A mug print rarely fails on its own. Heat, scouring and the wrong blank do it. How to choose a mug that lasts and how to look after it.
The mugs looked perfect at the launch. Six months later the logo on half of them has gone pale and patchy, and the ones that still look good belong to the two people who wash their mug by hand. That pattern has a cause, and it is mostly about what happens after the mug leaves the printer.
How a mug is printed, in one paragraph
Our white, two-tone and magic mugs are pressed this way every week. A plain ceramic mug will not hold sublimation ink. The mug blank has a thin polyester coating, and the design is printed onto transfer paper with sublimation ink, wrapped around the mug and pressed with heat. The heat turns the ink to gas, which bonds into the coating. Sawgrass, one of the main makers of sublimation ink, describes its ink as being for polyester and polyester-coated products, and that is exactly what a sublimation mug is.
The important consequence: the print lives in that coating. Anything that wears the coating wears the print.
What actually fades a mug
- The dishwasher. Hot cycles and strong detergents, repeated week after week, are hard on the coating. Some blanks are sold as dishwasher safe and some explicitly are not, so the safe advice for a mug you care about is the sink.
- Scouring. Steel wool and the rough side of a sponge scratch the surface. A tea stain is not worth the logo.
- Long microwave runs. Reheating a cold cup is fine. Leaving a mug in for long cycles day after day is not kind to it.
- A poor press. Uneven heat or a wrap that slips during pressing leaves faint areas or a ghosted double image from day one. That is a production fault, and it should be caught before the mug is packed.
How we check a mug before it leaves
Mugs are pressed on a double-station mug press, two at a time, with temperature and time controlled digitally. The faults that matter are the ones you can see once the mug has cooled: a faint band where the paper lifted, a soft edge where the wrap slipped, or a ghost where the paper moved while hot. Check for those when your order arrives; a mug with any of them is a pressing fault, not wear.
This is also why we send a preview of every mug before printing. Fixing a spelling on a screen costs nothing. Fixing it after pressing costs a mug.
Which mug to order for which person
All our custom mugs have a minimum order of 12, and each mug in the order can carry a different name or photo.
| Style | Price | What it is good at |
|---|---|---|
| White | KSh 250 | Photos and full-colour designs; the cleanest canvas |
| Two-tone | KSh 300 | A coloured handle and inside, to match a brand colour |
| Magic | KSh 350 | Dark until hot water goes in, then the design appears |
| Conical or Java | KSh 1,000 | A statement shape for a single special gift |
| Stanley | KSh 1,700 | The premium branded flask-mug for top clients |
Two notes on the magic mug. Its surprise depends on a heat-reactive outer layer, so wash it by hand like any printed mug, and give it to someone who will enjoy the trick. For a single premium piece, a genuine Starbucks-made mug branded with a name is KSh 1,100 and can be ordered on its own.
If mugs are one item in a wider gift plan, choosing corporate gifts people keep covers how to split a budget across clients and staff.
Sources: Sawgrass, sublimation inks (read 13 Oct 2026).
Common questions
Can I put a printed mug in the dishwasher?
Some mug blanks are rated for it and some are not, and even rated mugs keep their print longer when washed by hand. For a mug with a logo or a photo you want to keep, use warm water, mild soap and a soft sponge.
Why does my mug print look pale or patchy?
If it was like that from new, it was a pressing fault, such as uneven heat or transfer paper that lifted. If it faded over months, the coating that holds the ink has been worn by dishwashers or scouring.
Can every mug in an order have a different photo?
Yes. Within the minimum of 12, each mug can carry its own name or photo. Send the images and names together and approve the preview of each mug before printing.
How does a magic mug work?
The mug has a heat-reactive outer coating that hides the printed design when cold. Pour in hot water and the coating clears, showing the design. It returns to dark as the mug cools.
