Put A Tweet On A Mug? Quick Answer

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Oh, Sharpie mug. How I love you. If you’ve read my previous posts you know I have a slight obsession with making sharpie mugs. What can I say? They’re easy, inexpensive, and just plain cute. After thinking about what to get one of my friends as an engagement gift, I decided to make another Sharpie mug. Armed with what I learned from The Ultimate Guide to Sharpie Mugs, I decided to make Mr. and Mrs. mugs for the couple.

As much as I learned about hand lettering from calligraphy, I didn’t really want to freehand the mug design, so I found a great solution to transfer a design onto mugs.

materials

Mugs (Dollar Tree has great mugs for $1)

Oil based sharpies (the regular ones wash off)

Sharpies (the normal ones are washed off) Pencil

Your pattern, words or design (printed or hand drawn)

painters tape

How to transfer your design

I learned about this technique while making my canvas wall art. Anyone else do this in middle school? You are in class and there is free time. You take a piece of paper and draw a design on the front. You fold over that small corner of the paper and trace the design on the back. When you fold this little corner back, your design will magically appear next to your original drawing. It’s a great way to make an exact copy of something (and pass the time in middle school). The lead from your original drawing rubs off on the other side and you have a copy of your pattern. The same principle works on mugs.

First draw or print your design that you want to use. I played around with a few designs but ended up making my words on PicMonkey.

Turn your print over and shade the back of the design.

Tape your printed or drawn design onto your mugs with painter’s tape.

Trace the letters with a sharp or mechanical pencil.

Peel off the tape. Your pattern should have been transferred to the mug.

Trace your pencil lines with an oil-based Sharpie marker. I found it was much easier to make long strokes than making small lines with the marker. The lines seemed smoother and better connected.

The pencil has rubbed off some spots on the mug, but you can fix that later. Fill in your letters with your marker.

Repair any stray spots (like the pencil marks) with rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover.

Place the mugs in a cold oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Set the timer once the oven preheats 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave to cool in the oven.

Beautiful, simple, inexpensive. The best.

For more DIY mug ideas and patterns (including the secret to making glitter mugs dishwasher safe), see 10 Minute Mugs.

For more Sharpie mug tips and tricks, check out the freebie: 17 Tips and Tricks to Perfect Sharpie Mugs.

In this article we cover:

What types of mugs can you print?

The most common mug you will see printed on is your standard white mug, we all own a few. The reason this is the most common is because it is one of the older methods of printing on mugs, the technology has been around for decades. We can go into more detail about the specific processes later. For now, however, we refer to this as a coated mug. https://www.bestblanks.com/white-ceramic-sublimation-coffee-mug-11-oz.html

Coated cups

Coated mugs are coated with a special plastic-based material designed to “receive” an imprint. This surface must be as white as if it were any other color as it would interfere with the colors of the ink being printed. (remember to mix blue and yellow to make green)

Uncoated cups

Uncoated mugs are the most common when you see colored mugs. These are generally a true ceramic with no additional coatings. You can paint, dye, or use any other method to create the different colors. However, they do not contain this plastic-based coating.

Cylindrical and conical cups

Cylindrical and conical mugs are essentially the two shapes you will come across when printing. These are either shaped like a cylinder (top and bottom the same size) or conical (top and bottom different sizes). In general, when printing on a mug, it is easier to work with a cylindrical mug. The reasons are simple:

Oddly shaped cups

Unusual shaped mugs should be your last choice for printing. If you plan to put digital photos, logos, and other color images on mugs, you don’t want unusually shaped mugs. It’s just going to be too difficult to get good, even impressions on your mug. These shapes are often too round or uneven to achieve the correct pressure and temperature needed to transfer a print from paper to a mug.

How to personalize mugs with digital printing?

There are two main processes used to digitally print full color on mugs: dye-sublimation printing and white toner printing.

dye sublimation

Dye sublimation is one of the most common ways to print on a mug. This is a process that uses a special ink and paper to print your image. Then apply a high heat for a long period of time. This will transfer the print from your paper to the mug. This process was invented by Noel De Plasse in France in 1957. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_over_print

Benefits of Dye Sublimation Mugs:

Lower initial investment costs for printers and paper

Many places sell sublimation blanks

Selling Many Places It’s a process that’s been going on for over 60 years

The image is very difficult to scratch off after application

Disadvantages of dye-sublimation mugs:

Only works on specially coated cups

Only works on white mugs

The cost of replacing ink over time can be costly

Inkjet printing in general is excruciatingly slow

Printer with white toner

White Toner Printing is the latest technology in mug printing. This involves the use of L.E.D. Printers like the OKI8432wt for printing full color transfers on a specially coated transfer paper. This technology is just a new adaptation for a technology that has been around for decades. These printers are similar to the copier printers you used decades ago. Ever had to grab a toner cartridge and shake it to get a few more prints? That comes very close to this technology. The toner itself is a plastic-based material, so it can be transferred to almost anything, including printing on mugs. There is also white toner. That’s what makes this so revolutionary, the ability to print white.

Benefits of white toner printing on mugs:

You don’t need specially coated cups

You can print any color mug, it doesn’t just have to be white

You can print white on a colored mug (much rarer and worth more money)

They work with proven, but still state-of-the-art technology that is suitable for much more than just cup printing

The printer is SUPER fast

No liquid inks

Disadvantages of white toner printing on mugs:

The initial investment will be larger than that of a sublimation printer

If you don’t apply it properly, it can be scraped off more easily

Since you will be printing with both color and white toner, you will need to improve your graphics skills.

Mug printing technology has come a long way and is relatively easy to learn. That’s an amazing thing about learning to print on mugs. Once you have the skills and equipment, this is a great business opportunity for anyone.

How Much Money Can You Make Printing Mugs?

There is a lot of information that can be provided about the sale and marketing of custom printed mugs. However, it’s best to look at some simple math.

