Bluetooth Tumbler Sublimation | Step-by-Step Guide (2022)

Have you ever come across the term “Bluetooth Tumblers”? These are the tumblers that have Bluetooth connectivity integrated right into them.

Imagine! How fun and cool it would be if you could turn them into something more significant than they were earlier.

Well, you can easily turn them into that. You can print your favorite images, art, or anything on them. Sounds great! Right.

Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Bluetooth tumbler sublimation requires extreme precautions.

Small mistakes can lead to disappointing outcomes. And Bluetooth speaker tumbler is also expensive, so if you do it wrong, you will also waste your money.

But don’t be concerned. All you need is to read this article from start to finish.

This guide includes super easy steps. Just follow them, and you will be doing sublimation on the Bluetooth tumbler like a PRO in no time.

Sublimation Printing: What It Is and How It Works

Before moving further, it’s necessary to know what sublimation printing is and how it functions.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing is a technique that transfers prints using HEAT onto various blanks like fabrics, metals, glass, tumblers, and many more.

It’s a well-liked and widely used printing method, and in recent years it has gained much traction.

It’s very cost-effective and easy to do. Its results look very professional and last for years.

How Sublimation Printing Works

The overall process is very straightforward. Firstly, the image is printed on the sublimation paper with a sublimation printer and then transferred to the blank using a heat press or tumbler press.

Some methods of the process are different for some blanks.

But mainly, this is the overall process of sublimation printing.

A heat press is usually used for sublimation on fabrics and metals.

And for tumblers, mugs, and bottles, a tumbler press is used.

Methods To Do Bluetooth Tumbler Sublimation

Below we discuss two methods for doing sublimation on Bluetooth tumblers.

Sublimation with Tumbler Press
Sublimation With a Convection Oven

Well, they are not two different methods. Almost all the steps of both methods are the same.

The only different step is that In the first method, we will use a tumbler press for transferring prints on the Bluetooth tumblers.

And in the second method, we will use a convection oven. If you have a tumbler press, use the first method.

But If you have a convection oven instead of a tumbler press, go with the second method.

Sublimation On Bluetooth Speaker Tumblers (Tumbler Press Method)

Let’s move on to the step-by-step guide on Bluetooth tumbler sublimation.

Don’t miss any step; if you miss any of the steps outlined below, you may waste your time and money by getting poor results.

So, keep reading till the end.

How To Do #sublimation On Bluetooth Tumblers Click to Tweet

Required Things

Okay, we are starting with the required things. To do sublimation on Bluetooth tumblers, you must have the following items in hand.

1- Sublimation Printer

First, you must have a sublimation printer available for printing on sublimation paper.

Sublimation printers are printers filled with sublimation inks. You can’t use regular inkjet printers for sublimation printing.

Though, you can convert them into sublimation printers. To do it, check out how to convert a printer to a sublimation printer.

Or, if you are looking to buy a new sublimation printer, see these best sublimation printers.

And for sublimation inks, I would recommend INKXPRO sublimation inks. They are very popular and give the best results.

2- Sublimation Paper

Secondly, you will need a sublimation paper, on which a sublimation printer will print the image.

Don’t use regular plain papers for sublimation. They give the least results.

Always use the best sublimation paper in order to get perfect results.

Although I recommend using 125g sublimation paper.

3- Bluetooth Tumblers

The next thing you will need is Bluetooth tumblers. This is a tumbler with a Bluetooth speaker. There are a lot of Bluetooth tumblers available on Amazon, Etsy, and many other marketplaces.

You can get any of them according to your budget.

4- Heat Tapes

The most essential thing in this process is heat tapes. Heat tapes aren’t necessary when doing sublimation on fabrics.

But for sublimating on tumblers, they are the most important thing. You can’t sublimate on tumblers without heat tapes.

5- Heat Resistant Gloves (optional)

Heat-resistant gloves aren’t a compulsory thing. Get it if you have a budget.

Heat gloves save your hands from burning. Other than that, there is no use of heat gloves.

6- Tumbler Press

The last thing you will need is the tumbler press.

As of now, I am using the tumbler press method for doing sublimation on the Bluetooth tumbler. So you must have a tumbler press.

Step #1 (Image Printing)

Open up the image or art in the graphics software like CorelDraw, Photoshop, or Canva and follow the steps outlined below.

1- First, make sure the image you are using is of high resolution. Don’t use low-resolution images, they result in blurry prints.

Always go with high-resolution graphics. I recommend using vector graphics because they produce outstanding results.

2- Take the Bluetooth tumbler and measure its length and width. Don’t round up the digits—every point matters.

Take the measurements perfectly. And add one inch to the length you have taken.

Adding an inch removes the chances of getting blank spaces on the tumbler after pressing.

