How We Speed Up Mug Printing in Our Print Shop

At Vivid Design & Print Co, mug printing has become one of our most popular personalised products. From custom photo mugs and branded business mugs to one-off gifts, demand has grown steadily. As orders increased, so did the need to improve our mug printing workflow and reduce wasted time and materials.

In this post, we are sharing how we speed up mug printing in our print shop, reduce errors, and improve consistency using a few simple but effective tools.

The problem with traditional mug printing workflows

Anyone who prints mugs regularly will know that design placement is one of the biggest challenges. Common issues include:

• Designs printing too high or too low on the mug

• Logos not centred correctly

• Inconsistent placement between mugs

• Wasted blank mugs due to alignment errors

When you are printing mugs for customers, even small alignment issues can mean reprints, wasted stock, and lost time. This becomes especially noticeable when order volumes increase or when working to tight turnaround times.

We found that “eyeballing” design placement simply was not reliable enough, especially for repeat orders or batch printing.

Improving mug printing accuracy and speed

To improve both speed and accuracy, we reviewed our entire mug printing process. The goal was simple: remove guesswork and standardise design placement.

One of the most effective tools we introduced was a mug alignment guide designed specifically to help position artwork correctly before printing.

Rather than manually adjusting designs for each mug, we now use a digital alignment template that ensures designs sit in the same position every time. This has dramatically reduced mistakes and reprints.

The mug alignment tool we now use daily

We now use MugMate, a digital mug alignment guide that allows you to line up mug designs accurately before printing.

You can view it here:

👉 https://www.mugmate.co.uk

MugMate works by providing a clear visual guide that matches standard mug sizes, making it easy to centre logos, text, and artwork consistently. It fits seamlessly into our design process and works perfectly for sublimation printing, vinyl mug designs, and custom printed mugs.

Since adding this tool to our workflow, we have seen:

• Faster mug design setup

• Consistent print placement across orders

• Fewer wasted mugs

• Reduced stress during busy periods

For any print business or hobbyist printing mugs regularly, having a dedicated mug design template makes a noticeable difference.

Speeding up dispatch with better order handling

Alongside improving mug printing accuracy, we also focused on speeding up dispatch. Introducing a label printer has been a game changer for order fulfilment.

Shipping labels are now printed instantly, clearly, and consistently, which saves time and reduces errors when sending out customer orders. Combined with a smoother mug printing process, this has helped us maintain fast turnaround times without sacrificing quality.

Why workflow matters in a print shop

Efficient workflows are essential in a modern print shop. Whether you are printing mugs, clothing, posters, or signage, small improvements add up quickly.

By using tools that improve mug printing accuracy and reduce manual adjustments, we can focus more on quality control and customer service rather than fixing avoidable mistakes.

Final thoughts on mug printing efficiency

If you print mugs regularly and want to improve consistency, reduce waste, and speed up production, investing in the right tools is well worth it. For us, adding a dedicated mug alignment guide has become a standard part of our setup.

If you are looking for a simple way to improve mug design placement, you can check out the mug alignment guide we use here:

👉 https://www.mugmate.co.uk

Small changes can make a big difference, especially when orders start to scale.