Perfect 15oz Cricut Mugs with My Canva Template

Welcome back to the craft room! Today, we’re diving into Perfect 15oz Cricut Mugs with My Canva Template. Back in May 2024, I sublimated a 15oz Cricut coffee mug for my great nephew. In my How To Sublimate A Ceramic Mug post and video, I mentioned creating a placement template in Canva to help with alignment. Recently, a lovely subscriber reached out, asking if I had a tutorial on how to use that template. While I hadn’t shared one yet, I promised to add it to my schedule—and now, I’m excited to walk you through the process and offer the template to anyone who may need it! Let’s dive right in!

Before we dive in too far, let me preface this post with an important note—not all 15oz mugs are the same. So far, I’ve only used Cricut mugs, and their dimensions are what I based this template on. If you’re using a different brand or size, be sure to measure your mug first to ensure it’s compatible with this template before printing your image.

15oz Cricut Mug Template

I created this template to share with you, so you can easily download and use it in Canva! You’ll need a free Canva account to access and edit the template, but once you’re set up, it’s ready to go. Click the link here: 15oz Cricut Mug Template to download it and start designing your own perfect 15oz Cricut mugs! Once you download the file, you’ll receive a PDF that provides a brief overview of how to use the template. It also includes a link to the corresponding YouTube video if you have any further questions!

When you click the link beneath the template image, a new window will open, displaying the template. Simply click the button at the bottom of the page, and you’ll be directed to your Canva account, where the template will be ready for you to use!

Designing in Canva

Individual Images

As you can see in the image below, the template includes two gray boxes with dashed lines running through them. These squares mark the center points of the 15oz Cricut mugs, and the dashed lines serve as a guide to help you center your image if it doesn’t fully cover the squares. Before starting your project, I highly recommend duplicating the template so you always have a fresh copy ready for your next design.

In my first example, I’ll be using two images. After uploading them to Canva and placing them into the template, I positioned the first image just below the top of the square. Then, using the bounding box, I resized the image to fill the square. Once I was happy with the placement, I repeated the process with the image on the right.

To ensure both images were positioned consistently on the template, I selected the first image, then held the Shift key while selecting the second image. Using the Align elements option from the three-dot menu, I made sure they were perfectly aligned. Once they were in place, I grouped the images together for easy adjustments.

The next step is to center both images on the template. From the menu above the template (indicated by the arrow), select Position. Then, in the menu that appears on the left, click Middle. This will ensure your images are perfectly centered.

In the next step, we’ll remove the template so your image is ready to download. From the three-dot menu, select Layer, then choose Send to Back. This will place your image behind the template elements, allowing you to delete the template and leave only your final design.

Before deleting the template, I find it helpful to first click off of it to deselect everything. Then, I hover my cursor over the center of the template before clicking to select it. By holding down the mouse button and slightly moving the layer, I can confirm that I’ve selected the actual template rather than the image. Once I’m sure, I simply delete the template layer.

Your first 15oz mug sublimation design is now ready to download! In the image below, you’ll notice a dashed line around the entire template. I included this as a cutting guide, especially for designs with a white background, to help with precise trimming before sublimation.

Full Image

The next example I want to show you is how to use the template with a full-image design. For this, I uploaded a fun background from the Daisy Flower Pattern Background on Creative Fabrica. After selecting it, I stretched the image to completely fill the template from edge to edge. Since this is a large image, I initially struggled with positioning it to print the exact section I wanted. The trick is to double-click on the image—this will reveal the entire picture. From there, you can drag the image to select the portion you want to print.

While you might be able to download the image as is, it’s best to delete the template first for a cleaner design. From the three-dot menu, select Layer and then Send to Back. This will allow you to delete the gray boxes, just like we did in the first example, giving you a clear image ready for sublimation.

Because this background image has so much color around the edges, I decided to delete the outer cutting guide. Once your image is ready, it’s time to download it. In the upper right-hand corner, click the Share button, select the pages you want to download, and then press the Download button.

Printing your Sublimation Image

There are several programs you can use to print sublimation images, but I’ve had the best luck using Microsoft Word. I start by opening a blank document, and for large images, I switch the layout from vertical to horizontal. Then, I manually adjust all the margins to the very edge of the page to maximize the printable area.

There are two ways to insert an image into Word. The first is by choosing Insert, then Picture, and selecting Location to pick your image from the menu that opens. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop the image directly into your document window. When the image is inserted, it will align with the leftmost margin by default. To move it anywhere on the page, click on the image to select it. Then, from the Layout Options menu, choose one of the size options listed. I prefer the Tight option with the Middle setting on the top row, which allows you to freely position the image exactly where you want it on the page.

Next, we need to ensure the image is the correct size of 9.5″ x 4.25″. In the image below, follow the arrows to find the Picture Format option at the top of the page. From here, you can see the current dimensions of your image. In my example, the image was slightly small, measuring 9.47″ x 4.25″. While the height was correct, I adjusted the width to the exact 9.5″ as shown below. This ensures the image will fit perfectly when printed for sublimation.

I’m printing with the Epson SureColor F170, a sublimation printer. If you’re using a different printer, your settings may vary. For paper type, I have two options depending on whether I’m sublimating on a rigid surface like a mug or a textile like a shirt or mouse pad. I then change the print quality from Standard to High. Next, I click on More Options and ensure that Bidirectional Printing is turned off. One of my favorite features of this printer is that Mirror Image is always enabled, so I don’t have to worry about it when preparing my designs for sublimation.

Sublimating the 15oz Cricut Mug

Once the image has printed, we’re ready to move on to the next step. As you can see below, the dashed line printed along with the image. This line will need to be completely removed before proceeding with sublimation. If any of it remains, it will transfer to your finished project.

When trimming images for sublimation, I use my 12″ Fiskars paper trimmer. One of my favorite features of this trimmer is the guide wire that the cutting blade follows. In the image below, you can see the wire clearly. Everything to the left of the wire will remain, and everything to the right will be removed. To ensure a clean cut, I carefully line up my image so that the cut line falls just to the right of that wire.

To sublimate the mug, I first clean it with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth, then run a lint roller over it to ensure it’s free of dust and debris. The image we printed is short enough to leave about 1/2″ of space on either side of the mug’s handle. I carefully wrap the image tightly around the mug, making sure there’s an even amount of space on both sides of the handle. After positioning the image, I tape it securely in place with my clear heat-resistant tape from Amazon. Finally, I add a piece of butcher paper around the mug to protect my press.

To sublimate the mug, I’m using my much-loved Vevor Auto Mug Press. As with all mug and tumbler presses, it’s crucial to center the handle of the mug before closing the press. I’ve learned this the hard way—I once had a mug handle snap off because I didn’t pay enough attention to its positioning. Now, I always make sure the handle is perfectly aligned before pressing to avoid any mishaps.

As you can see in the image below, the template worked perfectly to center my design on the 15oz Cricut mug! I’m also thrilled with how vibrant the colors turned out by printing through Word and using my Vevor Mug Press. It’s always so satisfying to see the design come to life on the finished mug!

Thank you so much for joining me for today’s Perfect 15oz Cricut Mugs with My Canva Template post. I hope you found the process helpful and are excited to create your own personalized mugs! If you’d like to download the template and get started on your own projects, you can find it here: 15oz Cricut Mug Template. Additionally, if you’d like to use the same design I featured in the example, you can download the PNG files here: CL_For_Fox_Sake_Images. Do you have any favorite designs or techniques you like to use for sublimation? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! Until then, have a fantastic week and I will see you back in the craft room soon!

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