Personalized Coffee Mugs: Steel Mug Styles, Logos and Names
A personalised coffee mug for a brand or a team is often a stainless steel office mug or travel mug rather than ceramic, because a double-wall steel mug keeps coffee warm, survives a bag and carries a logo well. Here is how to choose the mug style, the personalisation method and the packaging.
By Feng, Head of After-Sales Service & Online Marketing Lead
Personalized coffee mugs for business orders are mugs decorated with a logo, a name or both, for staff, clients, cafés or events. Stainless steel versions come in two main styles: office mugs with a side handle, and travel mugs with a closing lid for commuting. They can be laser engraved, screen printed or, on a coated body, UV printed, and the lid and body colours can carry the brand too. BG Drinkware, a drinkware manufacturer in Yongkang, China, makes stainless steel coffee mugs and travel mugs from 350 ml to 650 ml, plus small pure titanium cups, and some models offer a ceramic-coated interior. It can put a different name on every mug in a bulk order, quoted separately. The standard minimum order is 500 pieces per model and colour, negotiable, and a sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days. Lower minimums for some start-up teams need an order-specific quotation. Each name has a separate MOQ. BG usually declines individual-name runs because of labour costs; confirm acceptance and pricing first. Different logos are counted separately for MOQ.
Which coffee mug styles can be personalised?
The main choice is an office mug with a handle or a travel mug with a closing lid. Office mugs suit desks, meeting rooms and client gifts. Travel mugs suit commuters and events. Small titanium cups suit premium gifts. Pick the style first, then the method.
| Model | Capacity | Style | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee mug with lid | 12 oz | Office mug | Steel side handle, clear sliding lid |
| Egg-shaped mug with handle | 360 ml | Office mug | Rounded handle, clear lid |
| Business mug with tea filter | 400 ml | Office mug | Large side handle, screw-on lid |
| Temperature display mug | 650 ml | Office mug | Side handle, optional temperature-display lid |
| Metal mug with flat lid | 350, 500 ml | Gift mug | Two-piece flat lid; frosted bag and colour box |
| Travel cup with sliding lid | 350, 600 ml | Travel mug | Sliding lid |
| Coffee travel mug | 380 ml | Travel mug | Faceted body, flip lid, woven wrist strap |
| Commuter mug | 510 ml | Travel mug | Flip lid, carry loop, 68 mm base |
| Titanium coffee cup | 150–260 ml | Premium gift | Pure titanium, textured metallic finish |
For how mug styles compare in daily use, see the coffee mug with lid guide; for the range, see coffee cups.
How can a steel coffee mug be personalised?
By laser engraving, screen printing or UV printing, chosen by the surface. Laser engraving gives a silver, grey or frosted mark without ink. Screen printing suits solid-colour logos. UV printing gives full colour on a coated mug. Bare stainless steel cannot be UV printed, so choose the finish first.
The brand can also go on the parts around the logo: a body colour, a lid colour and the packaging. For colour, see Pantone colour matching; for coatings, see powder-coated tumblers and soft-touch finishes. For engraving, see the engraved tumblers guide.
Where should the logo go on a mug with a handle?
Decide who should see it. With the mug held in the right hand, one side of the body faces the drinker and the other faces people across the desk; a logo directly opposite the handle is seen side-on. Many brands put the main logo on one side and a name or second mark on the other, clear of the handle.
Give the logo width and height, measure the position from the rim or the base, and say how it relates to the handle. The position is agreed on screen, then confirmed on a physical sample; see logo placement. On travel mugs, also check the logo is not covered by a wrist strap or carry loop.
Can each mug have a different name?
Yes. BG Drinkware can put a different name or text on every mug in a bulk order. It costs much more than one design for all, and the price depends on how complex the design is. Send the names as a spreadsheet, one row per mug, and ask for a quote for both options.
Add a column for the model or colour if the order is mixed, and one for the team or office so mugs can be packed by group. Test the longest name on the sample. For the full process, see personalised tumblers in bulk and personalised water bottles.
Should a personalised coffee mug have a ceramic-coated interior?
Consider it when the mug is mainly for coffee and the buyer wants a ceramic-like inner surface. Some of BG Drinkware's steel cups offer a ceramic-coated interior as an option, such as the 380 ml small travel cup and the 500 ml cup with a dual-sip lid. Most of the other mugs use a 304 stainless steel interior.
Ask which models offer it and how it affects the price. For more, see ceramic-coated tumblers and whether steel mugs can go in the microwave.
What packaging suits a personalised mug?
For gifts, a colour box or a gift box with the mug inside a bag is common; the 350 ml and 500 ml flat-lid mugs, for example, come in a frosted bag and colour box. For named mugs, label each box with the name or group, so the mugs can be handed out without opening them.
Ask whether the box can be printed with the brand; gift sets can combine a mug with other items. See custom drinkware gift sets and export packaging and cartons.
What should a personalised mug order include?
Send the capacity, quantity, model, body and lid colours, logo method, artwork, logo position, packaging, payment terms and trade terms. Add the name list if every mug is different, and say how mugs should be packed. Send vector artwork, such as AI, EPS, PDF or SVG, with text converted to outlines.
Most of BG Drinkware's coffee mugs start at 500 pieces per model and colour, and the minimum is negotiable. A sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days, and bulk production takes a reference 7–12 days from receipt of the deposit, subject to timely approvals. For campaigns, see promotional drinkware; for iced drinks, see iced coffee tumblers.
Personalized coffee mug FAQ
Short answers to the questions brands and buyers ask most about personalised mugs: steel or ceramic, names on every mug, logo position and order sizes. Details about BG Drinkware come from its product pages and its standard order terms, so check them against your sample.
Are personalised steel mugs better than ceramic?
For travel and gifts, steel mugs have practical advantages: a double-wall steel mug keeps coffee warm longer, many have a closing lid, and steel is much harder to break. Ceramic suits mugs that stay in an office or a café. BG Drinkware's mugs are stainless steel or titanium, and some offer a ceramic-coated interior.
Can I put a different name on each coffee mug?
Yes. BG Drinkware can put a different name on every mug in a bulk order. It costs much more than one design for all, and the price depends on the design. Send the names as a spreadsheet, one row per mug, and test the longest name on the sample. Each name has a separate MOQ. BG usually declines individual-name runs because of labour costs; confirm acceptance and pricing first.
Which side of a mug should the logo go on?
With the mug held in the right hand, put the logo on the outward side if people across the desk should see it, or on the inner side if the drinker should. Directly opposite the handle, it is seen side-on. Many brands use both sides, clear of the handle.
What is the minimum order for personalized coffee mugs?
Most of BG Drinkware's steel coffee mugs start at 500 pieces per model and colour, and the minimum is negotiable. Individual names are quoted separately. A sample of an existing model takes up to 7 days, and bulk takes a reference 7–12 days from receipt of the deposit, subject to timely approvals. Lower minimums for some start-up teams need an order-specific quotation. Each name has a separate MOQ. BG usually declines individual-name runs because of labour costs; confirm acceptance and pricing first.
Planning personalised coffee mugs?
Send the capacity, quantity, model, colours, logo method, artwork, packaging, payment terms and trade terms, plus your name list if needed.
