The new Cricut Mug Press is available today in the United States and Canada! You can find it at your local JOANN store, or online, HERE! In this post you’ll get a first look at an unboxing of the Cricut Mug Press and I’ll answer your frequently asked questions like how much does it cost, what materials can I use with it, and many more! 

This is a sponsored post brought to you by JOANN. Thanks for providing me with a Cricut Mug Press so I could be one of the first to test it out. All opinions are my own.

The Cricut Mug Press is Cricut’s newest heat press designed just for mugs! The Cricut Mug Press makes it easy to make quality custom mugs in minutes!  If you’ve had your eye on the new Cricut Mug Press, you might have a few questions about it. I’ve tried to answer them all below. If you have another question, let me know in the comments! 

You can also check out my mug press tutorial where I show you how to make your own custom mug designs and find the blank mug template HERE.

HOW MUCH WILL THE CRICUT MUG PRESS COST?

The Cricut Mug Press costs $199.99. It’s available online HERE.

WHAT MATERIALS CAN I USE WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

The Cricut Mug Press has been designed to work with the Infusible Ink system. You can check out all my Infusible Ink tips on this post HERE. The Infusible Ink system is Cricut’s version of sublimation, so you can also use sublimation materials you have printed. 

WHAT SIZE OF MUGS CAN I USE WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

The mug sizes are 12 oz. (340 ml) and 15 oz. (425 ml). The 12 oz mug is approximately 3.63″ tall and the 15 oz mug is 4.25″ tall. Mugs must be straight walled, unfortunately. I’m sad about this one, because I wish you could use some different shaped mugs or tumblers. 

HOW MUCH ARE CRICUT MUG PRESS MATERIALS?

Mugs are $6.99 for two 12 ounce mug blanks or $8.99 for two 15 oz mug blanks. You can also buy larger packs of mugs; 6 count to 36 count with prices from $24.99 to $99.99.

Infusible Ink transfer sheets are $2.99 for a 2 pack sized for the mugs. You can also use regular Infusible Ink transfer sheets which are $12.99. 

Infusible Ink Markers and Pens start at $14.99 for smaller packs up to $49.99 for their ultimate packs. 

CAN I USE ANY MUG WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

Cricut mug blanks are optimized to be used with the Cricut Mug Press. But you can also use sublimation mug blanks. These mugs have a special coating allowing the ink to transfer. 

DO I HAVE TO USE INFUSIBLE INK WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

The Cricut Mug Press is specifically optimized to be used with Infusible Ink Transfer sheets and Infusible Ink Pens and Markers. But Infusible Ink is really just Cricut’s system for sublimation, so you can use sublimation inks with the Cricut Mug Press.

WHAT CRICUT MACHINES WILL THE CRICUT MUG PRESS WORK WITH?

The Cricut Mug Press will work with any of the machines- Cricut Joy, Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2. Use your machine to cut or draw your designs and then use the Cricut Mug Press to transfer them. 

DO I NEED TO ADJUST THE TIME OR TEMPERATURE OF THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

Nope! Unlike the Cricut EasyPresses which have adjustable time and temperatures, the Cricut Mug Press does all the work for you. Just put the mug in, start it, and it will do the rest. 

TIP:  If you are getting too much yellowing on a mug press design it means the temperature might be too hot. If you are getting fading it may need to be hotter.  You can actually adjust the temperature of the mug press by following these steps (or visiting Cricut’s help page HERE)

To enter the Temperature Setting mode, you’ll need to press and hold the power button for 10+ seconds. A chime will sound and all the LEDs will flash once. The power button will flash orange continuously while your mug press is in Temperature Setting mode. 

The row of lights will display the current setting. Push the power button to cycle through the 3 setting options: 

• • Cooler – first LED solid on
    
  • Normal – third LED solid on
    
  • Warmer – fifth LED solid on

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PRESS A MUG WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

On average it takes about 6 minutes depending on the ambient temperature of the room and your mug. 

HOW LONG SHOULD I LET MY MUG COOL FOR AFTER PRESSING?

Cricut recommends letting your mug rest for 15-30 minutes after pressing to cool. 

CAN I TRANSFER DESIGNS TO THE INSIDE OF THE MUG OR THE HANDLE WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

Unfortunately, no. I think it would be awesome to put cute sayings inside your cup or on the handle, but, alas, you can’t. You can transfer designs on the outer cylindrical surface of your mug, up to 0.5″ (12.7 mm) from the handle. (Any closer to the handler may result in fading and discoloration.)

ARE MUGS DISHWASHER SAFE?

Yup! Once you’ve transferred your design, it becomes part of the mug and won’t wash or peel off. Unlike vinyl or HTV which sits on top of the mug, the Infusible Ink becomes part of the mug and won’t fade, peel or crack.

CAN I USE HEAT TRANSFER VINYL OR VINYL WITH THE CRICUT MUG PRESS?

Nope! If you try to use these materials, they will mat and can damage your Cricut Mug Press. 

Now that I’ve answered your Cricut Mug Press questions, let’s take a look at what you’ll get if you buy a Cricut Mug Press. You can also view a video of the unboxing on my Instagram page HERE 

CRICUT MUG PRESS UNBOXING

Once you open your Cricut Mug Press box, you’ll find right on a top an envelope that says “Open Me”. Inside is an information card which directs you to open the Cricut website to activate your machine.

The inside of the card has a little more information about the Cricut Mug Press. 

At the very bottom of the Cricut Mug Press box, you’ll find the power cord and the USB cable. You’ll need these to setup and register your machine. 

Once you go to cricut.com/setup, follow the onscreen prompts. Sign into your Cricut Design Space account, or create one if you don’t have an account. 

Plug in your Cricut Mug Press and power it on. You’ll need to be close enough to your computer to be able to connect it to your computer as well.

Connect it to your computer, and follow the remaining prompts to get your Cricut Mug Press updated and registered. 

Once you have finished updating your firmware, the Cricut Mug Press is ready to use! It will also open up the webpage below which has great tips on making mugs. 

I hope you found this FAQ and unboxing post helpful! Stay tuned for my next project where I make a mug and share all my tips and tricks!