Cost to purchase an empty cup (estimated): $2-4

Cost to print on a mug (estimated): $0.05 – $1

This means you can create personalized mugs for around $2-$5 as an estimate. This is all determined by the type of mug you’re buying (single color white is cheaper than a two-tone one) and how big of a print you’re putting on the mug.

Now we all have many mugs that we’ve bought and given away that we know easily range from $10-$15. If they are particularly unique, they can even be twice as high.

It’s easy to see that you can more than double your money for every mug you sell. This is a great business opportunity.

How well can printed mugs be washed?

This is actually the trickiest question to ask because it depends on so much. What does it depend on?

How did you print the mug?

Will it run through a dishwasher?

Is it a commercial dishwasher or a household dishwasher?

Which detergent is used?

Are they doing a high temperature wash or a low temperature wash?

Is it hand washed?

Do they use a washcloth or steal wool pads?

Is the cup material smooth or textured?

Really, when it matters most, mugs hand wash with soap and water, with no abrasion very well. Each time you add more heat, more attrition, more chemicals… you decrease the longevity of the mug. We all have mugs that we wash by hand and others that we don’t throw in the dishwasher. Advise your customers to hand wash for the best life.

What are the steps to print a mug?

No matter what technology you use to print mugs, the steps are relatively the same. Let’s disassemble them.

1. Create your art.

You should design with CorelDraw, Photoshop or some other art software. If you are not an artist, you can use a service like coldesi-graphics.com to have a professional create your art for you.

NOTE: This is the most important step. If you have bad art, you have a bad looking mug.

2. Print onto transfer paper.

Your design will be printed in reverse. This means it faces backwards as it comes out of your printer. Remember that it transfers from paper to a mug. If you turn the paper upside down, the print is actually pointing in the right direction.

3. Apply heat with a mug press or mug wrap in an oven.

Pressure is the key to transfer pressure. You can’t just stick a decal on a mug and bake. The pressure helps to push this image onto the mug. Without printing, only parts of your print will be transferred.

NOTE: Why do you need pressure? It’s pretty easy. Think about how your printer uses 4 colors to print tons of colors. It does this by placing varying amounts of each color in each tiny pixel. So if we scale that up, yellow might only have 1 drop of ink or toner, but purple might have 5 drops of ink or toner to achieve that darker color. That means your print isn’t flat, but a microscopic mountain range of colors. The pressure ensures that all those little hills and valleys are transferred to your mug.

4. Allow your mug to cool.

This is the step where haste means failure. You want to wait for the chemical reactions to stop for the image to transfer to your mug when you peel off your transfer paper. People will use ice packs or even a refrigerator to speed up this process. However, it can be just as easy to leave it in place for a while. Peel off your transfer paper when it has completely cooled.

5. Finish your cup.

This can be done with prolonged baking or cleaning with special chemicals to remove residue. Be sure to check the instructions for your specific method of how you may need to finish your mug print.

You learned a lot today about how to print a mug. It can be a very fun and rewarding process. It just takes some special equipment, some practice and patience. The mug printing business is huge and people are always thinking of new ways to personalize mugs. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

graduation mugs

Monogram Mugs

Quotes People Are Famous For (Mom Or Dad Wisdom)

Custom cat mugs

Individual dog mugs

Favorite Bible Verse

birthday mugs

Giveaways

Gifts for new employees

New baby, new mom/dad, new grandma/grandpa

If you’re interested in learning more about mug printing or how to get started in the custom mug printing business, be sure to chat live with one of our professionals or call us at (855) 348-4839

Decorate your own personalized mugs at home with Sharpie Paint Markers to have your designs, for a fun mug to drink, a great gift or for a special day!

**This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with the Pollinate Media Group® and Sharpie Paint Marker, but all opinions are my own. #pmedia #SharpiePaintCreatehttps://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

I admit I don’t consider myself a very creative person. Baking is more of an outlet for me than drawing, writing or painting, but I like to do that every once in a while. These homemade personalized mugs are such a fun way to get creative and they couldn’t be easier.

I recently found oil based Sharpie Paint Markers at Michaels and they are perfect for decorating these mugs as the colored pencil sticks to the mug when baking and doesn’t come off when washed (even in the dishwasher*) unlike traditional Sharpie – Marker art that has done this can be hand washed.

The great thing about this fun project is that it can be fairly cheap (grab some china cups or plates from the dollar store if you can) and it can be either a fun independent activity (since you need a creative outlet) or a great group activity – think dates, birthday parties, etc. You can use mugs, dinner plates, bowls or any other white chinaware you can find – you’ll want them to be oven safe.

I’ve made some cute mugs that I can’t wait to drink from this fall when the weather cools (or I’m being honest – I made cobblers for a single serving in them for a quick and easy dessert I love !) and I made this cute You are Special plate that we can use for special days like birthdays, father’s day, achievement celebrations etc. I grew up with this red You are Special Today plate that we used to Pulled out for birthdays so I wanted to make one that my own family could use on special days.

I think it’s super cute as a gift too!

Personalized DIY Mugs Created By: Aimee Decorate your own DIY mugs at home with Sharpie Paint Markers to feature your designs, for a fun mug to drink, a great gift or to celebrate a special day! Print recipe Pin recipe Share recipe ingredients ▢ Sharpie Oil Paint Marker

▢ Instructions for Oven Safe Porcelain Mugs Wipe down your mugs or plates completely and allow to dry.

Decorate your mugs in any pattern or design you like with the Sharpie Oil Paint Markers. Let dry.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake cups in the oven for 30 minutes. Switch off the oven and let the cups cool down in the oven.

Enjoy drinking from cups and washing as usual. made this recipe? Tag me and share! Mention @LMLDFood or tag #LMLDFood

Michael’s is offering 50% off Sharpie Paint Markers through June 11th and again from June 19th to June 25th! So stock up so you can make some of these cute mugs yourself!

*The color may eventually come off after several washes in the dishwasher – the good news is you can fix your design or do more because it’s pretty cheap and such a fun project!

