Magic Mug

A magic photo mug is a colour changing mug

Mugs that change colour with heat are usually known as "magic mugs". A magic mug produces this surprising effect each time it gets filled with a hot liquid, like tea or coffee. When decorated with a printed photo, colour changing mugs become even more impressive. At first, the mug will appear to be dark grey, while the photo remains invisible. But, as soon as it gets heated up, a colourful picture will appear magically. If printed with an additional text, magic photo mugs can be used to share important news an to prepare a big surprise.

How heat changing mugs really work

Once you see how heat changing mugs work, you willl be curious to understand the magic behind them. Here is the explanation: magic mugs are printed with oxidized inks that produce a thermocromic effect. Once heat is applied, the dark ink coating starts to get clearer until it turns practically invisible. Heat changing mugs are produced using dye-sublimation printing, to preserve the colours of the original picture, as well as food-safe inks. Heat sensitive pigments that change with warmer and cooler temperatures are widely used to create personalised photo gifts, such as baby bottles and mood rings.

Photo mug printing made simple

There are three different ways of printing photos on a mug: either with a portrait layout, landscape orientation or a long panoramic picture - also landscape oriented. When designing your heat changing mug, pay attention to the printing resolution requirements that apply to each case. Landscape photos should be printed with a minimum resolution of 386 x 295 pixels, portrait captions need 295 x 228 pixels and panoramic images require at least 748 x 374 pixels. To make the printed images last for longer, we recommend washing your magic mugs by hand, although they are also dish-washer suitable.

Heat changing mugs prepare a magic surprise

When presenting a heat changing mug, it is important to wait for the right moment and act as if nothing would be happening. This way, the person who you want to take by surprise won't suspect you. Use the magic of these heat reactive mugs to prepare a wedding proposal, wish a happy birthday during your morning breakfast or inform your family that you're expecting a baby. Magic mugs can be custom printed with a critical question or inspirational quotes, such as:

• Please marry me
• Even miracles take a little time
• Guess what?
• I'm in love with a human I haven't met yet
• We're adding a little more love to our family
• A grand adventure is about to beggin
• Great men get promoted to Dad
• We're pregnant. Don't be sad about us. It was on purpose.

The fact that the printed images turn gradually visible from the bottom to the top makes it even more exciting. It's pure magic!

Design your own magic mug

Before starting to design your own mug, try reproducing the effect of the magic mug. This can be done by placing a sheet of paper over the picture and lifting it up slowly. If this looks right, your magic mug is more than likely to turn out well.

To design this enchanting mug, it makes sense to do a pre-selection of the images, to have a greater choice. After all, you will end up seeing this picture every day. Simple and emotional pictures are always the best to pick. In this way, you will still enjoy looking at it many years later. If you design your own mug and order it with myphotobook Uk, you will benefit from a 5-year guarantee.

Two different sizes are offered to design a magic mug: a bigger one that holds 500 ml and a smaller one with a capacity of 200 ml.  With myphotobook's mug maker, you can arrange the pictures, try out different graphic filters, add text, insert cliparts & frames or change the background colour. The online editor also allows you to check the final result in preview mode.

Once your magic photo mug has arrived home, it is time for fun. Say you offer it as a birthday gift. The other person will obviously say thank you for it but will also wonder why they got a simple dark grey mug. Later, when they sit down to drink a cup of tea, - abracadabra! -the magic spell will start to work - and they will be amazed. Try this on your partner, best friend or workmates. And if you try it with your children, they will be absolutely thrilled!

Personalised magic mugs & photo mugs

The magic mug is one of the many different personalised photo mugs that you can create with myphotobook's mug maker. The choice of custom mugs also includes:

• photo mugs (standard),
• panoramic photo mugs,
• silver metallic photo mugs,
• personalised coloured mugs (with two-colours),
• personalised thermos mug.

Select the one that best suits your style and personal preferences and start to upload your own pictures online.

Unusual & personalised photo gifts

Colour changing mugs are indeed an unusual and colourful gift idea for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, weddings and birthdays. If offered as a farewall gift for a colleague who is leaving work, they can show that person how much you appreciate him or her. Personalised photo gifts can help you express with an image what you may not be able to put into words.

Check your computer folders, smartphone snaps, selfies from social networks and find the moments that deserve to be immortalised in personalised photo gifts. Discover the creative possibilities of myphotobook's design tools. All photo gifts can be comfortably designed online on the website or using the free-download software version on your computer, tablet or iPhone. In the latter, you can save a project and continue it at some other stage. With the online editor, it will be necessary to create a previous personal session by registering on the website. Housewarming gifts, travel gifts, personalised children's gifts,  gifts for students & teachers and chocolate gifts are waiting to be customised with your images, funny phrases and inspirational quotes.