Cricut Mug Press Review

Cricut is a popular American brand of cutting machines designed for home crafters. From cutting machines to crafting essentials, Cricut products are known for making high-quality personalized projects a breeze for hobbyists and professionals alike. The Cricut Mug Press is one of the brand’s newest machines and it opens up a world of artistic design possibilities.

In this article, we’ll be reviewing the Cricut Mug Press. The Cricut Mug Press is a highly specialized gadget that will take your mug creations from novice to pro-level status. We’ll cover everything you need to know about this fantastic machine, so you can decide for yourself if the Cricut Mug Press will be a worthy addition to your craft room.

What is the Cricut Mug Press Used For?

The Cricut Mug Press does one thing – creates professional-looking personalized mugs in minutes – and does it very well. If you’re looking to create mugs in various colors, prints, and finishes, then the Cricut Mug Press is for you!

Simply create your design, cut it, and wrap it around the mug. Cricut Mug Press uses Cricut Infusible Ink transfer materials to transfer the design to your mug, and the Cricut mug heating press takes care of the rest. And while it is easy to use, it’s also a high-tech gadget that fits in seamlessly with the rest of the Cricut suite of machines.

Ease of use is a big draw with this machine so if you’re already familiar with Cricut cutting machines and Cricut presses in general, you’ll pick this process up in no time.

Keep reading below for additional details on how the machine works.

How Does the Cricut Mug Press Work?

There are four steps to creating personalized mugs with the Cricut Mug Press:

Set-up: Consists of connecting the Mug Press to a laptop, PC, Mac, or tablet using the USB cable that came with the Cricut Mug Press. You’ll then need to register the machine. Setup is automatic and any new firmware will be downloaded at this time. Be sure to link the Mug Press to the Cricut Design Space so you can use the free creative app to create your mug designs.

Design: First, you’ll create your design using the Cricut Design Space software. You have the choice of creating your own unique design using a template within Design Space or importing an SVG that you’ve found.

And don’t fret if this is your first time designing, there’s a step-by-step tutorial available in Design Space if you need some guidance.

Once the design is complete, it will be ready to cut using the Infusible Ink transfer materials provided. You will not be able to use regular vinyl. The reason is that normal vinyl lays on top of the mug once it’s pressed. Whereas Infusible Ink actually fuses with the mug during the pressing process. This results in a long-lasting transfer that looks much more professional.

Attachment: The next step is attaching the cut-out design onto the mug. First, you’ll need to connect to a Cricut cutting machine and cut the design pattern using a Cricut Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet. This step is important to note because you won’t be able to use your Mug Press without a Cricut cutting machine.

Once the pattern is cut, simply peel off the backing of the pattern cut-out and carefully place it exactly where you want it transferred onto the mug.

Press: Lastly, turn on your Mug Press and insert the mug with the transfer attached. Pull the lever to begin the pressing process, let the machine work its magic, and when it’s done it will beep. While transfer time varies, on average it takes about 5-6 minutes.

It’s advised to let your mug cool on an Easy Press Mat for 15-20 minutes once it comes out of the press. This helps avoid any shadowing effect with the Infusible Ink.

That’s it! Easy, right?

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Here’s a quick how-to video:

How To Avoid Transfer Issues

Here are a few steps you can take to avoid undesirable transfers, such as dots, gridlines, and stray ink:

• Use a blank Cricut mug
• Remove any debris with a lint roller before pressing
• Make sure your design transfer is placed within recommended areas and completely against the mug surface

Cricut Mug Press Design and Features

Mug Press Design

The Cricut Mug Press has a clean, elegant design that’s solid and durable. The size is similar to a coffee maker or mid-sized humidifier. It’s easy to see that the brand has created a machine that’s smartly crafted, built to last, and looks good, much like their other machines.

Operating the Cricut Mug Press is easy peasy. There’s only a power button and a lever. Simply press the power button to turn the machine on, wait for the light to appear, signaling it’s ready to use, then place the mug into the machine and pull the lever. This is one of the features that makes the Cricut Mug Press much simpler to use than other mug presses. You don’t have to adjust temperatures and times! It is done for you with the push of a button!