Here’s my step-by-step guide to applying vinyl to your Cricut mugs and sealing them so they’re dishwasher safe.

instructions

Step 1: Find a design for your Cricut mug

First you need some cute designs for your mugs! I’ve made some funny faces for you to download from my free resource library. The I Need Coffee faces I used in this project are design #287 or check out my cute animal faces in design #125. You can find the patterns by searching the page for the design number and then clicking on it to download the SVG cut files.

If you choose to cut out the vinyl decals on your cutting machine, upload the file to your design software. I’m going to show you how to do this in Cricut Design Space. If you’re not sure how to upload a cut SVG file to Cricut Design Space, check out this helpful video tutorial series I’ve created. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, learn how to download and upload SVG files to the Cricut Design Space app.

This is what the I Need Coffee Funny Faces SVG Vinyl Decal looks like in Cricut Design Space after uploading:

There are three faces to choose from. If you only want to clip one, hide the others by clicking the eye icon on the layers you don’t want to clip.

Now all we have to do is cut our vinyl! Click the green Make It button in the top right.

NOTE: You should NOT mirror self-adhesive vinyl like you would iron-on vinyl, so leave this Mirror switch OFF. Click the green NEXT button.

Step 2: Cut out your vinyl

Now determine your material. Click Browse Material Settings and search for Permanent Vinyl.

Place your permanent adhesive vinyl on your cutting mat with the glossy ink side UP (right side up). Make sure the fine-tipped blade is inserted into your Cricut cutting machine, then insert the mat.

Press the flashing button to select GO! It only takes about a minute to cut the faces.

When you’re done cutting, turn the mat onto your work surface and gently peel it away from the vinyl.

Step 3: Weed your vinyl

Once you’ve cut out your vinyl, you’ll want to weed it, which means removing any extra bits that you don’t want to transfer to your mug. You may be able to do this with your fingernail, but you may want to use a weeding tool (I do).

This is what your weeded vinyl will look like:

After the vinyl has been weeded you will need a piece of transfer tape to transfer your design onto your mug. So you just want to cut out a piece of transfer tape that’s roughly the same size, or at least the same size as your design.

Take off the backing of the transfer tape and stick it to the front of your vinyl decal. Start at the corner and work outwards so you don’t get wrinkles and bubbles in your transfer tape.

NOTE: Do not place the vinyl sticky side down on your work surface as this will only affect your vinyl’s ability to stick to a mug.

Step 4: Attach the vinyl to the Cricut mug

Clean the surface of your mug with 91% isopropyl alcohol. This will remove any oil or dirt and leave the surface as clean as possible. This will ensure the vinyl decal sticks and stays in place permanently.

If the surface of your coffee cup is straight, you can continue. If the surface of your coffee mug is curved, make small cuts around the edges of the transfer tape on your vinyl decal. These cuts allow your transfer tape to curve with the curve of the cup and you can apply it to that curve without wrinkling.

Apply the vinyl to the mug and allow the vinyl to move where you want it to go naturally. Don’t force it into one position. Just smooth everything out and because you are making cuts in the transfer tape it will be smooth and move in place.

While you may have creases in your transfer tape, you will not have creases in the vinyl. That’s the secret to wrapping vinyl around a curved surface like this. And if you don’t have a curved surface, this is even easier.

Remove all transfer tape. Your goal is to have perfectly smooth vinyl on your mug with no wrinkles.

This is what your Cricut mug will look like with the vinyl on it:

Step 5: Apply sealer to the Cricut Mug

Permanent vinyl stands up to hand washing and is dishwasher safe…usually. It depends on your dishwasher and how rough it is on your dishes. Even if you CAN wash your vinyl mugs in the dishwasher, over time and after repeated washings, your vinyl can peel. So if you plan on regularly cleaning your cups in the dishwasher, you can do so by sealing them with Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer.

This sealant can withstand heat and run through a dishwasher. It’s non-toxic, but since it’s not FDA approved for food use, you can choose not to seal the area along the rim where your lips touch the mug. I like to leave about a 1/2 inch area unsealed directly under the rim.

To seal your mug, give it a full clean first, since you’ve used it before and don’t want any lint or oils left behind. Follow the same procedure as before using 91% isopropyl alcohol.

Now you coat the whole mug (except for the handle) because you want the mug to have the same structure everywhere. You can choose to only seal the vinyl, but be aware that the texture of areas where you apply sealer can be noticeably different than areas where you don’t.

Using a soft and clean foam brush, brush a VERY THIN layer all over the cup, leaving the area under the rim unsealed, using short strokes in the SAME direction. For the smoothest possible finish, use as few brush strokes as possible as it sets quickly. If you can apply it in just a stroke or two, that’s best. Allow the mug to dry for an hour before applying a second coat. Repeat for a third layer.

Note: The Mod Podge sealer will appear streakier when wet and will be less noticeable once it has cured.

TIP: Dishwasher safe Mod Podge Sealer is best used on light colored mugs as the brush strokes will be less visible than when used on dark colored mugs.

If you don’t like the textured look of the Mod Podge sealer, or you really wish you could heat your Cricut mugs in the microwave, here’s a better solution for you!

Step 6: Heal Your Cricut Mug

After final sealing, place your mug in a clean, dry place to cure for 28 days before using. It will dry hard in a few days, but DO NOT use or expose the mug to water until the 28 days are up!

(Yes, I know that’s a long time. If you don’t want to wait that long, use Infusible Ink and the new Cricut Mug Press)

Now your mug is ready! Be sure to place it on the top rack of your dishwasher and it should last a very long time with repeated washes!

Printed mugs make wonderful gifts and keepsakes. If you want to print a photo onto a mug yourself at home to create your own personalized mug, print out your image or text using a sublimation printer, place it on the mug and then transfer the image using the heat of an iron . If you don’t have a sublimation printer or need to print a large number of mugs, hire a professional to print the photo onto the mug for you, or send your text or image to a print shop to transfer it onto a mug. Have fun using or gifting your personalized mug!

