For when you want to go beyond the generally flat nature of tumblers, there are indeed other styles up for grabs, such as with this SubliCraft 20 ounce ringneck grip tumbler. Despite its rounded nature for increased volume, it’s still simple to customize these tumblers as long as you have the right tools. A few of these tools are a heat gun, and any extra convection oven you have at home! In this video, we’ll be showing how to sublimate these elegant tumblers through an oven with the right oven wraps, also from SubliCraft.
As always, we recommend using an oven exclusively for sublimation and avoid using the same one for cooking your foods. This doesn’t mean it's necessary to own a high-end oven for sublimation however, as a compact countertop oven that can reach 400 degrees is actually enough for many blanks. In terms of the best oven wrap size, the SubliCraft 7-point-11 by 5-point-92 inch shrink wrap sleeves are actually effective in covering the 3-point-42 by 6-point-69 inch size of these tumblers. But to begin, simply prepare your image within the imprint area of the tumbler. To play it safe, we’ll be scaling down a portrait design that fits within its upper half above the grip.
And as soon as your design is ready, you may print it through your sublimation printer. Sawgrass users will need to print through Sawgrass Print Manager with these settings: Substrate to Stainless Steel Tumbler, Paper to the loaded paper’s profile, leave Mirror checked, and the Color Mode in the Color tab to Photographic or Vivid depending on the preferred level of color saturation. And with the transfer printed, trim around the design’s edges, then tightly wrap it ink side down to the tumbler and heat tape it in place. Now you may slide it inside one 7-point-11 by 5-point-92 inch shrink wrap, then run a heat gun across its surface to begin wrapping the tumbler. Make sure to clear out any bubbles and prevent tearing as you heat gun the wrapped tumbler, then slide the item inside another wrap with the same procedures. This second wrap will help prevent any scorching of the items from the oven’s rack.
Now you may turn on your oven to preheat it at 385 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as it's ready, you may place your tumbler inside to cook for about 9-and-a-half to 12 minutes depending on the design’s level of detail. If you have the space available for it, you can also load multiple wrapped tumblers inside and add a minute for each one. Once your oven reaches time, wear heat-resistant gloves to then remove your tumbler to completely cool down elsewhere. When the tumbler has cooled, you may start peeling the wrap and transfer out of it, and it should now be permanently displaying your vibrant sublimation design! To learn more about sublimation tumblers and other tools and supplies, you can check out our YouTube channel, or our website at HeatPressNation.com.