OVEN METHOD
Please Note: The settings below are based on my own thermo-fan oven. Every oven performs differently, so you may need to adjust the temperature and time to suit your equipment. Think of it like baking a cake—what works in one oven may not work exactly the same in another.
If your oven has top and bottom heating elements or grill functions, it may run hotter than a thermo-fan oven. Always test with a spare tumbler first before processing customer orders.
Important: Over-baking can cause your print to appear faded, dull, or washed out.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C for 15 minutes.
- Position the oven tray in the middle of the oven or slightly below centre.
- Place a sheet of silicone paper or baking paper on the tray.
- Secure your sublimation print tightly to the tumbler using heat-resistant tape.
- Wrap shrink film around the tumbler and slit it down one side. Secure it tightly around the print and trim any excess length if necessary.
- Use two rows of 2cm heat tape along the shrink film join to prevent it from separating during baking.
- Using a heat gun, shrink the film tightly around the tumbler until it is smooth and free from creases or air bubbles.
- Keep the heat gun approximately 10–15cm away from the tumbler.
- Move it continuously, similar to using a hair dryer.
- Do not hold the heat gun too close, as this may melt the shrink film.
- Place the tumbler upside down in the oven.
- Bake for 6 minutes at 180°C.
- Remove the tumbler from the oven and immediately remove the shrink film, tape, and paper.
Safety
⚠️ Always use heat-resistant gloves when removing tumblers from the oven.
Tips & Recommendations
- Slitting the shrink film down the side before applying it is often the easiest method. Instead of struggling to slide the film off after baking, you can simply remove the tape and unwrap it.
- Always secure the shrink film join with two rows of 2cm heat tape to reduce the risk of the film pulling apart during baking.
- Do not allow shrink film to come into direct contact with the raw tumbler surface. Occasionally the film can stick to the tumbler and become difficult or impossible to remove.
- Use silicone paper between the shrink film and the tumbler to protect the surface.
- On older shaped tumblers, I recommend wrapping the entire tumbler with silicone paper, even if you are only sublimating part of the surface.
- For straight-sided tumblers, silicone paper is generally not required unless you prefer the additional protection.
