Make Mugs With the Cricut Mug Press
Make your own custom mugs as a special gift for teachers, neighbors, friends, and anyone else! The new Cricut Mug Press makes it easy with a patent-pending heat plate. LEDs show progress and a beep indicates when it’s done.
Before you begin, make sure that the mug is clean and dust free by wiping it down with rubbing alcohol followed by a lint roller. Then carefully weed the design.
Designing
Mugs with vinyl sayings make great gifts and are simple to create with the Cricut. You can use permanent or outdoor smart vinyl (the latter makes the mug dishwasher safe). If you’re using permanent, you can also remove the vinyl later if you want to change the words and try something new.
The simplest way to make a mug is with one of the ready-to-go designs in the Mug Design Set. This includes designs sized for Small and Large mugs as well as placement guides that are meant to help you line up your images.
When using Infusible Ink, single color images tend to work best for mugs since cutting and weeding fine lines and intricate details can be tricky. For example, these coffee mugs by Happiness is Homemade use an Infusible Ink mug wrap with the word “coffee” in white. This is a simple, clean design that looks great! However, if you’d like to make a more complex mug, these mugs by Sustain My Craft Habit are a little more complicated and feature a fun floral print.
Cutting
Making mugs with vinyl is pretty easy and the results are beautiful. But it’s even easier (and more fun) to use the Cricut Mug Press which makes professional-looking mugs that are dishwasher and microwave safe.
To create your mug, select a design in the Design Space. There are lots of cute coffee mug sayings and phrases available. If you’re looking for something specific, head over to ‘Search’ in the upper right corner and type a keyword into the search bar (e.g. “coffee”) and the machine will pull up all related phrases for you!
Once you have your design selected, load the smart vinyl onto a mat and press the blinking ‘Go’ button. Remove the mat from the machine when it is finished cutting and weed any remaining vinyl with your fingers or a weeding tool. It is recommended that you hand wash your mugs with vinyl to preserve the life of the vinyl.
Weeding
When making mugs with vinyl, it is important to be very careful when weeding. You want to remove any excess vinyl from the design so that only the intended words are left on the mug. Otherwise, the wording might fall off after a few uses. This is especially true if the mug is exposed to heat.
The best vinyl to use for mugs is permanent, which can be cut with any Cricut machine. It is also dishwasher safe. However, if you’re giving your mug as a gift, it’s a good idea to seal it with Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe.
To make your mug, you’ll need a few supplies. First, you’ll need to choose a design in Cricut Design Space. There are a variety of pre-made mug designs available, as well as a Monogram Maker. You’ll also need Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets and a mug that is Infusible Ink ready (not the cheap dollar store type). You can use a standard grip cutting mat but it’s recommended to mirror your images since you are using Infusible Ink.
Applying
Using a Mug Press allows you to make mugs that feel like they are a part of the mug (as opposed to vinyl which sits on top) and it also makes them dishwasher safe! It’s easy to use – just design, cut, wrap, and press.
If you have Cricut Access, search for coffee mug designs in the Image section. You can find so many cute mug phrases that will be perfect for your morning cup of joe!
Place your cut design on a sheet of Butcher or Kraft paper and apply with heat resistant tape. Make sure the tape is tight to prevent it from shifting during pressing. Wrap the paper around your mug, making sure it lines up with the handle. Press and wait for the mug press to beep and turn green! Allow the mug to cool before removing the paper. You can now enjoy your mug! You can layer Infusible Ink for gorgeous, colorful mugs – I’ll show you how in a future tutorial.