5/5 – (4 votes)

If you’ve just landed in the world of product personalization, you’ve probably noticed that the mug is, above all, the best-selling personalization item. There are many techniques available to personalize mugs, but the most commonly used and also the one that gives the best results is sublimation printing.

Keep reading this article and you will learn how to print the perfect mug in no time.

How to personalize mugs with sublimation printing and how much does it cost?

I’m sure your closet keeps those personalized mugs that you received as gifts, with cute designs or with photos or designs of your favorite superhero, movie, TV show or character, making them your absolute favourite. If you have always wondered how a mug is printed then we will tell you that most of them have been printed using sublimation machines.

We don’t want you to think that this gear is too fancy or too expensive. It is in fact the exact opposite and that is why this technique is within the reach of any entrepreneur or business.

How to sublimate mugs

To start printing mugs you will need:

sublimation printer. One in A4 format is more than sufficient as its printing area is relatively small and you can cover it a lot with this size.

sublimation ink. These are special inks that, after reacting with temperature, become gaseous and are integrated into the polyester polymer. It seems complicated, but you will see that it is not.

sublimation paper. It holds the ink and releases it to the mug when heat is applied.

Heat resistant tape. Used to attach the printed paper to the mug. It withstands the hot press temperature without burning.

mug heat press. There are different types and different versions. You can start with a simple single cup press with interchangeable cup warmers.

If we add up everything you need, you can see that you can start printing mugs for just over €500. However, the absolute and indispensable protagonist of this post is still missing: the sublimation cup.

Not every cup will do the job. It must be prepared for sublimation printing and must be white to get the perfect colors. This is because the color adds up in the sublimation process. So when you print on a colored mug, the design blends with its colors.

Different grades are available: A, AA, with AAA being the highest. The difference lies in the quality of their coating and the uniformity of their surface, which ensures better printing and resistance to wear and washing. A mug of the highest quality costs around €1.50.

How to design and print on sublimation paper

Now that you know everything you need to know about sublimating mugs, let’s explain how to print them properly.

First we need to design what we are going to print on the mug. Depending on the mug, the maximum print area may vary, but the most common for an 11 ounce mug is 20 x 9.5 cm. If you want to take full advantage of the A4 sublimation sheets, you can put up to 3 designs on each sheet. Remember that mirror image must be enabled in your printer’s options (if this option is not available, flip the design before printing). After printing, trim the design with scissors or a guillotine. Place the paper around the cup, center it and fix it with heat-resistant tape to avoid slipping when pressing. Preheat the heat press to 200°C and set for 180 seconds. It’s important to keep the mug at room temperature so it’s not too cold. Otherwise the pressing parameters could be affected. For example, if the material is stored in a very cold place, you may need to increase the time a little. Place the mug in the mug press and set to medium pressure. When the pressing time is up, remove the paper quickly, but be careful not to burn yourself. For better results and more precise details, it is recommended to cool the tumbler by immersing it in warm water (except for glass tumblers) or by using a fan.

Just below we leave you a video that shows everything we have just explained in a more visual way. Look at it!

Now you know how easy it is to personalize a mug with sublimation printing and how powerful it is to generate business when your designs or photos are appealing. Please remember that the printing parameters we provide depend on the materials used and the environmental conditions.

If you enjoyed this post and its additional content, you can subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel. This keeps you informed of everything that’s going on in the world of personalization. You can also leave a comment below with any questions or suggestions. We’re here to help.

Until the next post!

DIY sharpie mugs are still all over Pinterest, but do they really work? This step-by-step guide will show you how to make them and tell you exactly which markers won’t wash off! Great gift idea!

For the last year or two I’ve been seeing these Sharpie mugs all over Pinterest. And every time I see them I’m like, ‘These are so cute. I should definitely try this! They look so easy!” But then I started noticing a lot of comments on these Sharpie mug photos, most of which complained that while these cute little mugs are the easiest crafts ever, the marker doesn’t really wash well is when applied to ceramics. And who wants a coffee mug they can’t wash?

But then I was on the hunt for some cute mugs for my new office and couldn’t find a single one I liked, probably because I was picturing in my head all those cute Sharpie mugs I’d been drooling over. A little research helped me figure out how to make them permanent and washable!

I found that plain old regular Sharpie markers don’t work at all for this project. The trick I discovered is that the markers have to be OIL BASED, not water based (which normal Sharpies are). So if you want to try this project, do it ONLY with the Oil Based Sharpie Color Markers!

Having said that, as my field tests have proven, these cute little mugs are NOT dishwasher safe. You get by just fine with soap and water, but the dishwasher means certain and sudden death to all your artistic endeavors. That said, they really are a fun and easy DIY project, and they turn out so cute without much effort. The possibilities are practically endless and they would make a fantastic gift idea for almost anyone. (Just include the washing instructions!)

TO UPDATE:

LWSL reader Ana shared the following comment on Facebook: “I’ve used oil based paint markers and even after they cured they smeared if they got too hot. Instead I bought DecoArt glass crayons, followed the instructions to the last detail and washed them in the dishwasher several times, no stains or wash-off.”

DIY sharpie mug

Here’s what you need:

Plain cup

pencil (optional)

masking tape (optional)

Step 1: Wash and dry your mug if new. Decide on a design and prepare the design with masking tape if necessary.

Step 2: Use a pencil to create a design for any word or line. Remove masking tape.

Step 3: Carefully draw your design with Sharpie color markers.

Step 4: Add accent colors if needed.

Step 5: Bake the cups at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to set the color. let cool completely.

Finally, remember these are NOT dishwasher safe! Make sure to hand wash ONLY!

want more? Check out these other handmade gifts you can make!

Pin for later:

Handmade is my thing and I’m excited to bring you a full week of easy tutorials for handmade gifts to give this year! I start the week with Painted Sharpie Mugs (which don’t wash off!). I’ve done tons of research and testing for this project and I’m confident I have the best tutorial out there!

