Question 1

What is TumblerForge?

Accepted Answer

TumblerForge is a design studio for laser-engraved drinkware. You pick a real tumbler blank, design the wrap in your browser with true physical measurements, preview it live on a 3D cup, and export a production-ready SVG for your laser plus photo-quality mockups and spin videos for your listings. It's built by Maker Foundry, the same shop that sells the engraving blanks.

Question 2

How do I create an account?

Accepted Answer

Click Sign in (top right) and choose Continue with Google, or enter your name, email, and a password. Email signups get a confirmation link — click it and you're in. Creating an account is free; you only pay if you start a subscription or buy Lifetime.

Question 3

How do I start my free trial?

Accepted Answer

Go to the Pricing page, pick Monthly or Annual, and click Start free trial. You'll enter a payment method at checkout but you are not charged during the 7-day trial. If you cancel before the trial ends you pay nothing; otherwise it converts to the plan you picked. Each customer gets one trial.

Question 4

What's included in a plan? Is there a free version?

Accepted Answer

TumblerForge is a paid tool with a 7-day free trial. Every plan — monthly, annual, or lifetime — includes the full studio, every tumbler template, live 3D previews, and watermark-free SVG, mockup, and video exports; the trial includes all of it. Without a plan you can create an account, browse the tumbler library, and try the demo designs. (Heads up: during the open beta the studio is temporarily open to everyone.)

Question 5

What are the browser and system requirements?

Accepted Answer

Any recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari on a desktop or laptop. The 3D preview uses your graphics hardware through WebGL, which every modern machine supports. A mouse or trackpad is strongly recommended — this is precision design work.

Question 6

How do I add text to my design?

Accepted Answer

Click Text in the left toolbar, then double-click the text on the canvas to edit it. Pick from the built-in font library — hovering a font in the picker live-previews it on your selected text — or upload your own .ttf/.otf font file.

Question 7

How do I upload my own artwork?

Accepted Answer

Use Upload SVG for vector art (best for engraving) or Upload image for PNG/JPG. If you upload a raster image you can click Trace image → SVG to convert it to vectors so it can be outlined, welded, and subtracted like any other shape.

Question 8

How do I size things exactly (inches or millimeters)?

Accepted Answer

Select an object and use the X / Y / W / H fields in the top toolbar — they accept exact numbers in your chosen unit. Toggle mm/in on the right panel; the toggle also switches the on-canvas ruler labels, which show inches as fractions like 12 3/8". The canvas itself is always true physical size, so 3 inches on screen is 3 inches on the cup.

Question 9

What are the vertical red and blue lines on the canvas?

Accepted Answer

They're the wrap geography: ORIGIN and SEAM (both red) mark where the wrap ends meet — on handled cups that's the handle line. The center line is the front of the cup (opposite the handle), and the blue quarter lines are the left and right sides. Objects snap to all of them, so centering a name on the front or a monogram on the side is one drag.

Question 10

What happens if my design goes past the seam?

Accepted Answer

It wraps around the cup. The studio shows a ghost copy of anything crossing the seam so you can see exactly how the two edges meet, and the 3D preview and exports fold the overflow to the other side automatically — just like taping a paper template around a real blank.

Question 11

What are the shaded horizontal bands on some templates?

Accepted Answer

Taper transitions — the zones where the cup changes diameter (like the 40 oz waist). The labels show the circumference above and below the band. Art crossing a transition will compress slightly on the narrow part of the real cup, so keep critical text out of the band when you can.

Question 12

Can I move my whole design around the cup?

Accepted Answer

Yes — use the rotate-view slider in the right panel. It slides the entire design around the circumference (wrapping at the seam), which is how you fine-tune where the design lands relative to the handle without moving pieces individually.

Question 13

How do layers work?

Accepted Answer

Every object is a layer, listed top-first in the Layers panel on the right. Click a row to select it (even if it's buried under other art), drag or use the arrows to reorder, and click the eye to hide a layer while you work. New objects are always created on top.

Question 14

How do I group and ungroup objects?

Accepted Answer

Select multiple objects (drag a box or shift-click) and click Group in the top toolbar; a group moves and scales as one. Ungroup splits it back apart. Grouping is temporary glue — for permanent single-shape behavior, use Make compound instead.

Question 15

What does Make compound do, and when do I need it?

Accepted Answer

It merges a multi-part SVG into one single path — one layer, one click to select, holes preserved. Uploaded SVGs often arrive as dozens of separate pieces; compounding them first makes boolean operations (subtract, weld) fast and predictable. Release splits a compound back into its parts.

Question 16

Can I recolor parts of my design to keep track of layers?

Accepted Answer

Yes — the color swatch in the top toolbar applies any of 12 layer colors to the selection, including everything inside a group. Color is a working aid: engraving only cares about shape, and the 3D preview shows every design as engraved metal regardless of its canvas color.

Question 17

How do I resize without distorting my design?

Accepted Answer

The lock icon in the top toolbar keeps the aspect ratio tied — change W and H follows. Unlock it to stretch one axis on purpose. Corner handles on the canvas always scale proportionally.

Question 18

How do I put an outline around a name or design?

Accepted Answer

Select the object(s) and click Add outline in the left toolbar, choosing the offset distance in millimeters. TumblerForge builds one smooth contour around the outer silhouette — interior holes are ignored, so a script name gets a single clean border, not a bubble around every letter opening. The outline is placed directly beneath the objects it traces.

Question 19

What's a sticker outline?

Accepted Answer

A ring instead of a filled shape: Add sticker outline creates a band around your design with a set offset and band width — the classic die-cut sticker look, great for patch-style engraving borders.

Question 20

What does Text → outlines do?

Accepted Answer

It converts live text into vector paths. Do this in two cases: (1) when you want to run boolean operations on lettering (subtract a name from a background, weld letters together) — live text can't be boolean'd directly; and (2) before exporting, if your design uses a TumblerForge font you don't have installed on your own computer — outlining bakes the letters into shapes so they engrave identically in LightBurn, xTool, or any laser software without needing the font. After converting, the text is no longer editable as text, so finish your wording first.

Question 21

How do Subtract, Weld, Intersect, and Exclude decide what to keep?

Accepted Answer

Layer order is the rule: the BOTTOM object in the selection is the base. Subtract cuts the upper shapes out of the base (like Illustrator's Minus Front); Weld fuses everything into one shape; Intersect keeps only the overlap; Exclude keeps everything except the overlap. Check the Layers panel before a boolean if the result surprises you.

Question 22

How do I knock a name out of a background wrap?

Accepted Answer

The classic move: upload your wrap and Make compound. Add your name in text on top, then Text → outlines. Select the name outline and the wrap together and click Subtract — the wrap is the bottom layer, so the name is cut out of it. If you added an outline around the name, subtract that instead for a padded knockout.

Question 23

After a subtract, where does the result go?

Accepted Answer

The result takes the base object's place in the layer stack. Anything that was sitting above — like the text that punched the hole — stays above and stays selectable. Nothing jumps to the top of the stack unexpectedly.

Question 24

How do I pick my tumbler?

Accepted Answer

In the right panel: choose the tumbler type (20 oz, 40 oz, mug…), then the engrave metal — the plating color that shows where you engrave — then the powder-coat color. The template canvas re-sizes to that cup's true dimensions and your design carries over.

Question 25

Why does my design show up as shiny metal in the preview?

Accepted Answer

Because that's what laser engraving does: it burns away the powder coat to reveal the plated metal underneath. Your design's canvas color doesn't matter — the preview shows every engraved area as the cup's plating (gold, rainbow, copper…), which is exactly what the finished cup looks like.

Question 26

Why do some powder-coat colors say “not stocked at Maker Foundry”?

Accepted Answer

Every cup previews every plating and the full standard powder-coat palette, so you can mock up blanks from any supplier. Combinations Maker Foundry stocks link to the exact product; the rest are preview-only and link to the drinkware collection instead.

Question 27

What happens to my design when I switch cup sizes?

Accepted Answer

Your art keeps its true physical size — a 3-inch name stays 3 inches. If you switch to a smaller cup that can't fit the design, it's scaled down proportionally to fit the new template and pulled back into view, so nothing gets stranded off-canvas.

Question 28

How accurate are the cup shapes?

Accepted Answer

Wrap dimensions and safe zones match the paper templates we cut from. Some 3D body shapes are still being refined against caliper measurements of the physical blanks — the wrap math is production-accurate even where the preview silhouette is approximate.

Question 29

How do I export a file for my laser?

Accepted Answer

Click Download production SVG in the right panel. The file is written at true physical size with millimeter dimensions — LightBurn, xTool Creative Space, and every major laser suite read it at exactly the right scale with no resizing. Production SVG contains only your design; the template guides aren't included.

Question 30

What's the “layered SVG” export, and how do I use it?

Accepted Answer

Download layered SVG gives you the same design plus the template guides, each on its own color so your laser software can separate them into layers: orange = the template guidelines, section/handle labels, and panel boxes; blue = your text; and your artwork stays the color you drew it. In your laser app, set the orange color/layer to No output (skip) so the guides don't burn — they're there as an on-material reference. Use the plain production SVG if you just want the art with nothing extra.

Question 31

My text looks wrong or throws an error when I open the file in my laser software — why?

Accepted Answer

Laser programs like LightBurn and xTool Creative Space can only render a font that's installed on your computer. If your design uses a TumblerForge font you don't personally have installed, the text can shift to a substitute font or trigger an import error. The fix: before exporting, select your text and click Text → outlines (or Weld it into your design) to bake the letters into vector paths. Outlined text engraves exactly as designed on any machine, no fonts required. You don't need to do this for our template labels — the layered SVG already exports those as outlines automatically.

Question 32

How do I export mockups for my shop listings?

