WarpFor Cricut
Tumbler curve calculator
Straight text slants on a tumbler that is wider at the top. Measure the cup, and this works out the exact curve that makes the words sit straight, as a Bend value for the text generator.
Calculator
| Band radius at the bottom | 85.0 in |
|---|---|
| Band radius at the text | 89.0 in |
| Band radius at the top | 93.0 in |
| Angle the text spans | 2.6° |
| Slant without the curve ends below the middle | 0.02 in |
| Bend (Arc amount) | 0.01 (exactly 0.014) |
Open the text warper with Bend 0.01
Arc style, Bend set, width set to your text. Type the words, pick a font, export.
How it works
A tumbler that is wider at the top is a slice of a cone. Unroll its wall and you do not get a rectangle: you get a curved band, part of a ring whose centre is the cone's tip, somewhere below the cup. Any line that reads straight on the cup is an arc of that ring on the flat decal. Text cut straight and wrapped on climbs at one end and dives at the other.
Three measurements fix it. With the top circumference Ct, the bottom circumference Cb and the wall length s (the height, give or take a hair for the lean):
- Radius of the band at the bottom edge: R = Cb × s ÷ (Ct − Cb), and R + s at the top. Text sitting part-way up the wall uses the radius at that height.
- Angle the text spans: θ = text width ÷ R in radians, × 57.3 for degrees.
- Bend in the generator: θ in degrees ÷ 180. The Arc style bends a word through Bend × 180° and keeps its width along the curve, so the value maps straight across.
For a typical 20 oz skinny (Ct 9.3 in, Cb 8.5 in, s 8 in) the band is 85 in from its centre at the bottom and 93 in at the top; 4 in of text at mid-height spans 2.6°, a Bend of 0.014, which the slider rounds to 0.01. "Slant without the curve" is how much that matters: the sag of the arc, how far the ends of a straight decal land below its middle once wrapped.
From the number to the cup
- Press Open the text warper. It opens on the Arc style with the Bend set and the design's width set to your text width; type the words and pick a font.
- Export. The free PNG is for a screen or a sublimation test print; the cut-ready SVG (Plus) is one welded path, so the letters stay together on the transfer tape.
- In Design Space, upload the SVG, set the width to the same number, and cut. No resizing, no Curve slider.
- Apply with the hinge method, from the middle of the word outward, so the small curve lands where it should.
Measuring the tumbler
Wrap a soft tape measure around the rim and around the base; a strip of paper and a ruler work too. Measure the height of the part you will decorate, not the whole cup, and if the text sits near the top or the bottom, put its height in the optional box: the radius changes along the wall, and so does the curve, a little. One measurement set per cup; do not trust a chart for another brand.
The full guide, curved text for tumblers, has the worked table for a 20 oz skinny, decal sizes that fit, and the decorative arcs (the ones that are meant to show), which use a much bigger Bend on the Arc or Arch style.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Bend value so small?
A 20 oz skinny tumbler's wall unrolls into a band about 89 in from its centre, so 4 in of text spans only 2.6°. On a slider where 1 is a half circle, that is 0.01. The curve is barely visible on the flat decal and exactly right on the cup; without it the ends of the word sit 0.02 in lower than its middle.
Does my tumbler need this at all?
Only if it is tapered. Wrap a tape measure around the top rim and around the bottom: if the two numbers match, the wall is straight and text needs no curve. Most skinny and stainless travel tumblers are a little wider at the top; most straight-sided cups and jars are not.
Which way does the text curve?
For a cup that is wider at the top, the middle of the text sits higher than its ends on the flat decal (a positive Bend in the generator). Once wrapped, it reads straight. A cup that is wider at the bottom needs the opposite, and the calculator gives a negative value.
What about 30 oz and 40 oz tumblers?
Measure them. Brands differ by half an inch or more in circumference, which is why the calculator asks for your cup instead of offering a list. The formula is the same for any size: the radius of the unrolled band is the bottom circumference times the wall length, divided by the difference between the two circumferences.
Does Cricut Design Space's Curve tool do this?
It can, but it has no way to type the value: the Curve slider is set by eye, and its smallest useful moves are much larger than the 0.01 to 0.03 a tumbler needs. The generator here takes the exact number and exports a welded SVG that Design Space cuts as it is.
Is it the same for a full sublimation wrap?
The idea is, but a full wrap is a different job: the whole print has to be the unrolled band's shape, not just the text curved. Use a tapered wrap template for the artwork and this calculator only for text placed on a straight-walled part, or for a vinyl decal.