Custom Relief & Embossed Mugs

Yes. A relief or embossed pattern is formed in the mug body, so a new pattern means new tooling. Tooling is quoted separately and is not part of the $2.50 per-piece tier; we confirm the tooling cost with the pattern drawing before production is scheduled.

Yes. Send your artwork and we return a free digital mockup in about 1 hour, with the pattern placed on the body and checked for durability and food-contact safety. A physical sample then ships 7–10 days after artwork approval, and the sample fee is credited against the production order.

The pattern is part of the ceramic body rather than an applied layer, so the design reads through the glaze and can be felt when the mug is held. Gift programs and retail lines use it where the shape itself carries the design.

Yes. The relief can stay tone-on-tone in the base glaze, or the raised area can be picked out with a second glaze or a gold rim. Glaze colors are matched to Pantone references at sampling, and the confirmed sample, not a screen proof, is the final color reference.

The relief sits under the fired glaze, so washing does not wear the pattern itself; what sets the care rule is any decoration added on top. A gold-rim highlight on an embossed mug is hand wash only, with no strong dishwasher cycle and no steel wool.

500 pieces per design. Designs and colors on the same body and the same decoration method can be combined to reach that tier, so a two-design gift set still starts at 500 pieces in total. Artwork is approved per design before production.

Indicative pricing for a standard 11oz body, FOB Liling: $2.50 per piece at 500, $2.20 at 3,000 and $2.00 at 10,000, with one full-wrap print up to eight colors and standard export packaging included. Freight, duty, relief tooling, third-party testing and peak-season rush charges are quoted separately.

Relief and embossed mugs run on 8oz, 11oz, 15oz and 20oz bodies, in ceramic, stoneware and bone china. Capacity is nominal to the rim, so actual fill is confirmed on the sample. Smaller espresso cups sit on a separate line outside this range.

Aim to have the sample approved before August: production runs 30–45 days after approval, then about 30 days by sea freight. August to November is the tightest capacity window, so holiday retail programs for relief mugs should be booked into the schedule ahead of that period.

Each mug sits in a molded inner tray, then a retail carton or gift box, and the packed configuration goes through drop tests before shipment. Printed sleeves and FSC-certified board are available where your channel needs them. Send your packaging brief with the artwork and we sample it with the mug.