FREQUENTLY ASKED

UV printing uses ultraviolet-cured ink that bonds directly to the drinkware surface — no transfers, no vinyl, no heat required. Sublimation requires a special polymer coating and only works on white or light-colored polyester-coated items. UV printing works on virtually any surface color or material and produces sharper, more vibrant full-color results that won't peel or crack.

At Karved, we use rotary UV printing — the drinkware rotates on a cylindrical axis while the print head moves, allowing full 360-degree coverage in a single pass. The ink is cured by UV light immediately as it's applied, so there's no drying time and no smearing risk. The result is a print chemically bonded to the stainless steel surface rather than sitting on top of it, which is why our prints survive dishwashers, daily use, and minor drops without the cracking or peeling you'd see with sublimation or vinyl wraps.

No. UV-cured ink is hardened at the molecular level during printing, creating a permanent bond with the drinkware surface. Unlike vinyl wraps that sit on top and eventually peel at the edges, or sublimation prints that can fade when exposed to UV light over time, our UV direct prints are part of the surface itself. Under normal everyday use, the print will outlast the drinkware.

The most common cause of print wear is abrasion — steel wool, rough scrubbers, or harsh chemical cleaners. Avoid those, and your print will stay vibrant for years. Soft sponge, mild dish soap, warm water — that's all you need. We've had customers return orders of 500+ custom tumblers for a second run after seeing how well their first batch held up after months of daily use in a restaurant environment.

Yes — and this is one of the key advantages of UV direct printing over sublimation. Sublimation only works on white or very light-colored coated surfaces because the dye literally absorbs into the coating, so any background color mixes with the ink color. UV printing lays ink on top and cures it in place, so we can print on black, navy, forest green, burgundy, or any dark color with full accuracy.

For dark or deeply pigmented surfaces, we add a white ink underbase layer first (CMYK+W process). This white layer acts as a blank canvas, ensuring your full-color artwork looks exactly as designed — not washed out or color-shifted by the substrate beneath. The white layer is printed in the same pass, then the color is applied on top and cured together. You won't see or feel the underbase — just a clean, vivid print.

We accept PNG, JPG, PDF, AI (Adobe Illustrator), and SVG files. For the best print quality, vector formats (AI or SVG) are ideal because they scale to any size without losing sharpness. Raster images (PNG, JPG) should be at 300 DPI or higher at the intended print size — a 72 DPI web image stretched to fill a full tumbler wrap will print blurry.

If you only have a low-resolution logo, we can often recreate it as a clean vector for no additional charge on orders of 12+ pieces. For single-unit orders, we'll flag any resolution issues before printing and won't run a job we know will disappoint. We review every file before production begins and send you a digital proof showing exactly how your artwork will look on the product — you approve before we print a single item.

Yes — every custom order includes a free digital proof, and nothing goes to press without your explicit approval. After you place your order and upload your artwork, our team creates a digital mockup showing exactly how your design will be positioned, sized, and colored on the specific drinkware you ordered. We'll email the proof to you, typically within one business day.

If anything looks off — color, sizing, placement, or text — tell us and we'll revise. Revisions are free and there's no limit on rounds. We'd rather spend an extra hour perfecting your proof than run 200 cups with a misaligned logo. Once you reply with your approval, we pull the order into our production queue and your countdown to shipping begins. Approval is the only trigger that starts production — we never assume silence means yes.

Yes. Our Build Your Own tool lets you design directly on a 3D model of the actual drinkware in real time. Upload your artwork, drag it into position, scale it, choose your cup style and color, and see a photorealistic render of your finished product before you place your order. No design experience required — if you can drag and drop, you can use it.

The configurator works on desktop and mobile, and your design session is saved so you can come back to it. When you're happy with the preview, you can add directly to cart. Our team reviews every configurator order before printing to catch any resolution or bleed issues the preview might not have surfaced. The 3D preview is accurate but not a substitute for our human file review — both checks happen on every order. Try the configurator here.

Standard production is 7–10 business days from the day you approve your digital proof — not from the day you place your order. The clock starts when you say go. Most standard orders ship on day 7. For straightforward single-color logo work, we often beat that. Complex full-wrap designs with detailed artwork or tight color matching may take the full 10 days.

Rush production is available with a 20% surcharge for orders needed under 7 business days from proof approval. If you have a hard deadline — an event date, a trade show, a gift that has to ship by a specific day — tell us upfront when you place your order. We'll confirm whether we can hit it before you pay, not after. We won't take a rush order we can't fulfill on time. Domestic US shipping time is additional to the production window.

Our standard Shopify checkout ships within the continental United States only. We don't currently list international shipping as a standard option because carrier rates, customs fees, and delivery timelines vary too much to quote accurately at checkout without leading to surprises on delivery.

That said, we do fulfill international orders on a case-by-case basis for B2B customers, resellers, and large corporate orders where the logistics can be arranged in advance. If you're outside the US and need a custom drinkware order, email us at hello@karvedconcepts.com with your country, quantity, and timeline. We'll pull a quote from our freight partner and be upfront about landed cost, customs exposure, and realistic delivery windows. We'd rather tell you the real cost upfront than have a shipment stuck in customs be your first experience with us.

Free standard shipping applies to all orders over $75 shipping within the continental United States. This threshold is calculated on the subtotal after any discounts are applied. Most single-unit drinkware orders meet this threshold on their own, since our products start at $29.99. A two-tumbler order almost always qualifies.

Orders under $75 have shipping calculated at checkout based on your ZIP code and the weight of your order. We use USPS, UPS, and FedEx depending on package size and your location — the checkout will show you all available options with real-time rates. We don't mark up shipping. If you're on the edge of the free shipping threshold, adding a second item will often cost less than paying for shipping on a smaller order. Expedited shipping (2-day, overnight) is available at actual carrier cost for any order size.

There is no minimum order quantity for online orders — we print one piece as happily as we print five hundred. This is one of the things that makes UV direct printing different from screen printing or embroidery, which require setup fees and minimums to be economical. Every item we print gets the same individual file review, same proof process, and same quality check before it ships, whether it's one cup or a hundred.

For B2B and corporate orders of 12+ units, volume pricing kicks in and per-unit cost decreases as quantity increases. Setup fees are waived at 48+ units. If you need 500 branded cups for a company retreat, submit a quote request and we'll send you a full pricing breakdown within one business day. For contract decoration orders where you supply the blanks, the minimum is 50 pieces. Request a quote here.

Yes. Volume pricing is available for orders of 12 or more units, and the per-unit cost decreases as quantity increases. Setup and design fees are waived entirely at 48+ units. For orders of 100+ units, we also offer dedicated account support, priority production scheduling, and white-label packaging options for resellers who don't want Karved branding on the packaging.

We work with corporate marketing teams, HR departments running employee gift programs, event planners sourcing branded merchandise, brewery and restaurant groups, and promotional products distributors (we're ASI 63908 and PPAI 881980 listed). The fastest way to get pricing is our instant quote engine — enter your product, quantity, and decoration type and you'll have a real-time price within 30 seconds. For large or complex orders, email us directly and we'll turn around a custom proposal the same business day. Get an instant quote here.

Yes — our UV prints are top-rack dishwasher safe. UV-cured ink is hardened at the molecular level during printing, creating a bond with the stainless steel surface that standard dishwasher cycles cannot break down. For maximum print longevity, hand washing with mild soap is recommended, but everyday top-rack dishwasher use won't damage the print under normal conditions.

The main thing to avoid isn't the water — it's abrasion. Steel wool, abrasive scrub pads, and harsh chemical cleaners like oven cleaner or bleach-based products can scratch the printed surface over time. A soft sponge with mild dish soap is all you need. Also avoid extended soaking periods, which can affect the drinkware's vacuum insulation seal over time rather than the print itself. Treated this way, Karved UV prints routinely outlast the drinkware they're applied to. We've never had a customer come back to us with a print failure from normal dishwasher use.

The single biggest enemy of UV prints is mechanical abrasion — steel wool pads, rough scrubbers, scouring powders, and abrasive cleaning sponges. These physically scratch the printed surface layer and will dull or damage any drinkware print over time, not just UV. A soft cloth or silicone sponge with mild dish soap is everything you need for daily cleaning and won't harm the print at all.

Chemical abrasion is the second concern. Bleach-based cleaners, oven cleaner sprays, industrial degreasers, and anything with a strong acid or base can break down the UV ink over time. Mild dish soap, white vinegar diluted in water, or baking soda paste are all safe for occasional deep cleaning. Avoid leaving the drinkware soaking for extended periods — not because of the print, but because prolonged soaking can affect the insulation seal at the lid. Wash, rinse, dry, done. That's the full care routine.

Custom and personalized items are made to order and are final sale — we cannot accept returns or exchanges on custom work unless the item arrives damaged or defective. If your order arrives with a print defect, shipping damage, or a production error, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will issue a full refund or send a free replacement at no cost to you.

Non-custom items (undecorated blanks or standard stock items) may be returned within 14 days of delivery in original, unused condition. Orders may be cancelled within 24 hours of placement for a full refund — after that, production may have begun and cancellation is not guaranteed. For the full policy including damage claim instructions, see our Refund Policy.