I thought I might take a little break from blogging this week because today will be 30 straight days of blogging (!!!) and I’ve officially reached my NaBloPoMo goal of writing/blogging every day in November. I can’t believe I made it! Thank you for all your love and support. That being said, I have another full week of posts for you! If you have something to share, all you have to do is share it!.

My friend Cassie from Wholefully and I decided it would be fun to make a handmade Christmas gift palooza together this year. Have you checked out Cassie’s blog yet? You should! I link to her a lot because we are very similar and she has great content to share. She is one of my absolute favorite blogging friends. She’s a great mom, loves gardening, has chickens and is also very tall (just like me!). I bet you didn’t know that we even talk on Skype every Monday. She is kind, helpful and such a true supporter of all my crazy adventures. I just know that you will enjoy them too. She’s sharing a gorgeous DIY No Sew Flannel Blanket Scarf on her blog today. I can’t get over how pretty (and easy!) this project was.

Stay tuned, we’re both sharing a simple handmade gift every day this week! Enjoy this little venture from us to you.

Sharpie mugs have been popular for a number of years and as such they are personal, really fun and make a fairly inexpensive gift. A few weeks ago I had my Activity Day girls make these (along with a homemade hot cocoa mix) and they had a blast! This was a perfect project for these 8 to 11 year old girls and they had the most creative designs for their mugs. One girl drew her family’s cattle tag, one made an elephant’s nose out of the mug handle, another drew a fun snowman family, and yet another drew the cutest panda mug. My kids have made mugs to give as part of their teacher gifts and I’ve made a few to put in the mail to send to friends. If you google “sharpie mugs” you’ll get a million ideas for designs, funny quotes and various simple things to put on your mug.

The key to making these homemade gifts really last is, surprisingly, NOT using regular Sharpies. You want to use an oil based paint marker. The Sharpie brand makes these, but a traditional permanent marker isn’t the same and will wash off. I used some colored pencils I found in the welding section of our hardware store. These colored pencils, which are specifically used for decorating china, had great reviews on another blog and this is what the Sharpie colored markers look like. I used a medium tipped marker so check the size when purchasing. Thin/fine/medium will probably work best for your mug projects. Larger tips make it more difficult to add detail.

I bought plain white mugs from our store. I paid about $5 a cup. You can buy plain mugs at the dollar store but I’ve found you get what you pay for. The cheap mugs seem to chip very easily so I don’t recommend them. Most retail stores have some plain coffee mugs that you can use. White works really well if you want to use colored markers, but I saw someone use a black mug with a metallic marker. However, white is the safest choice when it comes to this project as the color really pops on a white surface.

You will love the flexibility of this project! A handcrafted mug just begs for candy, hot cocoa or a favorite tea, a gift card or a piece of homemade jewelry to snuggle into, and the whole package is given as a thoughtful (and useful) gift. Enjoy!

Painted Sharpie Mugs (that don’t wash off!)

What you will need:

Mugs (white works great)

rubbing alcohol

cotton balls

Oil based colored pencils

directions:

1. Begin by washing your mug in warm, soapy water to remove any stickers. Rinse and dry.

2. Put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub the entire outside of the mug (where you will paint it). This will help remove any residue that may be causing your paint to not stick.

3. Decorate with colored pencils however you like (I didn’t put any color in the mug as I assume the color is not considered food safe). If you make a mistake, use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to erase any mistakes.

4. Allow your painted mug to dry for 24 hours.

5. Bake your mug to set the color. Place your cups on a rimmed baking sheet (makes it easier to slide in and out of the oven) and place in a cold oven. Turn on the oven to 375 degrees and let it get hot. After preheating, allow the cups to bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cups in until it cools. This entire process takes about 2 hours. Once the mugs have cooled, you can wash them again in warm soapy water and then use them!

I’ve put ours in the dishwasher and they’re still holding up well (it’s been about 3 weeks) but I would recommend hand washing if you want them to last really long.

I just think it’s great how personal you can deal with it. You could make a monogram, add a favorite quote, make stick figures that represent family, reference inside jokes, or feature a favorite pet. The mugs my kids made for their teachers are so personal and really show their age. Grandma goes crazy too, doesn’t she?!

Be sure to check out Cassie’s post on how to DIY your own No Sew Flannel Blanket Scarf. It turned out fabulous, didn’t it!? She’s such a ninja…

Long live manual work! I hope you love this little series. See you again tomorrow for another handmade gift tutorial.

Disclosure: The links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my link, I get a small commission for the recommendation. It doesn’t change the prices for you at all, but I sure enjoy getting a few extra bucks this time of year! Thank you for supporting me in all these fun blogging activities.

Today is the first #SimpleDIY of 2015 – yay!!! “Sharpie mugs” have been quite the trend lately and when you’re on Pinterest it’s hard to go a day without seeing a Sharpie mug pin or something similar. Well, today I’m adding to the stack – except this version is failsafe. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I only share projects that actually work, so trust me, you can sure try this one! My twist on the design is of course for weddings, specifically brides. If you’re a DIY bride you need to make one of these for yourself ASAP, but if you’re here because a friend of yours is getting married I think this project would make the absolutely perfect engagement gift or bridal shower gift. A cute mug with a handwritten saying, a bag of coffee, and a box of bling wipes is all a bride planning her wedding really needs, right? The most important part are the bling wipes to keep her brand new skirt ultra sparkly! For all the tips and tricks, be sure to read the detailed information below!

As with all of our DIY tutorials, please send us a picture if you make any of our projects – we love to see your creativity! If you use Instagram or Twitter please use the hashtag #SomethingTurquoiseDIY and it will be featured on our Get Social page. Happy crafting!

