Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
White Paper Cup
Custom Printed Cups
Specify thisCustom Printed Cups
Paper Cups
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
Quote this by the case
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 cups have to cope with
Paper Cups hold general beverage service where nothing about the application is unusual. That is the starting point for the specification, because there is no generic cup. Hot or cold, volume, and lid family are three decisions that have to be made.
In service they are used for general food service, offices and events across a wide range of drinks.
Where paper cups are actually used
Paper Cups are specified for general food service, offices and events across a wide range of drinks. There is no generic cup. Hot or cold, volume, and lid family are three decisions that have to be made.
- General food service, offices and events across a wide range of drinks
- Coffee shops and cafés
- Quick-service restaurants
- Events and catering
The substrate for paper cups
Chosen against the service. Tell us hot or cold and the volume and the rest follows.
The options we would consider for this format are below; there is no generic cup. Hot or cold, volume, and lid family are three decisions that have to be made.
- Single-wall PE-lined paperboard
- Double-wall paperboard
- PLA-lined compostable board
- Ripple-wall board
Printing paper cups
Standardising on one or two sizes keeps print setup manageable across a range of service.
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 cups
Standardising on one or two sizes keeps print setup manageable across a range of service.
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 paper cups
The full range from 4oz through 24oz depending on the drink.
Send the contents rather than a box size. "Paper cups" is ordered as a generic item, when hot, cold, size and lid family all need deciding.
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 cups before service
Buying a general cup for a specific job — hot, cold, or a particular lid family — and finding it does not suit.
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.
Getting artwork press-ready
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.
From enquiry to delivery
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.
Testing the fit first
We can produce a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure of paper cups before committing.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
Paper Cups at a specification level
| Product | 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 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
Paper Cups
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What you get
Why buyers specify this format
Fitted to what goes in it
The full range from 4oz through 24oz depending on the drink.
The failure worth avoiding
Buying a general cup for a specific job — hot, cold, or a particular lid family — and finding it does not suit.
Where it has to work
Specified for general food service, offices and events across a wide range of drinks.
The detail that decides it
There is no generic cup. Hot or cold, volume, and lid family are three decisions that have to be made.
This format sits in our custom printed cups range, alongside 21 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Ordering paper cups: the usual questions
Specification, minimums and lead times for 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 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.
How long do paper 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 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.
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 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.
Next step
Price 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.