A case of 36 white 11 oz sublimation mugs is $57.76 to $67.48 at Photo USA. Sell the finished mugs at $15 each and the whole case is paid back by the fourth or fifth sale. This guide works through the math for six popular mug blanks from the buyer's side: what you pay for a case, what the case sells for once printed, and what is left over.
Short answer: For a standard 11 oz white mug, the case is paid back after 3 to 7 sales, depending on whether you sell at $10, $15 or $20 a mug. Every mug after that is money in your pocket.
The number is low because a personalized mug sells on the design, the name and the occasion, not on the ceramic. Buying by the case keeps the price of each blank small next to what the finished mug sells for.
The figures below use current Photo USA case prices and three example selling prices. They do not include your printing supplies, platform fees or shipping, so take those off your own totals.
Short answer: A case of 36 white 11 oz mugs is $57.76 to $67.48. Larger and specialty mugs are more per case, and they also sell for more once printed.
| Mug blank | Case price at Photo USA | Mugs per case |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin 11 oz white | $57.76 | 36 |
| Black ORCA 11 oz white | $67.48 | 36 |
| 11 oz two-tone, black | $73.24 | 36 |
| 15 oz white | $99.96 | 36 |
| 11 oz color changing, black | $125.16 | 36 |
| 20 oz jumbo white | $126.24 | 24 |
Short answer: At $15 a mug, 4 or 5 sales pay back a case of standard 11 oz white mugs, 7 pay back a case of 15 oz mugs, and 9 pay back a case of color changing or 20 oz jumbo mugs.
The calculation is simply the case price divided by your selling price. A $57.76 case sold at $15 a mug is covered on the fourth sale.
| Mug blank | Sold at $10 | Sold at $15 | Sold at $20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin 11 oz white | 6 mugs | 4 mugs | 3 mugs |
| Black ORCA 11 oz white | 7 mugs | 5 mugs | 4 mugs |
| 11 oz two-tone | 8 mugs | 5 mugs | 4 mugs |
| 15 oz white | 10 mugs | 7 mugs | 5 mugs |
| 11 oz color changing | 13 mugs | 9 mugs | 7 mugs |
| 20 oz jumbo (24/case) | 13 mugs | 9 mugs | 7 mugs |
In practice, the larger and more unusual mugs rarely sell at the same price as a standard 11 oz. A 15 oz, a color changing reveal or a 20 oz jumbo usually sits a tier above, which is why our 11 oz vs 15 oz guide recommends stocking both and pricing them apart.
Short answer: Buy a case of 36 standard 11 oz mugs for $57.76 to $67.48, sell all 36 at $15 and the case brings in $540, leaving about $473 to $482. At $20 a mug, the case brings in $720 and leaves about $653 to $662.
| Mug blank | You pay per case | Case sells for at $15 | You keep | Case sells for at $20 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin 11 oz white | $57.76 | $540 | $482 | $720 | $662 |
| Black ORCA 11 oz white | $67.48 | $540 | $473 | $720 | $653 |
| 11 oz two-tone | $73.24 | $540 | $467 | $720 | $647 |
| 15 oz white | $99.96 | $540 | $440 | $720 | $620 |
| 11 oz color changing | $125.16 | $540 | $415 | $720 | $595 |
| 20 oz jumbo (24/case) | $126.24 | $360 | $234 | $480 | $354 |
"You keep" is before printing supplies, your time, platform fees and shipping. It is still the fairest way to compare one blank with another, because those costs are roughly the same whichever mug you press.
Short answer: If your mug press cost $200, about half a case of 11 oz mugs sold at $15 pays it off. A full case sold at $15 covers the press and the case with money left over.
This is the number that surprises most new shops. The equipment feels like the big investment, but one case of Dolphin 11 oz mugs bought for $57.76 and sold at $15 each brings in $540. A press that cost a few hundred dollars is paid off within the first case or two.
Once the press is paid for, the mug press is not the constraint. Time is. A mug presses in about two to three minutes, so the real limit on a busy week is how many cycles you can run, not how many blanks you can afford. Our sublimation time and temperature chart lists recommended settings for every mug style in this guide.
