Few things are as comforting as curling up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee or tea. The slight steam coming off the mug, the feelings of relaxation washing over you as you prepare to start (or finish) your day. Now what if that mug had a photo of a loved one, a reminder of a vacation, an image you treasure, or the bold logo of a brand or business you have put years of your hard work into? That would be something quite special.
Thankfully that, “what-if,” is closer than you may think. Custom Mugs are actually quite easy to create, especially when you work with GotPrint’s expert printing team. You can design a coffee mug from scratch using your own designs, images, or photos. While such a project may seem daunting at first, we’ve put together a simple guide to get you started, finished, and sipping from that personalized cup on your couch in no time!
What Can I Use Custom Mugs For?
Before we get too into the weeds of design, production, and the creative process, let’s focus on what you can do with a custom mug (and why you would design one in the first place). There are countless uses for a custom-made coffee mug, from events and holidays to businesses and personal comfort. Here are a just few examples we think you would enjoy:
Holidays: Whether it is a personalized gift for Valentine’s Day, an array of festive cups for Christmas, or a handful of ghostly heat-activated mugs for a Halloween party, coffee mugs can make a great decorative addition to any holiday gathering. Festive sayings, imagery, or themed images elevate the simplest gatherings into unforgettable holiday parties.
Thoughtful Gifts: There doesn’t need to be an occasion to give a gift either, and because coffee mugs will always be useful, customizing a mug for a friend or loved one is a great way to show how much you care. They will always remember the thoughtfulness of your gift every time they pull it out of the cupboard and see what photos or sayings you designed it with.
Business Parties: Coffee mugs can also be used for professional projects as well. Placing a bold and iconic brand or logo onto promotional cups you sell or give away is a great way to widen your audience, build your brand, and leave an impression customers will see in their homes for years to come.
Promotional Items: Like the holiday uses, making sure your employees are sipping mugs with your branding on them is a fantastic way to help build a strong workplace community. Creating that sense of teamwork while always reminding them of their workplace with helpful and functional printed products like coffee mugs can be incredibly effective.
Weddings: Whether it’s their new initials, photos of the bride and groom, or a spattering of funny sayings or quotes people associated with the happy couple, designing a handful of mugs for coffee and tea at the end of a Wedding reception is a spectacular way to elevate a Wedding’s theming, while also creating easy gifts for partygoers to take home with them and remember forever.
Personal Use: There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with elevating your own cupboard a bit with fun and unique mugs. Quotes from your favorite books, photos of your treasured memories, or images from your favorite movies or other media are all great ways to personalize your own home. You will always need a coffee mug, why not make yours as special and unique to you as possible?
How Do I Print My Own Design on a Mug?
So now you’ve had a moment to ruminate on some fun coffee mug design ideas. But how do you actually design the mug of your dreams and get it to show up at your door or business? The process itself may seem quite involved, but your part is thankfully quite simple. GotPrint’s expert printing and shipping teams will take care of the nitty-gritty details, all you need to do is:
1. Select Your Specifications
Start by visiting our online order form and selecting what kind of coffee mug you want. We offer cups in sizes of 11 oz, 15 oz, 16 oz, or 18 oz in black or white. Some of those sizes also come with an option for a white, black, indigo, red, blue, or pink trim, while our special head-activated mugs are only offered in black. There is a lot to pick from, and honestly, your own mug preferences or what your event calls for is all that is important here.
2. Design Your Custom Coffee Mug
Your next step is to choose whether you want to simply upload your print-ready file or design your mug online. Our Online Design Tool allows you to add your photographs and customize your images until you’re happy with your results. Our product page also lays out the specific requirements of your image file, so be sure to give that a read-through and also look at the blog hyperlinked above while laying out your art.
You can develop your own art directly on our website if you would prefer. If you are choosing to design your mug on the GotPrint website, select the “Design Online” button at the end of the order form. For the best results, we recommend designing on a desktop or laptop.
- From there you will be able to:
- Add Text
- Choose a Background Color
- Generate a Free QR Code
- Browse and Use Shapes
- Upload a Photo, Artwork, or Logo
- Browse and Use Elements
3. Preview Your Work
Once you’re happy with your design, click the ‘Preview’ button on the top right corner of the screen. From there, you’ll see a rotating live view of your design on the mug you’ve selected to order. This is an important moment to make sure that what you’re printing is both what you want to see and how you want it to be laid out on the mug. Take your time, and feel free to back up to the Online Design Tool again to tweak your work so it’s just right.
4. Log In/Sign-Up to Proceed to Order and Shipping
Once you have created your coffee mug design, you will be asked to save your design to a GotPrint Account. If you don’t have an account, we suggest making one to speed up the ordering process. From that point, all that’s left to do is place your order and wait for your amazing custom mug to show up!
Please allow 4 to 5 business days for us to print your custom mugs. The first day of production is the day after you have approved your order and your payment has been successfully processed. After we are done, shipping will take roughly 2 to 6 business days depending on the shipping method you chose at checkout. If you need your custom mugs sooner, please upgrade to expedited shipping. For more information on production and shipping times, please visit our Production Time page.
Custom-Made Mugs at Your Fingertips
Because branded mugs make such practical gifts for corporations, small businesses, events, social gatherings, or simple and meaningful gifts, we know you are going to love your coffee cup when it arrives. With a little time and an eye for design, you can create personalized mugs that are perfect for whatever purpose you have in mind.