You are not going to get a truer statement on a mug than this Sublimation Coffee Mug for Teacher Appreciation. This sublimation coffee mug is super easy to make and makes a great teacher gift. And the best part, you can make this DIY sublimation mug project in just a few minutes!
This One In A Melon Sublimation Mug turned out so much better then I expected! The thing I do love about sublimation is that as long as you have the right settings for your printer, the correct blanks and great ink the colors always come out amazing!
What Are The Best Supplies For Sublimation?
Here are the products that I trust and love.
- Cosmos Ink
- Epson EcoTank
- A-Sub Paper
- Sublimation Blanks, I like to get mine here and here.
Converting the EcoTank for sublimation is super easy. Just don’t put the ink that came with the printer in, instead, put in the sublimation ink and follow these instructions for the printer profile and you have a converted sublimation printer.
When Is Teacher Appreciation Week?
Teacher appreciation week falls in May. This is a national day for honoring teachers and recognizing their hard work during the school year. This Sublimation Coffee Mug is a great gift to give your favorite teachers for national teacher appreciation day.
Do You Have to Have a Sublimation Printer to Make Sublimation Coffee Mugs?
The Answer to this question is no. From places like this link here, you can have a custom sublimation print sent right to your door, ready to apply. Although, I will note that I have not purchased a print this way, because I dove head-first into this craft and have my own sublimation printer.
But I do know that there are entire sublimation businesses running using these pre-printed sublimation prints. So, if you want to buy a sublimation printer, that’s up to you, but you don’t need one to make this sublimation coffee mug.
The Cricut mug press made it easy to make professional-quality mugs at home. It gives you a sort of set it and forget it (till it beeps) mentality. But you don’t have to have a bug press to sublimate at home.
I did this one in a convection oven, it works very well for sublimation and it is also fairly inexpensive. You just have to remember to get the paper really tight around the mug before attempting to press it.
What Do you Need to Make This One in a Melon Teacher Appreciation Sublimation Coffee Mug?
You’ll need these materials to make your One in a Melon Teacher Sublimation Coffee Mug using the Cricut Mug Press:
- 1 Mug Blank
Then you’ll need the following tools:
- Cricut Mug Press
- Lint Roller
- Sublimation Printer (with Sublimation Paper)
- Heat-Safe Tape
You’ll also need the One in a Melon Sublimation file. You can grab it below for free.
Can You Make a Sublimation Coffee Mug Without a Heat Press?
Yes, but, let’s pull over for a second and pause to discuss. I am currently in the process of trying out different methods to make mugs (because you know me, I like to compare methods all the time for all sorts of different things) and, for this particular mug, rather than using the Cricut Mug Press, I got a toaster oven and a mug wrap.
Let me tell you, it was surprisingly easy – but the results can be more inconsistent than using the Cricut Mug Press. I go into a bit more detail in my comparison post, but let’s be honest, if you don’t have a Cricut Mug Press, but you want to, you can still make this DIY mug.
So, if you want to make this following the oven method, you’ll need the following supplies:
- 1 Mug Blank
Then you’ll need the following tools:
- Toaster Oven (don’t use the one you cook food with – the fumes are supposedly not good for you, so better safe than sorry, right?!)
- Lint Roller
- Sublimation Printer (with Sublimation Paper)
- Heat-Safe Tape
- Silicone Mug Wrap
And just like with the Cricut Mug Press method, you’ll also need the One in a Melon Sublimation file.
Tips to Make This One in a Melon Teacher Appreciation Mug
In case it’s your first time making a DIY mug using sublimation, here’s a couple of tips to help make your teacher appreciation mug come out pretty:
- If the idea of making your first mug seems a bit worrisome, check out a video tutorial that gets you all the way from start to finish here on by Pink YouTube.
- Get a compatible mug. Only use Cricut Mug Blanks or those that are made for sublimation heat Transfers. Otherwise, you’re basically wasting your time and ink. You’re not going to get the results you want.
- Before you place your prepped mug into your mug press, make sure the paper is pulled tight around the mug. If it’s not tight, the design will not stay in place and you’ll end up with ghosting or worse – burns.
- Do not start messing with the mug to remove the paper and all that before it is cooled completely. The mug press will get hot hot hot and burns at 400-degrees are no joke.
Now that you’ve got all of the information you need. You can grab the free file and then get the step-by-step tutorial to make your one in a melon teacher mug.
If you’re loving this easy teacher appreciation mug but you’re not quite ready to break out the sublimation printer yet, be sure to pin this to your favorite back-to-school craft ideas board so you can find it again fast when you’re ready!
More Fun DIY Mug Projects You Might Like
One in a Melon Teacher Appreciation Mug
Making this easy one in a melon teacher appreciation mug is not only a quick and fun craft, but it's a cute teacher gift idea!
Materials
- Mug Blank
Tools
Instructions
- Preheat your convection oven to 400 degrees and clean your mug off with the lint roller, just to make sure you're sublimating on a clean surface.
- Download the "This Teacher is One in a Melon" design.
- Now open it in your photo editor or Cricut Design Space (my preference) resizing to make sure the design fits your size mug.
- I drew it to fit either small 12oz or large 15oz, but if you are making a larger or smaller mug, you may want to resize.
- Mirror your design, and click through to print the design. This can be done in most generic photo editing software (like Preview) just by flipping the image horizontally. Print to your sublimation printer.
- Cut the extra paper off the edges of the design.
- Wrap the design around your mug, taking care to position it so that the design is centered on the mug.
- Make sure that there are no gaps between the mug and the paper and tape down the edges of the paper on the short ends.
- Wrap the silicone wrap around the mug tightly.
- All of the mug snaps appear to be different, but the basic idea is to slip one end of the buckle through the mug's handle, then snap the two parts of the buckle together.
- Place your mug into your convection oven for 13 minutes.
- I experimented a couple of times and found that 14 minutes burned the edge of my mug where 12 minutes wasn't quite enough.
- Allow the mug to cool completely.
- Unbuckle the silicone mug wrap, then remove the heat safe tape and paper.
- You can discard the tape and paper, but you can reuse the silicone mug wrap.
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