Sublimation mugs: how the print is made and how to care for it
A printed mug looks simple, but the process behind a good one is surprisingly technical. Knowing how it works helps you prepare better artwork — and explains why a sublimation mug outlasts a sticker or a cheap screen print by years.
How sublimation works
Your design is printed in mirror image onto transfer paper using special sublimation inks. The paper is wrapped tightly around a mug that has a polymer coating, and the mug is heated to around 200 °C. At that temperature the ink turns directly from a solid into a gas and bonds with the coating. When the mug cools, the image is inside the surface rather than on top of it — which is why it cannot peel, crack or be scratched off with a fingernail.
Artwork that works best
Sublimation is a full-colour process, so photographs, gradients and detailed illustrations all print beautifully. The printable area on a standard 325 ml mug is roughly 8 × 3.5 inches for a full wrap. Keep important text at least 1 cm away from the handle and the rim. Because the inks are transparent, sublimation works on white or light mugs; there is no white ink, so white areas in your design simply show the mug itself.
Caring for a sublimation mug
Standard ceramic sublimation mugs are microwave safe and top-rack dishwasher safe, though hand washing keeps the gloss longest. Avoid abrasive scrubbers and bleach-based cleaners. Magic colour-changing mugs are the exception: their heat-sensitive coating should be hand washed only and kept out of the microwave.
Ordering tips
Mugs are produced in batches, so our minimum is 30 pieces, with better pricing at 50 and 200. Each mug is packed in its own box to survive transit. Upload your logo or full wrap design, and we will send a flat template mockup and a 3D preview for approval before the batch is pressed.
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