This post is sponsored by Cricut. All you read here are 100% my own opinions.
You can now make professional, long-lasting, personalized DIY mugs at home! WHAT?!? I know! Cricut’s Mug Press launches today, March 11, 2021 and we are so excited to share everything we know about it with you!
In the past I have made DIY mugs using vinyl & although beautiful, was not able to create something to last a lifetime. The new Mug Press has changed that for us all! In 6 minutes your press will give you beautiful long lasting mugs perfect for yourself or as gifts for any occasion.
Since the announcement of the Mug Press, I have been gathering the most Frequently Asked Questions from my followers to make sure I get you all you want to know. So let’s dive in!
What To Know About the NEW Cricut Mug Press
How does it work?
The Cricut Mug Press is the newest heat press in the Cricut family. It works very similarly to their other presses by using heat to apply to the surface.
I am a huge fan of the ease their collection of hot presses offers, however, the Mug Press takes it even one step further! Wondering how that’s even possible? The Mug Press literally does the application for you.
No human pressure needed, no selecting times, no selecting temperature. And one of my favorite features (especially with kiddos) are the one-touch settings, just-right temperature control, and auto-off feature for peace of mind.
When you finish your design you simply tape to your mug and insert into the Mug Press. The machine will then let you know when your mug is ready to be taken out!
Can I Use Any Mugs, Cups, Tumblers?
You can use any of the Cricut mugs for the best results or any straight-walled sublimation mug. Cricut mugs come in 12oz and 15oz. The 15oz come with a simple white box you can decorate for an added personalized gift touch.
If you are using non-Cricut blanks, look for poly-coated, sublimation compatible products, and use the below dimensions:
- Capacity of 11 – 16 oz (350 – 450 ml)
- Straight-walled drinkware only, avoid curves and uneven textures
- Diameter between 3.2″ – 3.4″ (82 – 86 mm) Maximum height of 4.72″ (120 mm)
Cricut blanks also come in bulk option at Cricut.com
What Materials Is The Mug Press Compatible With?
The Mug Press uses Cricut’s Infusible Ink products. Along with the machine & mugs, you can find a line of smaller & perfectly sized Infusible Ink sheets. With these smaller sheets there is not additional cutting necessary. You just cut your design and fit to your mug.
This is a great opportunity to use Infusible Ink pens, markers, & freehand markers as well to add some color and personal touch to the designs. You bet I will take to these for the kiddos to design some DIY mugs for our family members.
What is the Price & Where Will it Be Sold?
Everyone wants to know what the cost of this machine is. You will be able to purchase the machine for $199.99. There of course will be some fun and cool bundles on Cricut.com as well!
You can purchase your machine at Cricut.com, Michaels, Joann, Amazon, Target, Hobby Lobby, and HSN.
Why Infusible Ink VS HTV or Vinyl On a Mug?
The result you will get with Infusible Ink will WOW you! Infusible Ink sheets and markers will give you vibrant designs. The designs will be applied seamlessly and my all-time favorite- THEY ARE DISHWASHER & MICROWAVE SAFE! With vinyl or HTV your design may peel over time.
How To Use The Mug Press?
So now that we touched on the basics, let’s dive into actually using it & my first mug project. To start off when you receive your Mug Press you will need to connect it to your computer via USB & activate your machine. By activating firmware can be updated without needing to plug in the machine.
Once you get your machine activated you are ready to go and to get creating.
Before I start a project I lay out a few things to have on hand:
- Mug Press
- Mug(s)
- Infusible Ink Sheets, pens, or markers
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Weeder
- One of my Easy Press mats
- Cutting Mats for my machine
- 3 Sheets of Butcher paper *Only Needed if working with Pens or Markers.
- Lint Roller
But First Tea Mug
“But First Tea” Mug Supplies:
- Cricut Mug Press
- 12oz Cricut Mug Blank– you can definitely use a 15oz for this as well
- Infusible Ink Sheet – I used the small sized for a perfect fit and little waste
- Lint Roller
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Standard Grip Cricut Mat (Green One)
- Explore Air 2
- Weeder
1. Designing My First Mug
For my first mug design, I went with something tea-related. I am a new coffee drinker and leave it for days we don’t exercise. Too much caffeine makes my anxiety skyrocket, but you can catch me with at least 1 cup of tea per day.
I searched Design Space for a pretty and simple tea-related design and found “but first tea”. It pretty much sums up the way things go around here, I need my tea to either relax or to concentrate or just to feel warm and tingly inside.
Once selected, I made sure to resize my design to about 3inch in width. Make sure to keep your design within the red markers. This is great guidance as to where the design will be on your mug.
After you place the image you can highlight that and your wrap layer and attach to make it one image it can cut.
You can find my design HERE.
2. Cutting My Design
The cutting process is our normal Cricut routine. I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to cut. You can use any of the cutting machines for it. Remember when using Infusible Ink sheets you want your pattern to be on top.
Once you have loaded your mat, go ahead and MIRROR YOUR IMAGE! Hopefully that bold helped remind you because I have fallen victim to not mirroring and ended up with flipped words.
3. Weeding
The weeding step for infusible ink can be done by hand a lot. Instead of a peeling motion you essential “crack” the sheet and remove the excess pieces from your design. I find this process a bit easier because of the very defined cutting lines.
*I turn on and let my Mug Press heat up during this process*
4. Applying Your Mug Design
First things first, LINT ROLL YOUR MUG! This step will remove any lint or debris that could stick to your mug permanently after the heat is applied and give you unwanted spots.
If your material choice is an Infusible Ink sheet, all you do is tape the design where you want it. Don’t forget to use heat resistant tape for this. I am very generous with amount of tape I use to make sure it stays in place.
*If you are using Infusible Ink pens or markers you will need to take your paper to your mug with heat-resistant tape and cover it with 3 layers of butcher paper. Using the 3 layers of butcher paper you will be protecting your mug press plates from any ink bleeding through
5. Mug Press Time
Once you have positioned your design and prepared for heating, it is time! All you do is simply place the mug inside the machine and press down on the lever. Make sure your mug is positioned so the whole design you are transferring is covered by the heat plate.
When you press the lever down your mug will start the 6-minute countdown on its own! Your machine will beep and let you know when it is finished, at that point you can remove your mug. Don’t worry the handle is still okay to touch. Immediately place your mug on top of your Easy Press cooling mat for about 15-20 minutes until it is fully cool.
After your mug has cooled down you can go ahead and remove the tape & paper!
Making mugs is probably one of my new favorite DIYs! I love that I can create a beautiful or quirky mug for literally anyone and everything! My friends and family are probably going to get mugs for…FOREVER now! Enjoy mug making!