DIY Tutorial Credits

Photography + DIY Tutorial: Jen Carreiro from Something Turquoise // White Mug: Target // Turquoise Mug: Target // Black Mug: Amazon // Bling Wipes Courtesy of: Bling Wipes // Sharpie Paint Pens: Amazon // Starbucks 1.76 oz Coffee Sample Bag: Staples // Band: Michaels // Nail Polish: Essie, Urban Jungle

Find the materials you need for this project via our affiliate links below:

The links here for the Target White and Turquoise Mugs are only available online in a 4-pack, but you can purchase them individually in-store.

A custom mug makes the perfect gift for all sorts of people in your life, including your boss, a parent, a spouse and hey, even yourself. If you wanted a mug printed with your own design, what type of paper would you use? use this print?

Mug printing requires a special paper known as sublimation paper. It has a coating that improves ink absorption on the material, such as B. your cup allows. It’s also important to use sublimation ink as well as polymer coated mugs so the design transfers accurately.

In this article we will tell you everything you need to know about sublimation paper for mug printing. This includes more about what this paper is, what other equipment is needed, and how the printing process works. Continue reading!

What is sublimation paper? Why do you need it for mug printing?

If you decide to print a t-shirt or hoodie, use a specialty printer to transfer the design directly onto the material, in this case the shirt. However, trying to print onto a mug the same way wouldn’t work.

For one, what kind of printer does a mug fit in? (They exist, and we’ll talk more about gear in the next section.) Also, would the design translate directly to curved ceramic? We’ll come back to that as well, but the answer is no for now.

When you print a design onto a mug, you’re relying on a process called sublimation, where you use pressure and heat to color a material, like a mug. Sublimation printing is not just limited to mugs as you can also use this method to print on items like mousepads and even hoodies.

You can think of sublimation as stamping a design onto an item of your choice. This “stamp” is known as sublimation paper, so to speak. This isn’t your average loose-leaf or even printer paper.

Instead, sublimation paper has a coating that allows for optimal ink absorption. This paper is also good at holding the ink in place so your design doesn’t print off-center.

Sublimation paper alone doesn’t do much. It needs to be heated to activate, then it can apply the selected design to your item, e.g. B. a cup transferred.

We also want to take a moment to see the differences between sublimation paper and iron-on transfers. It is true that iron-on transfers work the same way as sublimation paper as transfers also require heat to activate. However, the iron-on transfer already contains ink, while the sublimation paper does not start with ink. Also, you can’t transfer a design on sublimation paper to something with an iron. It will not work.

We recommend using iron-on transfers only for jobs that require it. This paper cannot replace sublimation paper and vice versa.

What else do you need to print on a mug?

Okay, so you’ve got your sublimation paper, but remember how we said it won’t be very useful on its own? If you want to do sublimation printing, you need more specialized equipment. Here’s what you should have before you start.

sublimation ink

First, there is sublimation ink. This ink is compatible with sublimation paper while other types of ink are not. As you remember, sublimation printing requires heat. With types of ink other than sublimation ink, there is a risk that the ink will degrade due to hydrolysis. In other words, it will ruin your design.

Polymer coated cups

You also can’t buy just any old mug at a grocery or department store and expect to use it for sublimation printing. You need one with a polymer coating as the ink will bond with this coating. Here’s how to explain it scientifically: The ink starts out as a solid. Then when you add pressure and heat through sublimation, this solid ink becomes a gas. The gas covers the polymer and penetrates deep into its surface. Without this coating, the design will not be transferred.

paper cutter

Depending on the size of your polymer coated mug, you may need a paper cutter to cut the sublimation paper to a specific size. For example, if you have a regular coffee mug, you could trim both the shape and length of your paper to better fit the mug.

Any paper cutters you have laying around will do the job, as will scissors. Just cut carefully and start with more than you need. You can always trim off more, but you can’t add back what you’ve trimmed without compromising the integrity of the design.

heat press

By far one of the most important pieces of equipment for sublimation printing is the printer itself, or heat press. These printing presses are available for both vertical and horizontal printing. If you had a taller design, like that for a coffee mug, then you would rely on a vertical heat press. For all other cup shapes and sizes, a horizontal heat press would work.

How to print a mug

After you become familiar with the equipment needed for sublimation printing, you can print your very first mug using a heat press. Here are the steps to success.

Step 1: Choosing your design

The first step is one of the funnest parts of the process as it allows you to choose the design you want printed on your mug.

Here you have almost countless possibilities. If you have designed a cool artwork yourself, you can print it on the mug. You can also take a photo and broadcast it, e.g. B. a precious family snapshot, a great holiday memory or even a picture of your grandchildren or nieces and nephews.

If you are more of a business savvy then a company logo would look fantastic on a mug. You could sell these mugs or even give them away to customers if you strike a deal.

Step 2: Choose your mug

After you’ve chosen your design, you now need to adapt it to a mug. If your design is taller than it is wider, you’ll need a cup with a profile that’s the same length. For a wider design, smaller, sturdier cups are your best bet.

When you buy your mug, you may want to print an image of your design (on plain old printer paper) and take it with you. When you find a mug you like, stick the picture to it. Is the design too big or too small for the mug? Then keep looking.

A tall design on a wide mug cuts off the top or bottom, which looks unattractive. Printing a longer design on a smaller, wider mug looks squished and awkward, neither of which you want.

When you find your perfect mug, remember that it must have a polymer coating! Otherwise you cannot print on it.

Step 3: Cut your sublimation paper

Next you want to cut your sublimation paper to the size of your design. If you previously printed your design on printer paper, use this as a guide to cut your sublimation paper to size. Here, too, normal kitchen scissors are just as suitable as a paper cutter.

Step 4: Choosing your heat press

Just as you had to worry about which mug to use for your sublimation design, the same goes for the heat press. If your design is taller you will want a vertical press and for shorter designs a horizontal press.

Step 5: Printing the mug

Now comes the most important part of the process, the actual printing. Make sure you have the right heat press for your mug design. Put the sublimation paper in the press. It’s up to you how hard and how long you press on your heat press. This will generate the necessary heat and pressure, but pressing the press too hard could affect the accuracy of the design transfer.

