Newcomers always have a difficult time with tumblers because they’re just so finicky!

Hopefully, with these tips, you can be well on your way to making better, more consistent tumblers.

Settings used:

• Premium Matte Paper settings
• Oven to 350* (verified using oven thermometer)
• 6 Minutes bake time (3 minutes per side)

Equipment used:

• Hamilton Beach 6-slice Countertop Easy Reach Convection Oven https://amzn.to/37wagbu
• Oven Thermometer https://amzn.to/2Na1OWp
• Wirester Heat Resistant Gloves https://amzn.to/3foORUB
• Cosmos Ink https://cosmos-ink.com/
• Tumblers from Blankz (Brighton, TN) – https://www.blankz.shop/collections/sublimation-and-htv/products/submlimation-ready-maars-skinny-steel

Tip #1 – Don’t Overcook Your Sublimation Tumbler!

This is the part that most people mess up on! Don’t overcook the tumbler!  I typically do mine at 350-370 Degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes (Rotating the cup 1/2 way through, 3 minutes per side). From there, I take all the paper off as fast as possible. Anything over 400 degrees will start to yellow them. These the tumblers are very sensitive to heat

Tip #2 – Use an Oven Thermometer

Please use a third-party thermometer and do not trust the the built-in oven thermometer because it’s usually off by several degrees. I usually have my thermometer right beside my usually right beside my tumbler for a more accurate reading than the oven’s  built in thermometer.

Tip #3 – Good, Consistent Pressure

Whether you’re taping or whether you’re using shrink wrap, make sure it’s good and tight and make sure you get the graphics in contact with the tumbler. For good accurate sublimation, you don’t have any bubbles or lose spots as those spots will have very inconsistent color.

Tip #4 – Print Horizontal Overlap

The reason for this is the fact that the the metal tumblers are gonna slightly expand in the oven due to the heat. The coefficient of thermal expansion under heat will cause it to slightly expand when it gets warm so between your paper shrinking slightly and your tumbler getting a little bigger when heat is applied to it, it’s easy to mess it up and get a larger gap than what you’re expecting. The fix to this is simply to overlap it a little bit and and don’t worry so much about the seam because it’s tough to get a seam that’s perfect.

Tip #5 – Buy Good Quality Sublimation Tumblers to Start With!

Save yourself a LOT of frustration and time by just buying good quality tumblers to start with. I get mine locally from a place called AGH Sublimation. Obviously, you can get them from places like Conde, Coastal Business, HeatTransferWarehouse and others. Everyone has jumped on the sublimation tumbler bandwagon!

Prefer the video version? Watch it here: