Paper Drinking Cups

One cup program for every drink you serve

Paper drinking cups are the general-purpose cups behind the counter: the ones that hold whatever the customer orders, from water and juice to fountain soda, coffee and tea. This page is for businesses that pour a mix of drinks and want to buy a sensible set of cups rather than a single specialty item. A family restaurant with soda, iced tea and coffee. A school cafeteria with milk, juice and water. A conference center running beverage stations all day. A food truck with lemonade in summer and hot cider in fall.

The aim is simple: as few cup types as possible, each one right for its drinks, all printed in one consistent design. That keeps ordering easy, storage tidy and your brand recognizable on every table.

Building a cup set by drink

We print drinking cups from 4 oz up to 24 oz. Most businesses need three or four sizes at most. Here is a practical way to map them:

The key split is hot versus cold. A hot cup can usually handle a cold drink, but a cold cup should not be used for steaming coffee. If budget only allows one cup type, a hot cup in 12 oz is the most flexible single choice. Businesses whose drinks are mostly coffee may prefer to start with our custom paper coffee cups instead.

Materials, walls and coatings

Drinking cups are made from food-grade SBS (white board), kraft or PE-coated board. White SBS is the most common because it shows printed color best. Kraft suits natural and farm-to-table brands. Cold cups need protection on the outside as well as the inside, since condensation on an iced drink can soften plain board over time. Hot cups need a heat-resistant lining and enough board weight to stay rigid when full.

• Single wall: light, low-cost, and the default for cold drinks and dine-in service.
• Double wall: insulated, comfortable for hot drinks carried out.
• Ripple wall: textured grip and a premium feel, popular for specialty coffee.

School and hospital cafeterias deserve a special mention. Their cups are handled by children or patients, filled by staff in a hurry and often stacked on trays. A slightly heavier single wall board stops cups from crumpling and tipping, and a short, wide cup shape is more stable on a tray than a tall, narrow one. Ask for samples in two shapes if stability matters.

Recyclable and biodegradable board options are available, and printing can use soy- or vegetable-based inks.

One design across many cups

When a single design must work on a 4 oz water cup and a 24 oz soda cup, plan it like a logo system rather than a picture. Keep a fixed logo size that fits the smallest cup, then let a pattern, color band or border fill the extra height on larger cups. PMS printing keeps your brand color identical across sizes and reorders; CMYK suits illustrated designs.

Think about where each cup lives. Water and juice cups in a cafeteria are seen at a glance, so a bold, simple mark works. Coffee cups are held close and photographed, so finer details and a QR code make sense. Soda cups at a counter are seen from across the room, so strong color matters more than detail. Gloss suits cold cups and bright palettes; matte suits hot cups and earthy colors; spot UV can add a shine to the logo on either.

Handling and storage in a mixed beverage setup

Label every dispenser with the cup size and type so staff do not hand out a cold cup for coffee. Keep hot cups and their lids near the coffee machine, and cold cups near the soda and ice. Store spare cartons in a dry room, raised off the floor. For self-serve stations, put cups in a closed dispenser so customers touch only the cup they take. Straws, stirrers and sleeves sit next to the matching cups. If you serve both drinks and snacks at the same counter, matching printed paper snack cups keep the look consistent.

Ordering a full drinking cup set

1. List your drinks and group them into hot, cold and water.
2. Pick one or two sizes for each group.
3. Choose board, wall type and lids for each size.
4. Send artwork, or use our free design service to adapt one layout across all sizes.
5. Set quantities from 100 cups per size, then approve proofs. Production takes 4 to 6 business days, with rush options.

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