Printed Paper Drinking Cups for Soft Drinks and Parties

Who uses printed drinking cups

Drinking cups are the cups people pick up with a meal or at a party. Fish and chip shops, burger bars and school canteens hand them out with soft drinks every day.

Families and event planners use them for birthday parties, christenings and garden parties. A colourful cup with a name or theme makes a table look finished.

Leisure venues are another big group. Bowling alleys, soft play centres and cinemas all pour squash and fizzy drinks into paper cups by the thousand.

Sports clubs round out the list. Half-time squash for junior teams and drinks at a clubhouse bar both suit a printed cup carrying the club badge.

• Takeaways and fast food counters
• School and workplace canteens
• Soft play, bowling and cinemas
• Birthday and garden parties
• Summer fetes and family days

How they differ from water cups

Water cups are small and plain because people sip and refill. Drinking cups are sized as a full serving, since a soft drink is usually poured once and finished.

They also tend to be louder in design. Bright orange, red and pink cups are common, and many carry fruit, cartoon or brand graphics.

If you only need a cooler cup for an office, our plain and printed water cups are a better match. For drinks sold or served with food, stay here.

Drinking cups also tend to be handled for longer, because people chat and eat while they drink. That is why the print usually runs all the way round rather than on one side.

Matching size to the drink

Think about the drink first and the size second. A child's squash needs far less space than a large cola with ice.

Ice takes up room, so allow an extra few ounces for any drink served over ice. A 12oz cup with ice holds roughly the same liquid as a 9oz cup without.

Larger 20oz cups suit meal deals and cinema drinks. Sizes beyond what is listed can be quoted for you.

If you serve several drinks, two sizes usually cover everything. Most counters settle on a small and a large rather than stocking four.

Single or double wall for cold drinks

Most drinking cups are single wall. They are light, easy to stack and perfectly fine for squash and room temperature drinks.

Very cold drinks with lots of ice can make a single wall cup feel wet on the outside. A second layer of board keeps hands drier and the print cleaner.

Read more about that thicker option on our double wall paper cups page. It is worth it for summer events where drinks sit in the sun with ice.

Bright colours and party designs

Solid colour cups are a simple way to match a party theme or a shop interior. A red cup with a single white logo looks bold without needing complex artwork.

Patterned cups suit kids' events. Fruit prints, stripes and characters drawn by your own designer all print well in full colour.

For more shade ideas, browse our range of coloured paper cups. We can print a Pantone match if your brand colour needs to be exact.

• Solid red or orange with a white logo
• Fruit pattern for juice and squash
• Party theme with a child's name
• Halloween or Easter themed run

Straws and lids

Many soft drinks are served with a straw, especially to children. A flat lid with a straw slot stops spills when cups are carried across a busy room.

Lids must match the cup rim exactly, so choose your size before choosing a lid. We match lids to the cups we print for you.

You can see lidded options on our paper cups with lids page. Takeaways usually want lids, while party hosts often skip them.

Party hosts serving young children sometimes use lids anyway, simply to cut down on spilt squash. It saves a lot of mopping on a hall floor.

How an order works

Orders follow a short, predictable route. You will always see and approve the design before anything is printed. If your party or opening has a fixed date, put it in your first message so we can plan around it.

1. Tell us the drink, size and quantity
2. Share artwork as AI, PDF, EPS, SVG, PNG or JPG
3. Get free design help if the file needs work
4. Approve a free digital proof
5. Production takes 4 to 6 working days
6. Tracked delivery follows in 2 to 3 working days

Planning cups for a party or fete

Guests rarely keep the same cup for a whole afternoon. They put it down, forget it and take a new one.

Printing names or initials on cups helps a little. Some hosts print a small space where guests can write their name with a pen.

Order a small surplus for long outdoor events. Leftover cups without dates can be used at the next party.

A colour-coded system can help at bigger events. Give each family table or each team its own cup colour, and people find their drink again far more easily.

Mistakes that cost money

Buying one large size for every drink is a common waste. Children leave most of a 16oz cup, and it ends up in the bin.

Choosing single wall for drinks packed with ice can lead to soggy hands on hot days. Think about the weather and the drink.

Some buyers also print fine detail on a solid dark colour. Small text needs strong contrast to read clearly.

Another slip is ordering lids before the cup size is settled. A lid that is a few millimetres out will pop off or leak, so we always fit lids to your final cup.

Prices and delivery

Printed drinking cups start from £0.25 per cup, with your written quote confirming the final figure. Size, wall and print all change it.

Your drinking cups travel tracked, free of charge, to the UK. Our delivery information page covers how parcels are sent and tracked.

If something is wrong when cups arrive, send photos within 10 days. Damaged or misprinted cups are reprinted or refunded.

Board and recycling options

Food-contact board can be requested for your drinking cups, which takeaways and canteens usually ask for. Mention it on your enquiry form.

Recyclable linings are another option we can quote on request. When you are ready to price your cups, browse our full range of cold drink cups to compare styles first.

Not sure which style you need yet? Send us the drinks you serve and roughly how many you pour each week, and we will suggest a size and wall to start from.