Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
6 oz Paper Cups
Custom Printed Cups
Specify thisCustom Printed Cups
3 oz Paper Cups
3 oz Paper Cups built to your specification — your dimensions, your board, your print.
- Minimum order
- 100 units
- Production
- 3–5 business days
- Construction
- paper cup
- Delivery
- US, UK, Canada, Australia
No obligation
Start a quote
Name, email, phone and what you are packing and the volumes you run. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.
What 3 oz paper cups have to cope with
3 oz Paper Cups hold espresso, tastings and sampling — a very small volume with a specific purpose. That is the starting point for the specification, because this is a stay-in-place size. If the drink has to leave the counter, a 4oz with a lid is more practical.
In service they are used for espresso bars, in-store sampling and tasting events where the cup is used in place.
Where 3 oz paper cups are actually used
3 oz Paper Cups are specified for espresso bars, in-store sampling and tasting events where the cup is used in place. This is a stay-in-place size. If the drink has to leave the counter, a 4oz with a lid is more practical.
- Espresso bars, in-store sampling and tasting events where the cup is used in place
- Coffee shops and cafés
- Quick-service restaurants
- Events and catering
The substrate for 3 oz paper cups
Single-wall with a hot lining. Nothing more is needed for a drink consumed in seconds.
The options we would consider for this format are below; this is a stay-in-place size. If the drink has to leave the counter, a 4oz with a lid is more practical.
- Single-wall PE-lined paperboard
- Double-wall paperboard
- PLA-lined compostable board
- Ripple-wall board
Printing 3 oz paper cups
Very little printable area, and much of it is held. A single mark is all that fits legibly.
Offset lithography, Flexography, Digital press are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.
Finishing 3 oz paper cups
Very little printable area, and much of it is held. A single mark is all that fits legibly.
The finishes below are quoted line by line. Each is an additional pass, so dropping one is a real saving rather than a rounding difference.
- Matte outer
- Gloss outer
- Uncoated kraft outer
- Soft-touch outer
Sizing 3 oz paper cups
3oz, which is espresso and sample size rather than a drink anyone carries.
Send the contents rather than a box size. A 3oz cup is ordered for takeaway espresso, but lid availability at this size is genuinely limited.
What moves the price
Four things drive a quote more than anything else: the quantity, the print route, the board grade and the number of finishing passes. Dimensions matter too, but usually through how efficiently the shape nests on the press sheet.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. If a cheaper route exists we say so at quoting rather than after the invoice.
Holding 3 oz paper cups before service
The cup is too small for a lid family that suits it, so takeaway service is not practical at this size.
Paperboard also absorbs moisture from the air until it equalises with its surroundings. If stock sits more than about six weeks in unconditioned space, a moisture-resistant coating is worth its small premium.
What we need from your files
Cup artwork is built on a fan-shaped dieline. Keep type at least 6 mm from the top rim and bottom curl, and expect slight distortion at the seam.
Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.
What we need from you
Start with dimensions and quantity. If you already run something similar, a physical sample tells us more in a minute than a specification does in a page.
You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.
Sampling before you order
A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
3 oz Paper Cups at a specification level
| Product | 3 oz Paper Cups |
|---|---|
| Category | Custom Printed Cups |
| Construction | Paper cup |
| Lining | PE or PLA liquid barrier |
| Rim | Rolled rim, lid-compatible |
| Wall | Single, double or ripple wall |
| Materials | Single-wall PE-lined paperboard, Double-wall paperboard, PLA-lined compostable board, Ripple-wall board |
| Printing | Offset lithography, Flexography, Digital press |
| Finishes | Matte outer, Gloss outer, Uncoated kraft outer, Soft-touch outer |
| Minimum order | Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises. |
| Lead time | 3 to 5 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia |
Specification builder
Specify 3 oz Paper Cups in under a minute
Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.
- 100-unit minimum
- 3–5 day production
- Free dieline
- No obligation
3 oz
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In practice
Where this holds up on a line
Sized to the contents
3oz, which is espresso and sample size rather than a drink anyone carries.
What goes wrong in service
The cup is too small for a lid family that suits it, so takeaway service is not practical at this size.
Where it is used
Specified for espresso bars, in-store sampling and tasting events where the cup is used in place.
What decides the job
This is a stay-in-place size. If the drink has to leave the counter, a 4oz with a lid is more practical.
This format sits in our custom printed cups range, alongside 21 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
3 oz Paper Cups: questions buyers ask
Specification, minimums and lead times for 3 oz paper cups.
Are these food-contact compliant?
We specify food-contact compliant boards and inks where the pack touches food directly. Tell us whether contact is direct or through a liner for 3 oz paper cups, because it changes which stocks are available to you.
How do you stop grease showing through?
A grease-resistant coating or a greaseproof liner. Untreated board will always strike through eventually with hot, oily food — that is a property of the material rather than a quality fault, and it is inexpensive to design out.
Are these suitable for hot and cold drinks?
The wall construction and the lining differ between the two. A cup specified for hot service will sweat with a cold drink, and a cold cup will not insulate. Tell us which service you need, or both if you want a single stock item.
Can I see a sample first?
Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. Worth running a few through your actual line rather than checking them by hand: fill speed and hot contents find fit problems that a desk check does not.
Can you match packaging we already use?
Send the current specification or a physical sample and we will quote to match it rather than proposing an alternative you would then have to re-approve internally. Tell us the coating on the pack you are matching too. Grease and moisture resistance are not visible in a sample and they change which stocks we can quote.
Where do you deliver?
All 50 US states, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, on the same timeline everywhere: 3 to 5 business days of production after artwork approval, then 5 to 7 business days in transit. Every run is made to order and shipped directly to your address rather than pulled from stock, so you receive current production rather than whatever has been sitting in a warehouse. Freight is costed separately by weight, volume and destination. This format nests or lies flat, so a large quantity takes up far less freight volume than the finished pack suggests.
Can I order 3 oz paper cups in a custom size?
Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the paper cup around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.
What happens after I approve the quote?
We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and paper cups then take 3 to 5 business days.
Can you hold the specification for repeat orders?
Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. The board and coating are held together, so a reorder cannot quietly arrive on a stock with different grease resistance.
Do you offer recycled or recyclable options?
Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for paper cups. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.
What file format should I send artwork in?
A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. The dieline we supply carries the crease positions, so keeping type clear of a crease is easier to solve at layout than at proof.
What is the minimum order for 3 oz paper cups?
A flat 100 units on any format. Most paper cups in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.
Next step
Price 3 oz Paper Cups by the case
Send the fill size and the volumes you run. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.