is now time to place these mugs carefully in the heat-press machines. But, for this step, the temperature and time of this heat press are limited.

You should always prefer using the mug sublimation times and temperature for about 400 F for about 60 s. As a result, your designs would be perfectly sublimated on your mugs without facing any major problems. In this way, you can get rid of sublimation mug printing problems

5: Cool the Mugs

The last step used to print sublimation mugs includes the mug cooling process. As the heat produced by the press machines creates fresh designs on the sublimation mugs.

Therefore, if they are touched before they dry up, then they can not be fixed again easily. That is why it is advised to use the sublimation mugs after they are cooled down for about 5-8 minutes.

After this specific time, you will see your favorite designs sublimated on these mugs. Furthermore, these all steps are very important for printing sublimation cups perfectly. So, try not to skip any of them.

Items – (How to Print Sublimation Mugs?)

6 main items play a vital role in printing sublimation mugs. All of these items are easily available. Moreover, they have simple functionality and accurate working capability. These items include;

  1. Sublimation printers.
  2. Ceramic mugs.
  3. Inks and cartridges.
  4. Butcher and transfer papers.
  5. Software programs.
  6. Heat-press machines.

FAQs:

Do I need a sublimation printer for mugs?

Sublimation paper is a specialty paper that is used for printing on mugs. Your mug has a coating that allows the ink to absorb into the material. In addition, it is important to use sublimation ink and polymer-coated mugs to ensure that the design is transferred accurately.

What kind of printer do you need for a mug press?

A sublimation printer is required to print on mugs. Given that its printing area is relatively small, you will be able to cover it adequately with one in A4 format. The ink used in sublimation printing.

How do you print on mugs at home?

Here are the 5 best steps that you can follow to print on mugs at home. 
Create your art. You will want to design using CorelDraw, Photoshop, or other art software.
Print on transfer paper. Your design will be printed in a mirror format. 
Apply heat using a Mug Press or a Mug Wrap in an oven. 
Let your mug cool. 
Finish your mug.

Can a Cricut do sublimation?

Cricut Design Space can be used to print sublimation! For sublimation, Cricut Design Space’s upload feature can be used to upload sublimation PNG files. This is probably your best option if you are not a designer.

Conclusion:

There are numerous ways to print sublimation mugs. However, we have explained the best 5 steps that play a major part in creating fine-quality prints on sublimation mugs.

We are sure that if you follow these steps one by one without skipping anything, then the results will be exceptional. We hope that you would like the information that we provided you through this article.

Mark Bryant