Cricut Mug Press
Hey Homies!
Thanks for joining me for another blog! This week we’re crafting!!!!
I recently purchased a Cricut Mug Press, and let me tell you, honey- it’s AMAZING!!
What is the Cricut Mug Press
The Cricut Mug Press is the latest release from Cricut. It is a super simple machine that allows crafters to make professional-looking mugs with the push of a button. Literally!! With this machine there's no need to set temperature nor pressure, Cricut does it all for you.
There has been a lot of negative talk about the Cricut Mug Press. Many crafters weren’t excited about the price. Many were sure it would only be compatible with Cricut brand products. Many were just annoyed that Cricut was trying to take over another portion of the market.
All of which I can totally understand.
I have a 5-in-1 heat press that comes with a much press attachment. I bought it almost right after buying my Cricut Explore Air 2. I knew that I wanted to make T-shirts, but as I learned more I wanted to make more.
What was/is wrong with the 5-in-1 mug press?
For one, the attachments are clunky. The pieces are pretty heavy and hard to store. Second, the press times were inconsistent. Almost every video I watched told me a different amount of time to press the mug for. Some times were as little as 60 seconds and others were as long as 240 seconds. Not being sure about the time gave me a bunch of different results. I would get faded ink, gaps, splotches, and tons of ghosting. Third, it was hard to figure out pressure. The pressure on the 5-in-1 is controlled by a knob that you twist to apply and release pressure.
Because the machines are different and there aren’t any specific pressure numbers the most people say is “make sure it’s really tight but tight enough to break the mug.” WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN????
A Lot of the issues I mentioned about the temp portion could’ve definitely been due to the pressure as well. It was hella hard to know what was the right combination, and honestly, I was tired of ruining mugs.
The difference between the 5-in-1 mug press and the Cricut Mug Press
Hmmm...let’s see, convenience, ease, fail percentage, EVERYTHING!! The Cricut Mug Press is set it and forget it mug making. They have predetermined the time and pressure for the perfect pressing. You literally just have to put the mug in, press the lever, and wait for the machine to tell you that your mug is done. It’s truly that easy.
Is the Cricut Mug Press Compatible with only Cricut Products?
Nope! Though they say Cricut mugs and Cricut Ink Joy products, you can use what you have. For my projects, I’ve used the Epson 7720 which I converted to sublimation and sublimation mugs I got from Etsy.
You can watch my project from start to finish below.