Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
3 oz Paper Cups
Custom Printed Cups
Specify thisCustom Printed Cups
Paper Cone Cups
Bespoke paper Cone Cups manufactured to order, with material and finish chosen around how the product ships.
- Minimum order
- 100 units
- Production
- 3–5 business days
- Construction
- paper cup
- Delivery
- US, UK, Canada, Australia
No obligation
Price this format
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 paper cone cups have to cope with
Paper Cone Cups hold water or a cold drink at a dispenser, used once and discarded within a minute. That is the starting point for the specification, because a cone cup cannot stand. That is the entire constraint and it rules out most seated service.
In service they are used for water coolers, dispensers and events where the drink is taken and finished at once.
Where paper cone cups are actually used
Paper Cone Cups are specified for water coolers, dispensers and events where the drink is taken and finished at once. A cone cup cannot stand. That is the entire constraint and it rules out most seated service.
- Water coolers, dispensers and events where the drink is taken and finished at once
- Coffee shops and cafés
- Quick-service restaurants
- Events and catering
The substrate for paper cone cups
A light cone-formed stock. Nothing heavier is needed for a cup used for under a minute.
The options we would consider for this format are below; a cone cup cannot stand. That is the entire constraint and it rules out most seated service.
- Single-wall PE-lined paperboard
- Double-wall paperboard
- PLA-lined compostable board
- Ripple-wall board
Printing paper cone cups
Very limited area and a taper. A simple mark works; a detailed design distorts.
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 paper cone cups
Very limited area and a taper. A simple mark works; a detailed design distorts.
Every finish listed here is its own pass through the line, so each one is priced on its own rather than folded into a single figure.
- Matte outer
- Gloss outer
- Uncoated kraft outer
- Soft-touch outer
Sizing paper cone cups
Small cone volumes, typically 4oz to 7oz, which cannot be put down.
Send the contents rather than a box size. Cone cups are ordered on cost without recognising they only work where the drink is consumed immediately.
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 paper cone cups before service
Used for anything the customer needs to set down, which a cone cup cannot do.
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
Send the product dimensions, the quantity and your deadline. What comes back is a board grade, a structure, a print method, a lead time and a written price — not a number on its own.
You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.
Testing the fit first
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
Paper Cone Cups at a specification level
| Product | Paper Cone 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 Paper Cone 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
Paper Cone
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What you get
Where this holds up on a line
Sized to the contents
Small cone volumes, typically 4oz to 7oz, which cannot be put down.
What goes wrong in service
Used for anything the customer needs to set down, which a cone cup cannot do.
What it is specified for
Specified for water coolers, dispensers and events where the drink is taken and finished at once.
What decides the job
A cone cup cannot stand. That is the entire constraint and it rules out most seated service.
This format sits in our custom printed cups range, alongside 21 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Running paper cone cups: common questions
Specification, minimums and lead times for paper cone 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 paper cone 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.
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 paper cone 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 paper cone 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.
How long do paper cone cups take to produce?
3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Paper cup runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.
What do paper cone cups cost?
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. Finishing passes are the lever buyers most often underestimate: each one is a separate run through the line.
Next step
Start on Paper Cone Cups
Send the fill size and the volumes you run. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.