Want to run the numbers on your own order? Photo USA sells by the case with no minimum number of cases, and most orders ship within 24 hours from Fremont, CA and Shepherdsville, KY. Email hello@photomugs.com or contact us with the mugs and quantities you have in mind, and we will send current case pricing.
Short answer: Misprints, single-mug shipping, packaging and discounting are where most mug profit disappears, not the price of the blank.
Misprints and test pieces. Press one test mug from every new case before running the order, and plan on one or two mugs per case for tests and mistakes. That is far cheaper than reprinting a customer order.
Shipping one mug at a time. A ceramic mug is heavy for its size and needs real packing, so shipping a single mug to a customer can take a large bite out of the sale. Bundling, local pickup and bulk orders for teams and companies all protect the margin.
Packaging. A gift box adds cost but also lets you charge more. If you sell to gift buyers, price the box into the mug rather than absorbing it.
Discounting. Dropping from $15 to $12 looks small, but across a case of 36 it is $108 less, which is more than the price of the case itself.
Short answer: Usually yes. A Black ORCA case is $9.72 more than a Dolphin case. One avoided reprint at $15 covers that difference for the whole case.
The coating is what holds the print, so it is the part of the blank that decides whether a customer comes back. Faded or patchy prints lead to remakes, refunds and lost repeat orders, and each of those costs more than the price difference between the two cases. For gifts and retail, the higher grade is usually the cheaper choice over a season. For one-off event giveaways where every cent counts, the lower cost blank can make sense. If you are still deciding what to stock, our wholesale coffee mug guide compares the full range of sizes and case quantities.
Short answer: Standard 11 oz white mugs leave the most per case at the same selling price. Color accent and color changing mugs leave more per sale when customers will pay for the look.
The white 11 oz is the volume product: lowest case price, fastest payback and the easiest to sell in bulk. The styled mugs are the margin products. A two-tone in team colors or a color changing reveal for a gift often sells a few dollars higher, which more than covers the higher case price. Our color mug buyer guide shows which style sells to which customer.
A practical mix for a small shop is to carry the white 11 oz as the core, one size up as the upsell, and one styled mug for gifts and seasonal orders.
For a standard 11 oz white mug, 3 to 7. A case of 36 is $57.76 to $67.48 at Photo USA. Sold at $15 a mug, the fourth or fifth sale covers the case. At $20 it is the third or fourth, and at $10 it is the sixth or seventh.
At Photo USA, a case of 36 white 11 oz sublimation mugs is $57.76 to $67.48. A case of 36 15 oz white mugs is $99.96, 11 oz two-tone mugs are $73.24, 11 oz color changing mugs are $125.16, and a case of 24 20 oz jumbo mugs is $126.24.
A case of 36 standard 11 oz mugs bought for $57.76 to $67.48 and sold at $15 each brings in $540, leaving about $473 to $482. At $20 each it brings in $720, leaving about $653 to $662. That is before printing supplies, your time, platform fees and shipping.
Less than one case for most shops. If a mug press cost $200, selling about half a case of 11 oz mugs at $15 covers both the press and the case. A full case sold at $15 brings in $540.
It depends on your market, your design work and who is buying. This guide uses $10 for bulk and corporate orders, $15 for standard personalized mugs and $20 for gift mugs as example price points. Larger mugs, color accent mugs and color changing mugs usually sell a tier above a standard 11 oz white mug.
Usually, yes. A Black ORCA case is $9.72 more than a Dolphin case at Photo USA. One avoided reprint at $15 covers the difference for the whole case, and better prints bring repeat customers back.
Misprints, shipping single mugs, packaging that is not priced in, and discounting. Shipping one ceramic mug can take a large bite out of the sale, and a $3 discount across a case of 36 is more than the price of the case. Budget one or two test mugs per case and price packaging into the mug.
The standard 11 oz white mug leaves the most per case at the same selling price because it has the lowest case price. Color accent and color changing mugs can earn more per sale when customers pay a few dollars extra for the look. Most shops do best with a white 11 oz core, one larger size and one styled mug.
Ready to plan your holiday order? Read what sells best at Christmas before you stock up for the holidays.
One last note: the figures in this guide use current Photo USA case prices and example selling prices. Your own prices, supplies and fees will differ, so use the method with your numbers to plan each order.
