Tumblers are such an easy way to express yourself, your mood for the day or moment or to gift. Tumblers are also very popular, you can personalize them in so many ways. Most of the ways you can personalize them are pretty fool proof but a full tumbler vinyl wrap is a different level of skill.
In order to do a full tumbler vinyl wrap you will need a tumbler, vinyl (permanent or temporary), transfer tape and rubbing alcohol. Here are the steps you will follow to create your full vinyl wrap:
- Deisgn wrap
- Cut wrap
- Clean the tumbler
- Apply transfer tape
- Remove decal from backing
- Apply to tumbler
- Remove transfer tape
- Reveal final product
The full vinyl tumbler wrap is a fairly difficult skill to master, in this full tumbler wrap tutorial you will learn everything you need to create amazing fully wrapped tumblers! Not only will you learn how to make them but you will learn everything that is needed!
Materials Needed
First things first, you will need some supplies gathered before you start creating. Set yourself up for success and have all the materials you need ready!
Here is the list of materials used:
- Tumbler – one used is from Heat Transfer Warehouse
- Permanent or adhesive vinyl – permanent will last significantly longer
- Rubbing alcohol
- Scraper tool or credit card
- Transfer tape
- Design software to make your design or purchase one off Etsy
Once you have all of your materials gathered you can begin the first step!
Designing
Design your wrap using Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio or purchase one off Etsy (preferred if you are not a graphic designer or can not measure to save your life). Etsy and Cricut Access has several predesigned (and sized) wraps. You will want to make sure you pay attention to the type of cup you have as well.
Some tumblers are tapered while others are straight, some are skinny and some are normal. These are big factors when it comes to picking a design. If your tumbler is tapered it will be wider at the top and smaller at the bottom.
Once you have your design picked or created you are ready to move to the next step which is cutting!
Cut Your Image
Next you will need to cut your image with your Cricut or Silhouette machine, there are other cutters out there as well but these are the two most popular for smaller based businesses. When you are ready to cut go ahead and send your design to your cutter. For this project you DO NOT mirror your image, it will cut right facing.
Load your vinyl onto your mat (unless you are using Cricut Explore Air 3 or Maker 3 and the Smart Vinyl) facing color side up and smoothen it onto the mat, try to remove all the air bubbles. Then load the mat and vinyl into your cutter and press go.
Once you are all done with cutting then you will need to weed out your negative spaces, depending on the design you chose this can be smooth and quick or a massive pain. Once weeded you will place the transfer tape over the decal and slowly press it on top so that it sticks to the decal.
Next you are ready to clean the tumbler!
Cleaning the Tumbler
One of the most important steps in this entire process is to clean the outside of the tumbler. You can clean the tumbler with rubbing alcohol, nothing crazy. The reason this step is vital is because it removes any debris and oils that can cause the vinyl to not stick properly or peel off shortly after applying it.
Do not avoid this two second simple step, it will pay off in the vinyl product.
Apply the Decal
Now you want to apply the decal to the tumbler. Start with the middle of your design and line it up on the tumbler so that the top and bottom fall on where they should. Lay the decal (middle portion first) onto the tumbler. Smooth in this order – top to bottom then left to right and repeat until it covers the tumbler.
Then smooth it out further by using a scraper tool, your hand or a credit card. You want to make sure there are little to no air bubbles. If you come across any fold or wrinkles don’t smooth those out yet. Leave them for now.
Remove the Transfer Tape
Once you have the wrap in place you are able to slowly remove the transfer tape. Slowly is the key word here. If you move too fast you will either pull up the vinyl or tear it and you do not want that. If you pull the tape and the vinyl starts to come up take your finger and push it back down, then pull the tape back more.
Once the transfer tape is removed completely you can work on fixing those vinyl pieces that may have had wrinkles. For these you will simply pull up the wrinkles piece using a weeding tool or tweezers. It is easier if you pull from the middle or wherever the wrinkle starts and out to the edge of the piece. The you will just place it back on the tumbler and smooth it out with your finger.
Completed Tumbler
After you have removed the transfer tape and all of the wrinkles the only thing left is to smooth it our one last time and you will have yourself a completed full vinyl wrap tumbler! Remember, when you gift or sell these make sure the recipient knows they are NOT dishwasher safe, the vinyl will peel after so long.
Final Thoughts
Full vinyl wrap tumblers can be tricky, at first, but once you do a few you get the hang of it and can whip through them in no time at all. Now you have the tools and know how on these super popular items and can get to making your own.
Be sure to check out some other nifty functional craft ideas through our other posts here on Craft-ILY as well as checking out some videos on DIY and How To’s over on YouTube. Look for “Crafting Unedited” or just click the name in blue to see!