9 oz Paper Cups

The party cup that also pours a decent coffee

Nine ounces is an in-between size with a long history. For decades it has been the go-to paper cup for cold drinks at birthday parties, church socials, school field days and company picnics, and it doubles as a hot cup for coffee stations at events. A 9 oz cup holds about 270 ml, which works out to one and one eighth US cups. That extra ounce over an 8 oz cup is exactly what lets you add ice to a soda or milk to a coffee without filling to the rim.

The buyers for this size are a mixed group: caterers and event planners who need one cup for every drink on the table, cafeterias at schools and offices, juice bars that sell small fresh juices, and community groups that want their name on the cups at a fundraiser. If your event has lemonade, iced tea and coffee on the same table, a 9 oz cup lets you buy one product and print one design.

What fits in a 9 oz cup

If people will walk around with the drink for a while, such as at a stadium or a festival, consider going larger. Branded 12 oz paper cups carry a full soda with ice and are the usual next step up.

Hot cups or cold cups at 9 oz

A 9 oz hot cup has a heat-resistant inner lining and enough board weight to stay firm with fresh coffee inside. A 9 oz cold cup is built to resist condensation, which beads on the outside of an iced drink and can soften plain paper. Many event caterers order hot cups for both, because a hot cup handles cold drinks without trouble, while a cold cup should not be used for steaming coffee. You can compare builds across our full range of hot paper cups.

Wall options are single or double. Single wall is light and inexpensive and is the norm for parties and cafeterias. Double wall makes sense when you serve coffee to guests standing up, at a fundraiser breakfast or a networking event, because nobody will need to double-cup or grab a napkin to hold it. The board itself can be white, kraft or a recyclable stock, and inks can be soy or vegetable based.

Colors and printing ideas

Some of the searches for this size are for 9 oz cups in specific colors like navy blue or green. That makes sense: schools, sports clubs and companies want cups in their team or brand color. With PMS printing we can flood the whole outside wall in your exact shade, then print your logo in white or a second color on top. CMYK is better for photos, illustrations and multi-color patterns.

• School and club events: a solid team color with the crest or mascot, plus the event name and year.
• Weddings and parties: a soft color with initials and the date; matte finish photographs well.
• Corporate picnics: logo and a short slogan; gloss keeps colors bright outdoors.
• Fundraisers: the cause, the organizer and a QR code that links to the donation page.

Because party guests set cups down and lose track of them, a cup with a write-on panel (a plain white strip where people add their name with a marker) is a small design touch that cuts waste.

Setup and storage at events

For a drinks table, put cups at the start of the line, before the ice bucket and the dispensers. Guests then fill in one pass without crossing over each other. Keep spare sleeves in a closed carton under the table, not on top in the sun, where heat and spilled drinks can damage them. For outdoor events with wind, weigh down the open stack with a cup of ice or water at the top.

If you are also serving finger food, the same color and logo can run across your other paper items. Many planners match cups to printed paper snack cups for food so the whole table looks planned.

How to order 9 oz cups

1. Choose hot or cold construction, depending on the drinks you serve.
2. Pick single or double wall and your board color.
3. Send your logo, event name and color references. Free design help is available.
4. Set quantity, starting at 100 cups. Plan for two to three cups per guest at a long event.
5. Approve the proof. Cups are produced in 4 to 6 business days, and rush service is available for event deadlines.

Free samples are available, and shipping is free to the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia.