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 hold up to daily use and minor drops without the cracking or peeling you'd see with sublimation or vinyl wraps.

It holds up very well to everyday use. UV ink is cured hard right on the cup, over a primer layer that helps it grip, so it does not peel like a vinyl wrap or fade like a sublimation print. What wears any print is abrasion: steel wool, rough scrubbers or harsh cleaners. Stick to a soft sponge, mild dish soap and warm water and your print will stay vibrant for years. Laser engraving is cut into the item and is permanent.

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 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.

Art prep & proof: $25. Our team cleans your art, builds the white ink layer for your cup color, and checks it on a proof of your cup before we print.

It's one fee per custom design (your own logo, photo or artwork), charged on each cup line. It's waived when that cup line reaches a full case: 24 cups, or 12 on the 32oz and 40oz water bottles, the 15oz mug and the 40oz travel mug. Text-only designs have no fee. If your art needs redrawing, we quote that separately. Orders of 50 or more go through a quote, and quotes at that size include setup.

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 10–14 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. 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 14 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.

Holiday orders: order by November 25 for holiday delivery.

We ship to all 50 US states, including Alaska and Hawaii (transit there can take a little longer). We don't ship outside the United States.

Standard shipping is free on US orders of $75 or more. Orders under $75 pay a flat $8.00 for standard shipping, and Express shipping is a flat $15.00 on any US order.

We ship with USPS or UPS, picked for your package size and destination, and transit usually takes 3 to 7 business days after production.

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.

Online, pack pricing applies at 6, 12 and Case. For B2B and corporate orders of 50+ pieces, volume pricing kicks in and per-unit cost decreases as quantity increases. Quotes of 50+ pieces include setup. 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 50 or more pieces, and the per-unit cost decreases as quantity increases. Quotes of 50+ pieces include setup. 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.

It depends on the drinkware, so there are two parts: the print and the drinkware itself.

The print. On powder-coated tumblers and bottles, our UV print holds up in the dishwasher as standard. On glass and bare stainless steel, the standard print is hand wash, or we can add a dishwasher-safe treatment to the print for an extra cost. Just ask for it with your quote. Laser engraving is cut into the item and does not wash off.

The drinkware. Every cup, bottle and glass follows its maker's care rating, and extended soaking or high heat can affect an insulated tumbler's vacuum seal. When in doubt, hand wash with a soft sponge and mild soap. Avoid steel wool, abrasive pads and harsh cleaners like oven cleaner or bleach, which can scratch any printed surface.

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.