3- Come to the graphic software you are using. In my case, I am using CorelDraw.

Transform the size of the image according to the size of the tumbler you have taken.

4- Then turn on your sublimation printer and put sublimation paper inside it.

Ensure the printer has plenty of ink and is up for the task. I recommend printing the trial image on plain paper, and if you find any issues, fix them.

5- After all, print the image. Make sure to print in the highest quality and turn any fast printing mode off.

Step #2 (Taping The Tumbler & Image)

The most critical and challenging step is this one. You may get disappointing results if you incorrectly tape the image with a tumbler.

So, don’t make any mistakes while doing this step.

1- Take the printed image, Bluetooth tumbler, and heat tapes.

2- Take the lint roller and remove all the lints from the Bluetooth tumbler.

If you don’t have a lint roller, try to clean it with a microfiber cloth.

3- Wrap the printed image on the tumbler and fix it with heat tapes.

Don’t leave any gaps or bubbles. Tightly tape the image with the tumbler.

4- First, tape the tumbler horizontally. Then make a seam with heat tapes.

Remember to tape it tightly, and don’t leave any gaps while taping.

5- This is how your tumbler will look after taping.

Step #3 (Tumbler Pressing)

Now it’s time for pressing. Turn on your tumbler press and follow the steps outlined below.

1- Set the temperature of the tumbler press between 350 to 360 degrees. Remember that the temperature is not the same for all.

This temperature works best for me. You have to follow the tumbler manufacturer’s temperature. However, if you don’t know which temperature to use, go with my temperature, i.e., 360 degrees.

2- Take the taped tumbler and place it in the middle of the tumbler press in a way that the seam of the tumbler faces the base of the tumbler press.

And then, press it for 60 seconds using medium pressure.

3- After pressing, open the tumbler press and then rotate the tumbler.

This time the seam should face your front. Press it for 30 seconds using the same pressure, i.e., medium.

4- Done pressing, open the tumbler press again, and rotate the tumbler to 180 degrees.

This means the seam should face the back of the press. Press the Bluetooth tumbler for 10 seconds using medium pressure.

5- And that’s all for this step.

Step# 4 (Unwrapping & Final Results)

So the pressing is done. Now it’s time to unwrap the Bluetooth tumbler.

To do it, take the taped tumbler and remove the tapes one by one.

Don’t use hard hands while unwrapping; using hard hands might put scratches.

Always use light hands. After removing all the tapes, you will have your final product, which will look something like this.

VIDEO GUIDE

Sublimation Using Convection Oven

Now let’s do Bluetooth tumbler sublimation with a convection oven.

The initial two steps are the same, so I am not discussing them again and starting from step 3.

To do sublimation on a Bluetooth tumbler using the convection oven method, you must have the following things available.

Sublimation Printer
Sublimation paper
Bluetooth Speaker tumblers
Heat tapes
Heat Resistant Gloves
Convection Oven
Sublimation Shrink Wraps
Heat gun

Yes, too many things. Well, the first five things are the same as the first method.

This process is more expensive and a bit more difficult than the previous method. That’s why I put it in second place.

How To Do #sublimation On Bluetooth Tumblers Click to Tweet

Step #1 (Image Printing)

Same as the tumbler press method

Step #2 (Taping The Tumbler & Image)

Also same as the above method

Step #3 (Tumbler Wrapping)

1- Take the sublimation shrink wrap, then place the taped tumbler inside it. If the wrap length is greater than the tumbler size, cut it to the tumbler size.

2- After that, take the heat gun and start shrinking the wrap. Don’t forget to wear heat-resistant gloves.

3- When done shrinking, turn on the convection oven and set its temperature to 400 degrees.

4- Again, the temperature is not the same for everyone. So always follow the tumbler manufacturer guidelines.

5- Put the tumbler inside the convection oven and oven it for 2 minutes.

6- And that’s all for this step.

Step #4 (Unwrapping)

Wear your heat gloves again and take off the tumbler from the convection oven.

Now same as the first method, take off the heat tapes one by one.

The only thing to consider is not to put any scratches. Only use light hands.

After removing all the tapes, you will have your product, i.e., sublimated Bluetooth tumbler.

VIDEO GUIDE

Some Asked Questions About The Process

Can I sublimate tumblers in a microwave oven?

No, it’s not a good idea to sublimate tumblers in the microwave oven. Microwave ovens are for cooking purposes, not for sublimating tumblers. Putting metals in the microwave can cause damage to the microwave. So always use a convection oven for sublimation purposes.

What happens if you put extra temperature and pressure while sublimating on tumblers?

Putting extra temperature and pressure can result in disappointing outcomes. Many people put extra temperature to get bright results, which is totally wrong. You have to maintain optimal temperature and pressure to get perfect results.