Your heat press should come with instructions, including instructions for use telling you how long you should use the press. Please follow these instructions to get the best results.

When the printing machine is in action, it becomes a kind of inkjet printer, but of the sublimation type. Spray nozzles release the ink that passes through the sublimation paper. As the ink transitions from liquid to gas, it bonds with the polymer of your mug and prints the design.

If all goes well, by the time you’re done with your heat press, your design should have transferred flawlessly to the mug.

You can see a mug being printed using a heat press right here on YouTube:

Conclusion

Printing on mugs is a fun activity to do at home using a heat press. You will also need sublimation paper and sublimation ink, both of which react to heat and pressure, to recreate your design on the mug. However, your mug must have a polymer coating as the ink bonds to the polymers. Without the coating, the print will not work. The next time you need a great gift for that special someone in your life, a custom printed mug is sure to put a big smile on their face. Good luck with printing!

Frequently asked questions about heat transfer

Learn all about heat transfer printing, printers that work best, how to apply transfers with a heat press machine, and more!

How do you apply an image to virtually any product you want?

Whether it’s a single color or full color, it has to last a long time… and it has to go really fast. You don’t want to mess with messy inks and can’t afford to set up screens and you only need ONE printed or possibly large quantities…or anywhere in between. And it has to be profitable. The answer is simple, and it has become the standard for fast, high-resolution, high-quality, and cost-effective printing on a wide variety of materials.

The solution is called Heat Transfer Press Technology

Our manufacturers are the leading heat transfer press machine manufacturers and suppliers. We specialize in both commercial grade manual heat transfer presses and large format industrial presses.

We provide our customers with the machinery they need to transfer prints and other embellishments onto a wide variety of materials. We manufacture to the highest industry standards.

We provide reliable products that are workhorses and stand up to the demands of mints, manufacturing and personal use.

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What is a transfer press for?

A transfer press is the machine that presses a transfer onto a printable substrate. The transfer is permanently embedded in the product by means of high temperatures and high pressure over a certain period of time.

Heat presses are recommended for professional and satisfying results, simply because standard laminators and household irons can’t even come close to reaching the temperatures needed for reliable transfer. Standard transmissions require serious force when pushing anywhere between 375° and 425°F, often between 40 and 80 psi. These temperatures and pressures are simply not possible with other heated devices.

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Which items can be hot pressed?

The following are some of the far more common items that are often hot pressed. The list by no means ends here.

T-shirts, hats, ceramic plates, ceramic tiles, mugs, mouse pads, paper memo cubes, tote bags, puzzles, lettering, numbers, rhinestones/crystals, wood/metals and other various fabrics and materials

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What is a transfer?

A transfer consists of a backing paper and inks. By heating to a certain temperature and pressing with considerable pressure for a certain time, the transfer colors are transferred to the printable material. Some inks adhere and are embedded in the surface of the material, while others (namely sublimation) penetrate the coating of the material.

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Which transfers should I use?

Transfers can be heat pressed onto fabrics (both natural and synthetic) using standard plastisol transfers (pre-printed) from suppliers, color copiers or inkjet transfer paper. Heat transfers can be printed onto mugs, plates, tiles, mouse pads, ceramics, metals, glass and wood. For substrates that require a hard surface, sublimation type transfers. When printing on shirts, mouse pads, or almost any light-colored fabric material, you would typically print using inkjet, color copier/laser transfers, or plastisol heat transfers. The important factor when hot pressing with sublimation transfers onto non-natural fabric substrates is ensuring the material has the correct synthetic polyester coating as well as a UV coating where protection from the sun and other rays is an issue. For this reason, it is best to get the materials pre-coated from a supplier.

The three most commonly produced types of image transfers are with an inkjet printer, laser printer and color laser copier. , and what we refer to as “supplier” transfers (either screen printed onto backing paper or printed via an offset press using transfer inks). Computer transfers have become very popular in recent years due to high quality printers, excellent transfer papers, long lasting inks and inexpensive hardware. The most common computer generated transfers are: inkjet, laser and color laser copiers.

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About inkjet transfers.

For those who want to print their own transfers, the most common type of transfers are made with an inkjet printer. This is good for white or light-colored fabric items such as shirts, mouse pads, etc. The second is sublimation inkjet printing. In the first type, the inkjet “t-shirt transfer paper” is fed through the inkjet printer and then placed on a fabric-based object and heat-pressed. Our “TransferJet” papers work with almost all inkjet printers, but not with laser printers. Inkjet transfers are semi-transparent, allowing the fabric color to show through the design. For this reason it is recommended that only light-colored garments or fabrics be used with these transfers (as well as the thermal wax and color copier transfers mentioned below). You can print on dark colored garments with inkjet printers and color copiers when using an appliqué material. This appliqué material is placed under the transfer sheet. The second type of inkjet transfers produced is sublimation. Sublimation inks are printed on special paper (transfers). The ink turns into a gas under temperature and pressure for a certain time. They are currently only available for certain Epson inkjet printers (ie: Epson C82, 1280, 3000, etc.). However, they have proven to be one of the highest quality methods of producing custom sublimation transfers with near offset quality and strength. Keep in mind that sublimation ink can be expensive and only works with polyester fabrics such as mouse pads or coated polyester surfaces (such as polyester-coated ceramic mugs).

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About transfers with color copiers

Color copier transfers are made using a special color copier transfer paper. After the image has been copied onto the paper, it is simply pressed onto the material using heat. This medium is successful for fabric based articles. You can print on dark garments with color copiers when using an appliqué material. This appliqué material is placed under the transfer sheet.

A special paper is available for printing on paper cubes for these items, so that the image does not peel off so easily and the paper cube sheets can be fanned out (not glued to one another) with a cube press after hot pressing.

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About supplier transfers

Supplier transfers are those that are pre-printed by a transfer supplier either by screen or offset printing in the designs shown in the catalog or are made to special order. These companies’ plastisol/hot peel transfers are generally opaque, making them well suited for heat transfer to dark or light-colored garments.

