Infusible Ink Mugs with the Cricut Mug Press

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Learn how to make this cute Infusible Ink mug set with the Cricut Mug Press (and just one single sheet of Infusible Ink!). They’re so fun and easy, and they make a great gift idea, too!

cricut infusible ink mugs made with mug press

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If you’re looking for a fun DIY gift idea, look no further than this inverse patterned Infusible Ink mug set!

Whether you’re gifting these to your bestie or your child’s teacher (or even yourself!), they’re sure to be a HUGE hit! With dozens of patterns of Infusible Ink available, the design possibilities for these Infusible Ink mugs are truly limitless!


How to Make Infusible Ink Mugs with a Cricut Mug Press

heidi from happiness is homemade with cricut mug press and mugs

The best part about this DIY project is that you only need ONE small piece of Infusible Ink to make both mugs, so there’s hardly any waste, and you make the most of your materials!

Supplies Needed:

large flowers mug floral design in design space

To begin making your Infusible Ink mug set, open up Cricut Design Space and insert your mug design on a new canvas. I used Image #MCBCE30D “Large Flowers Mug” for my mug set here. I chose to use this particular design because the “negative space” image that will be weeded away is all one single connected piece, which will make this whole project quicker and easier!

Once everything is ready, click the green “Make It” button in the upper corner of the screen. Cut a sheet of Infusible Ink just slightly larger than the size of the mug design (I used a 5″ x 11″ sized piece) and place the ink sheet on a cutting mat.

cricut machine cutting

Cut the sheet of Infusible Ink with your Cricut machine – I’m using my Maker 3 here.

cricut tools weeding design for mugs

Carefully weed the Infusible Ink sheet using your hands or tweezers.

Note: Do NOT use traditional weeding tools to weed Infusible Ink! Doing so may result in small amounts of ink being pressed into the plastic backing sheet, and that ink WILL transfer to your blank!

finished weeded floral design laid out on mat

Keep the weeded “negative space” design, and set it off to the side for now.

hand placing floral design on mug with cricut mug easy press

Wrap the Infusible Ink design (on the plastic transfer sheet) around the mug. Use additional heat-resistant tape as needed to secure the design tightly to the mug.

Mug wrapped in butcher paper with Mug Press in the background

Turn on the Cricut Mug Press to preheat the machine (there are NO heat settings to adjust – you simply plug it in and power it on!), and then wrap the mug in a protective layer of butcher paper.

Close up of mug handle in Cricut Mug Press machine

Place the mug inside the Mug Press and press down on the lever to tighten and close the press. Keep the mug handle in the center of the open area and make sure that your entire design is covered by the heating plate.

mug wrapped and in easy press

The Cricut Mug Press has a series of five small lights above the power button. These lights act as a progress bar to show you where you are at during the process. The Mug Press automatically adjusts the pressing time depending on several factors including ambient temperature, so actual pressing times will vary, but most mugs take around 6 minutes to press.

When the mug is ready, all five lights in the progress bar will be lit, and the Mug Press will beep to alert you.

gloved hand removing mug from cricut mug press

Carefully remove the mug from the Mug Press and place it on a cooling mat. I highly recommend using heat-resistant gloves! The handle does stay cooler than the rest of the mug, but the body of the mug will be VERY HOT!

Allow the mug to cool for at least 15 minutes or until the mug is cool enough to handle.

removing design from mug and revealing finished floral mug

Remove the layer of butcher paper, and peel back the Infusible Ink transfer sheet to reveal the brightly colored design! DO NOT throw away the plastic backing paper!

hand holding finished floral infusible ink mug

How cool is that? 😍

reusing the infusible ink transfer sheet

Next, remove the leftover pieces of Infusible Ink paper that remained on the plastic backing from the first mug and throw them away. Position the “negative space” Infusible Ink design into place on the plastic backing sheet. (If you hold the plastic up to the light, you should be able to easily see exactly where to position everything!)

taping design to another plain white mug

Wrap the Infusible Ink design tightly around the second mug blank and tape into place as needed. Wrap the mug with butcher paper, and repeat the Mug Press process for the second mug.

mug now placed in cricut mug press
stencil being removed to reveal colored floral design on mug

Allow the mug to cool, and then peel to reveal!

hand holding white mug with pink floral design

I love the way that this one turned out, too! 😍

two completed mugs finished using cricut easy mug press

I’m not sure which one of these Infusible Ink mugs I like best! They’re both super cool!

heidi holding finished infusible ink mugs

What I love the most, though, is that with this technique and using with both the “positive” and “negative” images, there is VERY little waste involved! I was able to make two mugs with one single 5″ x 11″ piece of Infusible Ink!

infusible ink mugs with tea bags

These awesome mugs with inverse designs are a great way to make the most of your Infusible Ink materials!


Infusible Ink Mugs

cricut infusible ink mugs made with mug press

Infusible Ink Mug Set

5 from 2 votes
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Equipment:

What You’ll Need:

Instructions:

  • Create your mug design in Cricut Design Space and click the green "Make It" button.
  • Use your Cricut Machine to cut your design from a sheet of Infusible Ink.
  • Carefully weed the Infusible Ink sheet using your hands or tweezers.
    Save the weeded “negative space” design, and set it off to the side for now.
  • Turn on the Cricut Mug Press to preheat the machine.
  • Wrap the Infusible Ink design (on the plastic transfer sheet) around the mug. Use additional heat-resistant tape as needed to secure the design tightly to the mug. Wrap the mug with a layer of protective butcher paper.
  • Place the mug inside the Mug Press and press down on the lever to tighten and close the press. The Mug Press will beep to alert you when the mug has finished pressing.
  • Carefully remove the mug from the Mug Press and place it on a cooling mat. I highly recommend using heat-resistant gloves! The handle does stay cooler than the rest of the mug, but the body of the mug will be VERY HOT!
    Allow the mug to cool for at least 15 minutes or until the mug is cool enough to handle.
  • Remove the layer of butcher paper, and peel back the Infusible Ink transfer sheet to reveal the brightly colored design! DO NOT throw away the plastic backing paper!
  • Next, remove the pieces of Infusible Ink paper that remain on the plastic backing and throw them away. Position the “negative space” design into place on the plastic backing sheet. 
  • Wrap the Infusible Ink design tightly around the second mug blank and tape into place as needed. Wrap the mug with butcher paper, and repeat the Mug Press process for the second mug.
  • Allow the second mug to cool, and then peel to reveal the design.

Notes:

We used Cricut Design Space image #MCBCE30D “Large Flowers Mug” for the mug set here.
 
Did You Make This?Mention @HeidiKundin or tag #hihmakersclub on Instagram to show off your awesome work! ♥

Image of text that says Heidi

Don’t Forget to Pin These Infusible Ink Mugs for Later!

infusible ink mug set from one sheet of ink!

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Definitely going to try this one, using it both ways to save
    material. Thank you so much! Easy to follow instuctions….