Welcome back to the craft room and today’s Make Custom Magnets with Sublimation post! Today I’m trying something totally new—making custom magnets with sublimation. My cousin runs a resin art business and recently asked if I could create some branded magnets for her. It felt like the perfect chance to test out sublimating on a smaller surface and see how it goes!
Custom Magnets with Sublimation
The idea first popped into my head after watching a tutorial by Jennifer Maker a few weeks ago. It looked fun, but I didn’t have a reason to try it—until now. After chatting with my cousin about possible promotional materials, we both thought custom magnets would be a great option. The magnets I’m using for today’s project are the same ones Jennifer featured in her video. I found them on Amazon, and I’ve linked the exact product below if you want to give it a try too.
The logo I used for these magnets is from my cousin’s small business, Sherri’s RESIN ART. She creates beautiful handmade resin pieces, from decorative bowels to unique locks and pocket hugs. If you’re into custom art or looking for gift ideas, I’d love for you to check out her work over on Facebook. Her creativity was the perfect inspiration for this sublimation project!
Before getting started, I spent a few minutes trimming the logo designs apart with scissors. Since the images are small, I cut my 18″ wide butcher paper into strips and then halved them. Each strip was folded in half to sandwich the sublimation paper. Because I’m using a solid black background—and some of that ink will bleed over the edge of the magnet—I also cut a 6″x6″ piece of white cardstock. This will protect my press and workspace from stray ink.
Creating the Template in Canva
As with all my sublimation projects, we’ll begin in Canva by setting up a custom magnet template. But first—it’s time to measure. Even though I bought the exact magnets Jennifer Maker used, it’s still important to measure the ones in front of you. Sizes can vary slightly, and this helps you decide exactly how large your template should be.
My magnets measure 2 1/8″ x 2 15/16″. That last number always makes my head spin, so I rounded it up to 2 1/8″ x 3″. Since I’m a visual learner, I used a scrap of paper and those measurements to mock up the size and get a better sense of scale. As you’ll see in the image below, I chose to make my template 2 3/8″ x 3 1/8″. This gives me a little extra wiggle room around the edges.
Setting Up the Template in Canva
Start from Canva’s homepage and choose “Custom Size.” Before entering any numbers, make sure to change the units from Pixels to Inches (or your preferred unit). For this project, I’m working in inches and set my dimensions as 2.375″ x 3.125″—the decimal equivalents of 2 3/8″ and 3 1/8″.
Adding and Sizing the Logo
Once my canvas was set, I grabbed my cousin’s logo from the Uploads folder and dragged it onto the design. Here’s where it can get a little tricky visually. I strongly recommend adjusting your image size a few times and printing it out on plain paper first. This will save you from wasting sublimation paper. Unfortunately, I skipped that step and wasted three sheets of A-sub paper before getting the logo size just right.
When you’re happy with the logo size, open the Position menu, lock the aspect ratio, and resize the image as needed. With the ratio locked, you only need to change the width or height—the other will adjust automatically. I resized mine to a height of 2.125″ (2 1/8″). Canva automatically adjusted the width to 2.13″, which worked just fine.
The last step in Canva is to change the background color. Click on the white background, and a new menu will appear. Choose the color wheel, then use the flyout menu on the left to select the color you want. That’s it!
My image is now finished and ready to download. Click the Share button in the upper right corner and download the file as a PNG.
Printing the Sublimation Image
There are lots of programs you can use to print sublimation designs, but my favorite is Microsoft Word. Start by opening a blank document. Then, adjust your margins. For this project, I could have set them all to ½”, but I prefer to move them all the way to the edges manually. Just hover your mouse over the ruler until it turns into a double-ended arrow, then drag the top and side margins outward.
Now it’s time to add the image. You can do this in one of two ways:
- Drag and drop it from your downloads folder, or
- Use the Insert menu: Go to Insert > Pictures > This Device and select your image file.
Adjusting the Logo In Word
Once inserted, the image will likely appear in the top-left corner of your document. To reposition it, click the image and open the Layout Options menu. I always choose Tight so I can move the image freely. It’s also a good time to double-check the image size. Click the image, and under the Picture Format tab, you’ll see the height and width. Make sure they match your original template dimensions.
