Custom Paper Cups
A cup is carried through a street, photographed on a desk and held while someone talks to someone else. No other pack gets that much time in public, which is why the print on a cup is worth more per square centimeter than the print on anything else you buy.
Get a price for Paper Cups
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- 4styles in this range, each with its own page and price
- 100unit minimum on every style, printed or plain
- 4markets quoted in the delivery currency
- ±1mmcutting tolerance on folding board, checked on a sample
4 styles in this range
Styles we make in this range
Every one below is written up, priced and dielined. Tap a style to see how it is built.
01See the build →90mm Paper Cups
Custom 90 mm paper cups
02See the build →Branded Juice Cups
Custom branded juice cups for cold drinks
03See the build →Double Wall Paper Cups
A double wall cup is not thicker board.
04See the build →Paper Soup Cups
Custom paper soup cups from 8 to 32 oz with lids that vent and seams that do not leak, lined for hot…
Side by side
Which paper cups style fits
| Style | Board | Build | Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90mm Paper Cups | Cupstock 260–300 gsm; single, double or ripple wall | 12, 16 and 20 oz on a 90 mm rim; matching sip lids | 100 sleeves | Open → |
| Branded Juice Cups | Double-lined cupstock for paper; PET or PLA for clear | 12, 16, 20 and 24 oz; flat, dome and sip lids; straws | 100 sleeves | Open → |
| Double Wall Paper Cups | Chosen per job | Two board layers with an insulating air gap | 100 cups | Open → |
| Paper Soup Cups | Cupstock 300–350 gsm; double-lined; rolled rim and base seam | 8, 12, 16, 26 and 32 oz; vented paper, PP or combi lids | 100 sleeves | Open → |
Wall construction, and what it is really for
The choice is comfort rather than temperature. All of them keep the drink hot for about the same time; what changes is whether the customer can hold it without flinching, and whether they need a sleeve you also have to buy.
| Single wall | Cold drinks and short black coffee; needs a sleeve if the drink is hot |
|---|---|
| Double wall | An air gap between two layers; holds heat and stays comfortable |
| Ripple wall | A fluted outer layer; the best insulation and the most tactile |
| Single wall plus sleeve | Cheaper per cup, an extra component, and a second print surface |
Sizes people actually order in
Cup sizes are quoted by fluid capacity to the brim, and every cup is filled below that. An 8oz cup holds about 8oz to the rim and roughly 7oz in practice, which is why a "small coffee" from two shops can differ noticeably.
The common ladder is 4oz for espresso, 8oz for a small, 12oz for a regular and 16oz for a large. Sticking to it means off-the-shelf lids fit, which matters more than the exact volume.
Confirm the lid before the cup. A cup with no matching lid is an expensive mistake and the rim diameter is what decides it.
The lining, and the recycling conversation
Be careful what the cup claims. A compostable cup that goes into general waste is not composted, and printing a leaf on it is the kind of claim that attracts complaints rather than customers.
- A paper cup has to be lined or it goes soft; the lining is what makes it a cup.
- Standard PE lining is effective and makes the cup hard to recycle in a normal stream.
- Water-based and PLA linings exist, cost more, and need the right waste stream to mean anything.
- No lining is genuinely compostable in a home compost heap, whatever the artwork implies.
Printing on a cone, which is what a cup is
A cup is printed flat and then rolled and seamed, so the artwork is drawn on a fan shape rather than a rectangle. Straight horizontal lines become curves, and text set level on the flat will tilt on the finished cup.
We supply the fan template before artwork starts. Designing on a rectangle and hoping it will wrap is the most common reason a cup design has to be redrawn.
The seam, the rim and where not to put your logo
There is a vertical seam where the cup overlaps itself, and a rolled rim at the top where the board turns over. Neither takes print reliably, and both are visible.
Keep the logo clear of both, put the seam somewhere deliberate rather than wherever it lands, and leave the bottom 8 mm alone where the base is crimped in.
Cold cups behave differently
A cold drink cup sweats, and condensation running down the outside softens board and lifts print at the seam. Juice and smoothie cups need a heavier board or a different lining from the hot equivalent.
They are also usually filled at the counter and carried immediately, so a secure lid matters more than insulation — the reverse of a hot cup, and the reason the two ranges are not interchangeable.
Across the range
What every paper cups job runs on
Boards
- Natural kraft
- White SBS
- E and B flute
- Wrapped grayboard
- Food-grade board
- Recycled content
Chosen from what goes in the box and how far it travels. Our notes on recyclable and compostable stocks say which claims each board can carry.
Finishes
- Matte
- Gloss
- Soft-touch
- Foil
- Emboss
- Spot UV
- Kraft
- Textured
Each one is a decision about light on a shelf — the specialty finishes range shows them on real boxes.
Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, fonts outlined
- 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area
- CMYK; a spot color where a match must hold
- Proof on the dieline before press
Files not set up that way are fine — see the guide to preparing print files.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Build your Paper Cups in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about paper cups? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Single or double wall?
Double wall if the customer holds it without a sleeve. Single wall plus a sleeve is cheaper per cup and one more thing to stock.
Are your cups recyclable?
It depends entirely on the lining and on the waste stream where they are used. We will tell you exactly what the lining is.
Why does my design look crooked on the cup?
It was designed on a rectangle. A cup is a cone, so artwork has to be set on the fan template we supply.
Do the lids come from you?
Yes, matched to the rim. Ordering cups without confirming the lid is the classic first-order mistake.
What is the minimum order?
100 cups, any size.
Why do cold cups need different board?
Condensation runs down the outside and softens the board. Juice cups need heavier stock or a different lining from the hot equivalent.
Single or double wall?
Double wall if the customer holds it without a sleeve. Single wall plus a sleeve is cheaper per cup and one more thing to stock.
Are your cups recyclable?
It depends entirely on the lining and on the waste stream where they are used. We will tell you exactly what the lining is rather than let the artwork imply something.
Why does my design look crooked on the cup?
It was designed on a rectangle. A cup is a cone, so artwork has to be set on the fan template we supply.
Do the lids come from you?
Yes, matched to the rim. Ordering cups without confirming the lid is the classic first-order mistake.
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