Paper Cup Holders with a Carry Handle

Built for the office coffee run

A cup holder earns its place when someone walks in and orders six drinks for a meeting. Without one, staff end up stacking cups in a bag or balancing them on a lid.

The tall handle runs down the middle of the holder and splits it into two rows. Weight stays centred, so the drinks do not tip forward as the customer walks.

Group orders also tend to be the most valuable ones you take. A neat holder with your logo on it helps that customer come back next week.

• Cafés near offices, hospitals and colleges
• Bakeries that sell coffee with a box of pastries
• Event caterers sending drinks to green rooms and stands
• Film and TV crews ordering for a whole unit
• Hotel lobbies running a takeaway counter

Two, four or six cups

Our photos show the three layouts customers ask for most. Each one uses the same idea, a handle in the middle with cups on both sides, but the footprint changes a lot.

Pick the layout that matches your typical group order, not the biggest one you ever take. A six cup holder carrying two drinks is wobbly and wastes card.

Many cafés settle on four cup holders as their main stock and keep a smaller pile of the others. You can split one order across layouts and see one proof for each.

Matching the holes to your cups

Each slot is cut for a cup diameter, so the size of the cup decides the size of the holder. A 12oz cup in a slot made for 8oz sits too high and rocks.

Tell us the cup sizes you serve and whether your cups are single or double wall. A double wall coffee cup is slightly wider at the rim, and we allow for it when we size the cut-outs.

If your menu mixes 8oz and 12oz drinks in one order, ask us about a holder cut for the larger size.

Branding the handle panel

The handle is the tallest part of the holder and the first thing people see when it leaves the shop. It is a natural spot for a logo or a short line such as your opening hours.

The side walls give a second print area that wraps the lower half of the holder. A dotted pattern or a repeated logo works well there, as the photos show.

The handle is printed on both faces, so the logo shows whichever way the holder is carried. Bold, simple marks work better here than long lines of copy.

1. Put the logo on both faces of the handle
2. Keep text clear of the hand hole
3. Use the side walls for a pattern or website
4. Check the folded mock-up before you approve

Lids make the holder work

A holder keeps cups upright, but it cannot stop liquid slopping out of an open top. Every hot drink that goes into a holder should have a fitted lid.

If you also need cups with a matching lid, see our paper cups supplied with lids. Ordering cups, lids and holders from one place means the sizes are checked together.

Cold drinks with domed lids and straws need a little more headroom. Mention them when you order so the handle height and slot depth suit the taller cups.

Holders or carriers?

We sell both, and the difference is about how the drinks travel. Holders are trays with a handle for groups of up to six cups, carried a short distance on foot.

Our two cup takeaway carriers are narrower and suit delivery bags, car journeys and mixed hot and cold drinks. Many cafés stock both, with holders for office rounds and carriers for single couples.

If most of your trade is walk-in office staff, start with holders. If most of it leaves in cars or delivery bags, carriers are usually the better first order.

Designing on kraft card

Most holders are made in kraft brown card, which hides small marks and looks at home in a coffee shop. Black, dark green and deep brown inks read best on it.

A white logo on kraft needs a solid colour block behind it, or it turns beige. You can try different looks on the online cup design page and then send the result with your quote request.

Keep in mind that the holder is folded from one piece of card. Artwork that runs across a fold line may break up, so we mark every fold on the proof.

From artwork to delivery

We start with a free check of your artwork and a digital proof that shows the holder flat and folded. Changes are free until you approve.

Once approved, holders take 4 to 6 working days to print. Delivery is tracked, free across the UK, and takes 2 to 3 working days.

1. Choose two, four or six cups
2. Tell us the cup sizes and wall type
3. Send a logo as AI, PDF, EPS, SVG, PNG or JPG
4. Approve the proof and we start printing

Common holder mistakes

Most holder problems come from ordering one size for every cup. A café that serves 8oz and 16oz drinks may need two holder versions.

Before you approve, hold one of your lidded cups against the hole size marked on the proof. It is the quickest way to spot a fit problem.

• Sizing the holes for one cup brand, then switching cup supplier
• Ordering only six cup holders for mostly two drink orders
• Printing fine text that wraps around a fold
• Sending drinks out without lids
• Placing the logo where the hand covers it

Planning a full takeaway kit

A cup holder is one part of a set that also includes cups, lids and sometimes sleeves. When those pieces are planned together, sizes match and the branding looks like one family.

Our guide on picking lids, sleeves and carriers walks through which extras each kind of drink needs.

For an office round, the usual kit is a 12oz cup, a fitted lid and a four cup holder. Events with longer walks between stands often add a sleeve as well.

Storing holders behind the counter

Holders stack neatly, but they still take more room than cups. Keep a working stack within reach of the till and the rest in a dry stockroom.

A small café might keep a day's worth of holders by the till and refill the stack each morning. It keeps the counter clear and stops the card picking up coffee splashes.

If any arrive damaged or misprinted, photograph them and tell us within 10 days. The returns policy for printed items explains how reprints and refunds work.