When deciding how many images to place on a page, be sure to leave plenty of space around each one. You’ll need that room to tape your magnets down after cutting the images apart.
I chose to fit four images per page. To duplicate the image:
- Right-click the image and select Copy.
- Then, Paste as many copies as you need.
- Move each one into position manually.
Printing from Word
Once your document is set up, you’re ready to print. I’m using an Epson SureColor F170 sublimation printer, so your settings might be a little different. After selecting my sublimation printer, I open the Print Properties menu.
Here’s what I check before printing:
- Paper Type: For the F170, I choose either Rigid or Textile. For magnets, I go with Rigid.
- Print Quality: Change from Standard to High.
- Under the More Options menu:
- Turn Bidirectional Printing OFF
- Make sure Mirror Image is CHECKED
Once all settings are correct, click OK and then Print.
Custom Magnet Sublimation
Pre-Heating the Blanks
Preheating is an important step in any sublimation project. It removes moisture and helps ensure better results—even for hard surfaces like magnets.
While my HTVRont Auto Heat Press was warming up to 360°F, I prepped my magnets. First, I cleaned each one with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth to remove dust, lint, and fingerprints. Next, I cut a piece of white uncoated butcher paper big enough to fit at least three magnets. I folded the paper in half with the magnets inside, then pressed them for 5 seconds. After preheating, I set the magnets aside to cool.
The Sublimation Process
Following the timing and temp Jennifer Maker used, I set the press to 360°F and increased the time to 55 seconds.
To assemble the sublimation sandwich:
- Place a cardstock square on the bottom plate of the heat press.
- Add the folded butcher paper with your magnet and sublimation design inside.
- I also placed an extra sheet of butcher paper on top. This gave me something to hold onto when the press opened and helped prevent small pieces from sticking to the upper plate.
Sublimation Attempt #1
I was so excited to see how well the magnet would sublimate—but that excitement didn’t last long. After letting it cool for a minute, I peeled back the butcher paper and was instantly disappointed. As you can see in the image below, the results were way off. The black areas came out splotchy and dull, and the greens were nowhere near the right shade.
Sublimation Attempt #2
Not quite sure how to fix the problem—and wanting to avoid overheating the magnets—I made a small adjustment: I added a second pressing mat for extra pressure. Sadly, that didn’t do the trick either. The colors were slightly darker, but still not where they needed to be.
Sublimation Attempt #3
For the third try, I kept the temperature the same but increased the pressing time to 60 seconds. Once again, the result was a little better, especially in terms of color. But it was still far from perfect.
Sublimation Attempt #4
At this point, I knew I needed to start adjusting the temperature. I’d read stories online about magnets warping or melting, so I didn’t want to go too high. I cautiously increased the temperature to 365°F and kept the time at 60 seconds. The colors improved slightly again—but they still weren’t deep enough. I was getting closer, but not quite there.
Sublimation Attempt #5
After printing another sheet of logos and doing a bit more research, I decided to bump the temperature up to 375°F while keeping the time at 60 seconds. I carefully set everything up for another try. But when I opened the butcher paper sandwich, my heart sank—I had placed the magnet face down. Ugh! I didn’t even look at it. I just flipped the whole stack over and ran it through again for another full 60 seconds. And to my complete surprise… IT WAS PERFECT. The colors were rich, the blacks were dark, and the logo looked exactly how I hoped it would from the beginning.
The Finished Custom Magnets with Sublimation
This was not as easy of a project as I initially expected it to be. The time and temperature combination that finally worked came after a major mistake—but that happy accident led to perfect results. For me, the winning combo was 375°F for 120 seconds. While the heat did warp the magnets slightly, I found that placing them under a heavy book for about a minute while they cooled flattened them out just fine.
Thank you so much for joining me for today’s Make Custom Magnets with Sublimation post. This particular blank had a bit of a learning curve, but I’m really happy with how the finished magnets turned out. Have you ever tried sublimating onto magnets? I’d love to hear what time and temperature worked best for you—feel free to share your experience in the comments!
If you’re interested in more sublimation ideas, be sure to check out my other sublimation projects here. Until then, have a great week and I’ll see you back in the craft room soon!
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