Accepted Answer

Export mockup PNG renders a three-view product shot (handle left, back, right) from a fixed studio camera at print resolution. Pick a background color first in the right panel. Paid plans export clean; free accounts include a small watermark.

Question 33

Can I make a spinning video of the cup?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Export spin video renders a full 360° turntable rotation as a 6-second 1920×1920 square MP4 at 30fps, which clears Etsy's 5-second minimum for listing videos and drops straight into Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. It renders frame by frame from a fixed camera at full quality regardless of your preview window size, so the length is exact and the spin is perfectly smooth.

Question 34

What settings should I engrave with?

Accepted Answer

Settings depend on your laser and the blank's coating, so start from your machine's powder-coat presets and test on the bottom of a spare cup. TumblerForge guarantees the geometry — size, placement, seam alignment — and your laser test settles power and speed.

Question 35

What plans are available?

Accepted Answer

Monthly, Annual (about two months free versus monthly), and Lifetime — one payment, every current and future feature forever. Current prices are on the Pricing page. All plans include the full studio, every tumbler template, watermark-free exports, and everything we add later.

Question 36

How do I upgrade from the trial to a paid plan?

Accepted Answer

You don't need to do anything — when your 7-day trial ends, the card you entered at signup is charged for the plan you picked and your access continues uninterrupted. To change your mind before then, switch plans or cancel from your account page.

Question 37

How do I switch between monthly and annual?

Accepted Answer

Account page → Switch to annual (or monthly). The change happens immediately: Stripe prorates the difference, credits unused time from your current plan, and settles it on the spot. No support ticket, no double billing.

Question 38

How do I upgrade to Lifetime if I'm already subscribed?

Accepted Answer

Account page → Upgrade to Lifetime. The unused portion of your current paid period is calculated automatically and applied as a discount at checkout — if you're one month into an annual plan, roughly eleven months of value comes off the Lifetime price. Your subscription is ended automatically so you're never billed for it again.

Question 39

How do I update my payment method?

Accepted Answer

Account page → Manage billing. That opens Stripe's secure billing portal, where you can add or replace cards, update your billing email and address, and see every invoice. We never see your card number — Stripe handles it end to end.

Question 40

How do I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Account page → Manage billing → Cancel plan, then confirm. You keep full access until the end of the period you've already paid for; after that your account drops to the free tier. Your designs and account stick around — resubscribe anytime and everything's where you left it.

Question 41

Do you offer a money-back guarantee?

Accepted Answer

On subscriptions, yes. If TumblerForge isn't for you, email tumblerforge@makerfoundryco.com within 30 days of your first subscription payment and we'll refund it in full. No questions, no friction. Lifetime is different: it's a one-time purchase, not a trial, and it's final and non-refundable — which is why the 7-day free trial exists. Try everything free first, then buy Lifetime during or after the trial at the same price.

Question 42

What happens when my trial ends if I don't want to continue?

Accepted Answer

Cancel before the trial's end date (shown on your account page) and you're never charged. Your account sticks around — you can browse the library and demo designs — and studio access resumes the moment you subscribe again. Nothing is deleted.

Question 43

A font won't convert to outlines — what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Nearly every font converts, including uploaded ones; the studio automatically handles fonts with exotic ligature tables. If one still refuses, it's usually a corrupted or unusual font file — try re-downloading it or use a studio font. Note that fancy connected scripts may outline as individual letters, which is invisible for names at engraving size.

Question 44

Subtract removed the wrong thing.

Accepted Answer

Booleans keep the BOTTOM layer as the base and cut the upper shapes out of it. Open the Layers panel and check the order: the shape you want to keep should be lowest in the selection. Move it down (▼), then run Subtract again. Cmd/Ctrl+Z undoes any boolean.

Question 45

My uploaded SVG shows solid where it should have holes.

Accepted Answer

Select it and click Make compound — TumblerForge preserves the file's hole-fill rules when merging, which restores counters that some export tools flatten. If a specific file still misbehaves, email it to us and we'll dig in.

Question 46

The studio feels slow with my big SVG.

Accepted Answer

Compound it. A single 300-piece SVG left ungrouped means every operation touches 300 objects; Make compound collapses it to one. If you need to edit a piece afterward, Release, edit, and re-compound.

Question 47

I can't log in / forgot my password.

Accepted Answer

On the sign-in page use the reset link, or if you signed up with Google, click Continue with Google — there's no separate password in that case. Confirmation email missing? Check spam for mail from tumblerforge-noreply. Still stuck: tumblerforge@makerfoundryco.com.

Question 48

The 3D preview isn't updating with my edits.

Accepted Answer

The preview recomposites automatically a moment after each change. If it ever wedges (usually after the computer wakes from sleep), refresh the page — your design persists across reloads within a session, and exports always render from the live canvas.

Frequently asked questions

— Getting Started

— Designing in the Studio

— Layers & Editing

— Outlines & Boolean Tools

— 3D Preview & Tumbler Templates

— Exports & Engraving

— Account & Billing

— Troubleshooting