We sold thousands of personalized mugs till the year 2020. The business nearly came to a halt during the pandemic and we sold majorly on Etsy and our online store. I remember it was in August 2021, that the demand for customized tumblers saw an increase and we had to catch up with that demand.
Andrew suggested that we should upgrade our machinery and we then invested in an advanced tumbler heat press. Folks, Sublimation on Tumbler works the same as Sublimation on Mugs, and the difference remains with just the heat press. If you purchase a heat press for a tumbler, then you can use that for mugs as well. It’s a 2-in-1 affordable option.
Since then, we have sold hundreds of pieces of sublimated tumblers and now I am here to share my experience with you all which I gained after a few misses and loads of hits.
To begin sublimating a tumbler, you should keep in mind that your tumbler should have a proper sublimation coating otherwise, the print won’t stick to it and your project will fail miserably. Initially, we got ours from Walmart or Dollar Tree and now we have a dedicated supplier.
Now hop on the creative wagon with us and we shall take you on this beautiful journey.
Materials required for Sublimation on Tumbler
- Sublimation Printer: You can go ahead with a converted Epson Ecotank Inkjet Printer
- Sublimation Paper: We prefer A-Sub and Craft Express
- Heat Press: You can never go wrong with Craft Express in this department. Another good option is Cricut
- Butcher Paper, Heat Resistant Tape and Heat Resistant Gloves
Guide to Sublimate a Tumbler
Step 1: Prepare your design
Measure your tumbler by its width and height. Calculate the diameter and that will act as the width. We are using a 20-ounce piece in this example.
Open any design software like Silhouette Studio or Cricut Design Space and Upload your design in the Canvas. Make sure you select the correct paper size (like 8.5×11 inch) and paper type (Presentation Matte). These will vary depending on your choices.
Rotate your design so that it’s placed vertically and if it occupies only half of your canvas, then duplicate the same design or upload another one. Why waste the remaining paper, right?
Step 2: Print Your Design
After your design is ready, then hit the Print command and remember to hit the “ Mirror Image “ option and switch off “ Bi-directional Printing “ if it’s on.
In the printer settings, make sure you select the correct printer, and paper size, and type before you hit OK.
Then insert your paper in the printer. Once the print is complete, cut out any extra white margins.
Step 3: Prepare your Tumbler
First use a microfibre cloth and rubbing alcohol to clean your tumblr. Then use a lint roller to remove any dust particles or lint from the surface of your tumbler. As a precaution, hold your tumbler from inside, so that you do not add any oil marks or dust on your blank by mistake.
Now take one end of your design, and secure it tightly on your Tumblr by using a heat resistant tape. Stretch the remaining design tightly to avoid any gaps between the paper and Tumblr. Secure the other end tightly by using the tape and you can add some tape on top and bottom of your design as well.
Now cut the butcher paper slightly bigger than your design and secure it tightly over your design by using heat-resistant tape. This is to secure your blank from any bleeding that may happen during heat pressing.
Step 4: Heat Press your Tumblr
Place the Tumblr in your heat press and start the process at 390F for 110 seconds. Please check the temperature and timing based on your heat press.
Once the process is done, use heat-resistant gloves to carefully remove your sublimated Tumblr and let it cool down a bit before you remove the butcher paper and sublimation paper.
Voila! Your beautiful Tumblr is ready to be sold. It’s a very easy and quick process and you can sell it at 5x of your cost online.
Alternate Designs
Try to raise your game a notch when you achieve perfection in this printing method. You can use stencils to cut out a design and use the background color of the tumbler to pop up. Print a design on the sublimation paper and cut out the parts where you want the background color to be visible.
This will make the tumbler sublimate the design on the paper and leave your cutouts blank, giving it a nice layer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all it takes to start your project is your passion for art, your creative thoughts, and some tools. Start by making innovative designs and getting a sublimation printer and a heat press, and you are good to go. You can even use the convection oven as a heat press.
Digital printing can be your way of following your passion for creativity. Sublimation printing has given us a new way of looking at this industry. We suggest you try looking at digital printing as more than just a DIY hobby. You can take off by building your startup.
Make your signature designs and print them on products. You can sell your designs online or even partner with a brand to create their merchandise. The possibilities are immense. We have written about how to start your sublimation printing business from home, so do not forget to check it out.
So, put your creative caps on and print your thoughts!