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What type of inkjet transfer ink should I use in my inkjet printer that will give me the best washability?

We believe that by providing the following information we are enabling our commercial customers to get the best results from our heat transfer paper. Please read carefully.

Inkjet printers use a different technology than most printers. Below is a simple explanation of some inherent characteristics of inkjet printers that will affect your inkjet transfers.

There are two types of inkjet printers:

Piezo printers – (e.g. Epson© printers, etc.) Bubble printers (Canon BubbleJet© printers, Hewlett Packard© printers, Lexmark© printers, Xerox© printers)

Bubble printers use water-soluble, dye-based inks that are difficult to make permanently washable.

The piezo printers can use special inks as well as water-soluble dye-based inks. When paired with the specialty inks, the piezo printer can produce permanently washable transfers.

The commercial market produces optimal transfers by using an inkjet transfer paper with a piezo printer containing special inks (ie: pigment inks).

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Other

Other types of transfers include embroidered appliqué, die-cut lettering, and flock transfers. Embroidered appliques usually come as an embroidered patch with heat-activatable adhesive on the underside. Die cut lettering is a vinyl or other type of material that is pre-cut in a variety of numbers, letters, and custom shapes. The user places the letters and numbers on the garment and hot presses them. Sportswear is usually printed with names and numbers.

The three main components in thermal transfer printing of images onto various materials are the heat press, the transfer and the substrate to be printed on. Information about hot presses can be found via the links on our homepage.

Inkjet or dye-sublimation printers produce just about anything needed for an extensive line of custom printed products. Many bubble jet and inkjet color printers will accept t-shirt transfer paper (good for any fabric based items) but cannot make dye sublimation transfers unless they use the previously mentioned sublimation inks. Keep in mind that non-porous items (e.g. hard surfaced items like mugs etc.) must have a synthetic polyester based coating to accept the sublimation dyes unless the material is already synthetic like the white polyester top on ours mouse pads as well as 100% polyester white or light colored fabrics (e.g.: Soft L’ink & Vapor Apparel) shirts).

The only other consideration is whether your product can be printed on a typical flat press or will require a specially shaped platen or base. Some products just don’t lend themselves to heat transfer printing due to their extraordinarily odd shape. Again, feel free to contact us with any questions or requests for special projects. We are happy to offer you a solution.

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Enhance your morning tea or coffee ritual with a custom designed heat transfer mug! This step-by-step guide will show you how to apply heat transfer vinyl to a ceramic mug in just a few simple steps.

Did you know you can use thermal transfer vinyl on mugs?! I’ve made mugs with self-adhesive vinyl, homemade Sharpie mugs, and painted mugs, but this was my first time trying HTV on a mug. And it turned out great! It’s actually pretty easy to put HTV on a mug – this step-by-step guide will show you how.

I really love my morning tea ritual – coffee works for some people but for me it’s tea that makes me feel like a real person in the morning. So I decided to make a fun mug for my morning tea. I used a Douglas Adams quote from Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and some glittery heat transfer vinyl from Expressions Vinyl and I just love how it turned out!

The quote says “A cup of tea would restore my normalcy,” and that’s exactly what I feel every morning, so I’m super excited to have a fun, sparkly mug for my morning pick-me-up.

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Using HTV on mugs

I use heat transfer vinyl all the time for baby bodysuits at the Practically Functional Shop, but never thought of trying it on anything other than fabric. As it turns out, HTV works great on ceramic mugs too! I wouldn’t put it in the dishwasher, but it will definitely hold up to a hand wash.

print it! There is a printable version of this project tutorial at the end of this post; scroll down to grab it. Make sure to leave a review by clicking the stars or clicking the review button!

gear

materials

Ceramic coffee mug (I love using these mugs for projects)

Heat transfer vinyl (I used HTV with black gold glitter)

Rubbing alcohol to clean the cup

heat resistant tape, optional

How to put HTV on a mug

Start by cleaning the mug with rubbing alcohol to remove dirt and grease from your fingers. Once clean, try not to touch the mug other than the handle.

Start designing your offer in your cutting machine software. I used my Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software to design the quote and then cut it out with my Cameo, but you can easily do this project with a Cricut – any cutting machine will work!

Load your thermal transfer vinyl into your machine and cut out your design.

Pro Tip Remember to mirror your design when cutting out heat transfer vinyl so it doesn’t appear upside down in your finished project! I have an in depth tutorial on using heat transfer vinyl with a Silhouette Cameo or using heat transfer vinyl with a Cricut if you would like further instructions.

Remove excess vinyl and then position the heat transfer vinyl onto your mug. After you remove the extra vinyl, the clear backing will be slightly tacky, which will help hold the design in place while ironing. You can also use heat resistant tape to secure your design if you’re worried about it moving around when ironing.

Turn on your iron and set it to the cotton or linen setting (about 400-425 degrees F).

Place a clean tea towel over the heat transfer vinyl and press down with your iron for about 10-15 seconds until the vinyl really sticks. Then take the iron and press down on a new spot that isn’t already stuck.

Depending on how round your mug’s exterior is, you may need to do this a few times to make sure it sticks everywhere! Once the vinyl is glued all over, peel off the clear plastic backing and you’re done!

Fill your heat transfer mug with a cup of tea and enjoy!

I’ve seen other tutorials for similar projects that say you can wash these in a dishwasher, but I wouldn’t risk it. If you’ve pressed the thermal transfer vinyl firmly onto the mug you can easily hand wash it, but dishwashers are much hotter and more powerful which can soften the adhesive and cause the design to peel off.

If your heat transfer mug is dirty, just gently hand wash it and your mug will be fine!

Would you like to share this project with your friends? Share it on Facebook, Pinterest or email the article – just click one of the share buttons on the left or find it at the top and bottom of this post.

Buy this project

White Ceramic Mugs Heat Transfer Vinyl Cricut Cutting Machine Basic Cricut Tools Household Iron Heat Resistant Tape