Where to Buy Blank Tumblers: Sublimation, Coated or Bare Stainless Blanks
Wondering where to buy blank tumblers to decorate yourself? Start with the surface: it decides which printing or engraving method will work, so choose the supplier and the blank by your method.
By Feng, Head of After-Sales Service & Online Marketing Lead
To buy blank tumblers in bulk, go to a manufacturer that can state the outside surface of each blank, because the surface decides whether sublimation, laser engraving, screen printing or UV printing will work. BG Drinkware, a drinkware manufacturer in Yongkang, China, supplies four kinds of blank: sublimation blanks with a sublimation coating, most often in a 20 oz straight-sided shape; powder-coated blanks, coated in-house; spray-painted blanks; and bare stainless steel blanks, which take screen printing and laser engraving but not UV printing. Sublimation printing only works on the sublimation coating. Blanks start at 300 pieces, a blank sample is charged and credited against the bulk order, a sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days, and bulk production takes 7–12 days after sample approval. Coatings vary slightly from batch to batch, so test-print each new batch before running a full order.
What are blank tumblers?
Finished cups with no logo, made to be decorated by someone else.
A blank tumbler is a finished cup with its outside surface coated or left bare, and nothing printed on it. The buyer is usually a print shop, an engraver or a brand with its own decoration line. Because the decoration happens after the cup leaves the manufacturer, the blank has to be ordered with the surface that suits the buyer's method.
Which blank works with which decoration method?
Match the surface to the method before you compare prices.
| Blank | Sublimation | Laser engraving | Screen printing | UV printing | Coating source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sublimation blank | Yes | Confirm per model | Confirm per model | Confirm per model | Outsourced |
| Powder-coated | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | In-house |
| Spray-painted | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Outsourced |
| Bare stainless | No | Yes | Yes | No | No coating |
Sublimation printing uses heat to turn dye into a gas that bonds with a polyester-based sublimation coating, so it only works on a sublimation blank; our guide to sublimated tumblers explains the process. Laser engraving on a coated blank removes the coating to show the steel, and laser engravable tumblers covers how the coating changes the mark. On a bare stainless blank, BG Drinkware decorates by screen printing or laser. UV printing will not hold on bare steel, so a UV-printed design needs a powder-coated or spray-painted blank.
Which sublimation tumbler blanks are most common?
At BG Drinkware, the 20 oz straight-sided blank.
The 20 oz straight-sided shape is the sublimation blank BG Drinkware supplies most often. Straight sides let a sublimation sheet wrap the body evenly, which is why sublimation blanks are usually straight rather than tapered. BG Drinkware outsources the sublimation coating to an outside coating partner, checks the coated bodies when they come back, picks out defective units, then supplies the coated blanks to the decorator for printing. Any straight-bodied tumbler in the range can take a sublimation coating. For how BG handles the process, see dye sublimation.
For the model itself, see the 20 oz blank straight sublimation tumbler.
Will a repeat order of blanks match the first one?
Closely, but not exactly: coatings vary slightly from batch to batch.
A coating from a different production batch can differ slightly from the last one. The difference is small and within the normal range, but it can be enough to change how a print takes or how an engraving looks with the same machine settings. BG Drinkware cannot guarantee that a repeat order uses the same coating batch, and no coating process can remove this variation completely.
For what changes between batches and which differences count as defects, see why blank tumbler coatings change between batches.
The same check helps with print durability; our guide to why printed logos rub off tumblers covers the adhesion tests worth running on a decorated sample, such as the cross-cut adhesion test in ISO 2409 (paints and varnishes).
Which models are available as blanks?
Every model can be supplied blank, and the surface follows your decoration method. Bare stainless steel is available on every model, a sublimation coating fits any straight-bodied tumbler, and powder-coated and spray-painted blanks are made to order. The models below are examples, and other models can be made the same way.
| Surface | Example models |
|---|---|
| Powder-coated | 20 oz coffee tumbler with lid options; 30 oz tumbler with lid options; 470 ml tapered coffee tumbler; 12 oz egg-shaped coffee cup |
| Spray-painted | 20 oz coffee tumbler with dual-drink lid; 200 ml and 300 ml mini coffee cups; 500 ml detachable-neck water bottle |
| Sublimation-coated | Any straight-bodied tumbler; the 20 oz straight tumbler is the most common |
| Bare stainless steel | Every model |
Where can you buy blank bottles for engraving?
The same way as tumblers: from a manufacturer that supplies undecorated stainless steel water bottles in bulk and can state the surface. BG Drinkware supplies blank water bottles in bare stainless steel or powder-coated for laser engraving, and sublimation-coated bottles for heat transfer, from 300 pieces.
For engraving, a powder-coated bottle shows the logo as bare steel against the colour, while on a bare bottle the mark is made in the steel itself. Check how the bottle's shape affects your machine before ordering: a rotary attachment needs a body it can turn evenly. Capacity can follow your range. See our water bottles range, and engrave a sample on your own equipment before a full run.
What is the minimum order for blank tumblers?
300 pieces for blanks, and a blank sample is charged, with the charge credited against the bulk order.
Packing for blanks is set per order, so state how you want them packed, for example individually boxed or packed loose in cartons. For larger programmes, our guide to tumblers in bulk covers the wider order details. When the blanks arrive, use our blank tumbler inspection checklist and test-print log.
Send these details for a blank tumbler quote
- Capacity and model, for example the 20 oz straight-sided sublimation blank.
- Blank type: sublimation, powder-coated, spray-painted or bare stainless.
- Colour, quantity per colour and total quantity.
- Your decoration method, so the surface can be matched to it.
- Packaging, payment terms and trade terms.
For how blanks are made and checked before shipping, see manufacturing and quality control.
Blank tumbler FAQ
Quick answers for decorators ordering blanks.
Where can I buy blank tumblers for engraving?
From a drinkware manufacturer that supplies undecorated cups in bulk, so you can choose the surface, colour and packing. BG Drinkware supplies sublimation, powder-coated, spray-painted and bare stainless blanks. Blanks start at 300 pieces. A blank sample is charged, and the charge is credited against the bulk order, so test one on your own equipment first.
Can you sublimate a regular stainless steel tumbler?
No. Sublimation printing needs a polyester-based sublimation coating to take the dye, so a bare stainless or ordinary painted tumbler will not hold the print. Order sublimation blanks with the coating already applied. At BG Drinkware, the most common sublimation blank is the 20 oz straight-sided tumbler, whose straight sides let the print wrap evenly.
Can you UV print on a bare stainless steel tumbler?
No. UV printing will not hold on bare stainless steel: the body needs a sprayed coating first. BG Drinkware decorates bare stainless blanks by screen printing or laser engraving instead. If you need UV printing, choose a powder-coated or spray-painted blank. Tell the supplier your decoration method when you order, so the surface is matched to it from the start.
Will blanks from a new order print the same as the last order?
Nearly, but not exactly. Coatings vary slightly from one production batch to the next, which is normal and cannot be avoided entirely. The difference can change how a print or an engraving comes out on the same settings, so test a few pieces from each new delivery and adjust your settings before decorating the full order.
Are powder-coated blanks good for laser engraving?
Yes. On a powder-coated blank, the laser removes the coating and shows the steel underneath, so the logo shows as exposed steel against the colour. BG Drinkware applies powder coating in-house. Results still depend on the coating colour and your machine settings, so engrave a sample before a full run.
Sources
Need blanks for your decoration line?
Send the capacity, quantity, model, colour, decoration method, packaging, payment terms and trade terms for a quotation.
