Viva Leve

Personalized mug with a cat theme – From Design to Final Result

julho 12, 2026

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Today I decided to create a new personalized mug. I chose an 11 oz (approximately 325 ml) mug, with a white exterior finish and a black interior and handle. As I’m passionate about cats, I decided to develop a fun and minimalist design inspired by them.
The entire creation process starts in Canva Pro, the tool I use to develop my designs. The Pro version offers a huge variety of graphic elements, which makes it much easier to create beautiful, delicate and creative artwork. Furthermore, ChatGPT also helps me a lot with ideas, suggestions and inspiration for new projects.
After defining the concept, I configure the file to the ideal size for the mug. For the 11 oz mugs, I use a print area of 22.2 × 9.6 cm, ensuring the design is evenly distributed around the piece.
Before printing, there is a very important detail: the image needs to be mirrored (inverted horizontally). This step is essential, as during sublimation the ink is transferred to the mug in the correct position. If we forget to mirror the art before printing, the final result will be inverted.
With the art ready and mirrored, I print it on sublimated paper. I then cut the paper to the correct size and carefully position the design on the mug. To keep everything perfectly aligned during heating, I use a thermal tape suitable for sublimation, which resists high temperatures without leaving residue.

For this project I used the Cricut Mug Press, an automatic press for mugs. Before first use, it is necessary to activate and configure the equipment via the computer. After this initial step, the process becomes very simple: just turn on the machine, wait for it to heat up, position the mug and lower the lever to start pressing.

The Mug Press automatically controls the temperature and heating time, making the process very practical and safe. After a few minutes, sublimation is complete and the art becomes part of the surface of the mug, providing a permanent, high-quality finish.

The end result was exactly as I imagined: a modern, delicate and personality-filled mug, perfect for those who also love cats.