Method
Sublimation on mugs
A mug is not a T-shirt pressed on its side. Sawgrass publish a wide ceramic range because the blank and the mug press both change the result.
| Blank | Temperature | Time | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic mug | 180–205°C (350–400°F) | 150–300 seconds | Medium |
That is the whole published mug line from the Sawgrass chart this site uses. We are not filling the gap with a single “best” minute, because Sawgrass did not print one. A test mug, cut in half by time, tells you more than another blog average.
Colour on the paper is not the finished colour. The same Xpres note that applies to shirts applies here: sublimation ink often looks stronger after it is heated. Judge a pressed mug, not the printout.
Ghosting on a mug is a shifted wrap. Tape the edges, close the press smoothly, and open it without spinning the mug against the paper. The ghosting guide covers fabric and hard surfaces. A weak image is more often time, temperature or a missing coating, which is the faded sublimation list.
Stainless travel cups and latte glasses are different blanks. They are not this ceramic row. If Sawgrass do not list your blank, use the card that came with it.
How to press it
- Use a coated ceramic blank. Ordinary glazed mugs from a supermarket are not sublimation blanks. The coating is what holds the dye.
- Print mirrored and tape the wrap. Tape the paper to the mug so it cannot slide. A loose wrap is the usual cause of a double image.
- Use a mug press. Xpres say a mug needs a mug press. A flat platen does not wrap the curve with even pressure.
- Start inside the Sawgrass range. 180–205°C (350–400°F), 150–300 seconds, medium pressure. If the blank maker prints a narrower card, use that and stay inside it.
- Unload with care. The mug and the press are hot enough to burn. Follow the press manual for how to open it. Do not leave a hot mug where a child can pick it up.
Common questions
Why is the time so wide?
Sawgrass print 150–300 seconds, which is two and a half to five minutes, across 180–205°C. Element mugs, convection mug presses and thick ceramics do not finish together. Their chart is a starting place, and they tell you to ask the blank maker when the substrate is not listed.
Can I press a mug at the polyester T-shirt time?
No. Sawgrass polyester fabric is 45 seconds. Their ceramic mug line is 150–300 seconds. A 45-second mug will look faded.
The handle side is pale. What failed?
Usually pressure or contact, not a secret extra temperature. The paper has to touch the coating all the way round. Tape it, and check that the mug press closes evenly.
Sources
- Sawgrass sublimation heat press settings — ceramic mug, 180–205°C, 150–300 seconds, medium
- Xpres, how to sublimate T-shirts — a mug needs a mug press