Mug Press Size Guide: 11oz vs 15oz Templates
Exact wrap template sizes for 11oz and 15oz sublimation mugs, safe-zone margins around the handle, and a worked full-wrap example.
Mug wraps fail at the edges: a design that's 0.2 inches too tall ghosts at the rim, and one measured for the wrong blank drifts into the handle. The numbers below fit standard sublimation blanks — then a rule that overrides every chart.
The template dimensions
| Mug | Full-wrap template | Safe centered design | Print area height notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 oz | 8.5 x 3.5 in (21.6 x 8.9 cm) | up to 3 x 3 in per side | keep ⅛–¼ in off rim & base |
| 15 oz | 8.75 x 4.25 in (22.2 x 10.8 cm) | up to 3.5 x 3.5 in per side | slight taper — test edge-to-edge art |
| 12 oz latte (tapered) | varies ~8.6 x 3.9 in | 3 x 3 in | tapered walls distort wraps; favor centered designs |
The override rule: measure your blank. Manufacturers differ by up to a quarter inch in both circumference and printable height; "11oz" is a capacity, not a spec. Wrap a strip of paper around one mug from your case, mark the overlap, measure. Two minutes, saves a batch.
Layout logic: one wrap, two visible faces
A mug is seen one side at a time, with the handle splitting the wrap into a "left-hand face" and "right-hand face." For the standard both-sides design on an 11oz:
- Template 8.5 in wide → each face's visual center sits ~2.1 in from each end.
- Keep art out of the ~1 in dead zone at the wrap's center and ends (handle clearance + seam).
- Vertical: center within 3.5 in, staying ⅛–¼ in clear of top and bottom edges — presses grip weakest at the rims, which is where ghosting starts.
Worked example: "Plant Mom" both-sides mug
Design: text + monstera graphic, square-ish, from a 2000x2000 px file.
- Canvas: 8.5 x 3.5 in at 300 DPI = 2550 x 1050 px.
- Place the graphic at 3 x 3 in (900x900 px) centered at 2.1 in from the left end; duplicate, mirror position at 2.1 in from the right end.
- DPI check: 2000 px ÷ 3 in = 667 DPI — plenty (how that math works).
- For the 15oz variant: same wrap, new canvas 8.75 x 4.25 in (2625 x 1275 px), art scaled to 3.4 in and re-centered vertically. Don't just stretch the 11oz wrap — the aspect change distorts circles into eggs.
- Print with sublimation paper's usual mirror setting, tape with heat tape at the seam, press per your blank's spec.
The Sublimation Size Guide's mug presets render both templates with the handle dead-zones marked, plus a printable ruler for repeatable taping. Selling the finished mugs? An 11oz at $18 + $6.50 real shipping carries about $2.79 in Etsy fees — heavy, fragile, fee-bearing shipping is exactly the case for careful pricing, per the full fee breakdown and the pricing formula.
Sublimation Size Guide
Exact design sizes and placement for tees, totes, mugs and tumblers — with a visual preview and printable placement guide.