Cricut suggests that you place a heat-proof mat underneath the Mug Press. Although the machine itself stays cool, the heating plate inside gets very hot. Keep in mind that this is a pro-level tool, not a toy. Children should always be supervised around the Cricut Mug Press.

Mug Press Features

• Patent-pending heat plate – For consistent, professional results every time. You don’t have to worry about manual temperature or pressure settings.

• Auto-Off Safety Feature – The Cricut Mug Press automatically shuts off after sitting idle for a while. It will give a warning beep and if you don’t press the power button or place a mug in the press and pull the lever, it will automatically turn off.

• Easy One Touch Settings – Simply press the power button and the LED lights will track the transfer progress. Once the transfer is complete, the Mug Press will beep.

• Dishwasher and Microwave Safe – This means you’ll be able to use your mugs to your heart’s content without worrying about cracking, peeling, or fading. Just throw it in the microwave to heat up your coffee or tea and then run it through the dishwasher to get it squeaky clean.

Pros and Cons of the Cricut Mug Press

First, the pros:

Professional Quality Transfers. Put quite simply, the results are amazing! Again, no need to worry about cracking, peeling, or fading over time. You just can’t get these professional results from regular vinyl.

Easy to use. This is where Cricut knocks it out of the park. As we said, all you need to do is press a button to begin the transfer process and the machine handles the rest. The LED progress bar will track the transfer process and will beep once complete. It’s so simple and fun – you just may become obsessed.

Safety Features. First, the exterior of the machine doesn’t get hot because the case is fully insulated. And with the automatic shutoff feature, you won’t need to worry about forgetting to shut off the machine. It will automatically shut off after several minutes of inactivity.

Works seamlessly with all Cricut cutters. You’ll be pleased to know that the Cricut Mug Press works with all of the cutting machines offered by the company, despite its advanced capabilities.

It looks good. The Cricut Mug Press isn’t just easy and fun to use, it looks great too. We know this isn’t as important as some of the other pros but rest assured, you’ll like the way this machine looks sitting in your craft room or workshop.

Now for the Cons:

You have to use the Cricut suite of machines and materials. To use the Mug Press, you need a Cricut cutting machine to create designs and cut your transfer. You’ll also need to use their Infusible Ink transfer sheets, pens, and markers for the best results. And although you can use other brands, for guaranteed results you should use Cricut Mug Blanks.

Price. Cricut Mug Press sells at a higher price point than most other mug presses available on the market. And the cost of materials can get expensive. However, we feel that this awesome machine and the results it produces make it a good value, especially when you consider the consistently high-quality results you’ll get from this machine. You’ll end up with less waste as you experiment with new design ideas.

Should I Buy A Cricut Mug Press?

If the Cricut Mug Press is essentially an add-on, is it worth the expense?

Ultimately, yes. The three features that we feel make the Mug Press worth the expense are the consistent professional results, ease of use, and safety features. Additionally, it’s a good-looking machine that’s fun to use.

And even though you have to use Cricut materials, there are times when you can go outside of the Cricut sphere of products. For instance, the Cricut Mug Press uses standard-sized mugs but be sure to follow the sizing and heat resistant requirements. Otherwise, the exceptional quality and consistent results that Cricut’s materials produce make this specialty machine a worthy purchase.

If you already own a Cricut cutting machine and you’re familiar with Design Space app, we highly recommend the Mug Press. If you’re a serious crafter or own a mug design business, we feel it’s definitely worth the investment. However, if you craft only occasionally, you may want to explore other mug press options but just know you won’t get the consistent professional-quality results that you’ll get with the Cricut Mug Press.

The Mug Press may be a little pricey but you can get more for your money by purchasing the bundle, which includes the Cricut Mug Press machine, a box of two white Cricut Mugs, Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheets, 4.5 x 12in sheets in black, downloadable SVG files specifically designed for Cricut Mugs.

This little machine has a lot going for it and you may just find yourself obsessed with making mugs once you get started.

Last update on 2023-11-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API