A glimpse into the world of paper cups

Customer printed paper cups are one of the most commonly used disposable items in the world. You can find them in restaurants, homes, offices, schools and just about everywhere else. But what many people don’t know is that there is a hidden world of paper cups that exists beyond their everyday use.

In this blog post, we will explore the different types of compostable paper cups along with the process of paper cup making.

How is paper and paper cups are made?

Most food, refreshments, and snacks are supplied in paper packaging, demonstrating how important paper is in our daily lives. I’ll walk you through how trees are made into paper in the sections below.

  • Pulp Production

After being cut, trees are debarked and turned into wood chips, which are then processed into pulp using a mechanical device. The pulp is put through the digester, where it is cooked in a chemical solution including sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphide at a high temperature.

  • Beating

The residual pulp is pounded and squeezed at this stage of the process. Different filler materials, like clays, chalks, or chemicals like titanium oxide, can be introduced during this process, and these additions will affect the opaque nature and other aspects of the finished product.

  • Paper from Pulp

The pulp is spread out and passed through a mesh screening system, where it is crushed by a succession of rollers to assist in removing water.

After the water has been removed and the pulp has been pressed, the paper is passed through a succession of steam-heated cylinders to assist eliminate any leftover moisture before being wound onto enormous reels. The paper is flattened and compressed even more by feeding them through calendars, which are metal rollers. The paper could be further treated by running it through a size vat to get a coating that can be brushed on or rolled on. For instance, when producing paper cups, this covering may be plastic.

The Types of Paper Cup

Normal paper cup: Wood, a renewable resource, is the primary raw material used by paper manufacturers. The paper used in regular cups can originate from jungles all around the globe, like the Amazon, but it could also come from European forests that meet FSC requirements but are not certified.

  • FSC paper cup

When an item or paper is labelled as FSC recognized, it signifies that the entire production line has been validated, including the producer, distributors, and suppliers. The FSC organisation has 10 principles that must be followed in forestry, such as harvesting no further trees than what the forest itself can renew, ensuring a steady supply of material.

  • FSC 100%

This indicates that the product’s wood is sourced from FSC-certified and well-managed forests.

  • FSC Recycled

All of the wood or paper used in the item has been salvaged or re-used.

  • FSC Mix

This indicates that the product is created from a combination of recyclable materials, FSC-accredited forests, or managed timber.

  • FSI Paper

Fibre Sorting, Inc. (FSI) is a paper manufacturing company that has been in business for over two decades and produces paper products entirely from recycled resources. FSI employs 100 per cent recycled paper as a raw resource, and the firm collaborates with wastepaper vendors in the Philippines to provide a stable and dependable source of raw materials.

What is the process for paper cup making?

After the paper is done, it is transferred to various facilities and companies for various uses, one of which is the creation of paper cups.

When it comes to making paper cups, there are three or four phases. The number of stages depends on whether they are printed or otherwise; if they are printed, they are printed before being carved out and pleated into paper cups. This is also why printing on paper cups that have previously been folded is nearly impossible. After the paper cups have now been printed, the cups are cut out in slightly bent templates and then fed through a large machine that curls and folds the tip of the cup to make it comfortable to drink from. In the last process, the bottoms of the paper cups are inserted and reinforced to strengthen the cup’s structure.

  • Offset Printing

Offset printing is among the most often utilised printing processes for paper cups, particularly when printing in big quantities. The printing plate is the costliest aspect of offset printing. The efficient method also assures reasonable pricing, which will decrease as the volume is increased.

  • Tampon print

Tampon printing is comparable to the ‘stamping’ method, in which ink is transferred from an engraved metal plate to a flexible pad, which is then pressed onto the item to be printed.

  • Flexographic printing

Flexographic printing is a newer variant of letterpress that can print on nearly any sort of material, like paper, plastics, metals, and even cellophane.

  • Printing on a computer

Digital printing, often referred to as “printing,” is one of the most frequent and effective techniques of printing colour images or text onto paper or another substance.

Digital printing is increasingly commonly employed in newspapers since it is faster and less expensive when publishing articles with many distinct designs in small numbers.

Paper cup coating

  • PE – plastic coating paper cups

Most paper cups include a thin coating of plastic within the cup that keeps it together and keeps it from seeping. The plastic-coated paper cups are manufactured of PE-plastic, which implies the plastic is manufactured of naphtha, an oil by-product.

  • Paper cups with PLA – Bioplastic

PLA paper cups, like every other type of paper cup, have a thin layer of plastic within the cup, but it is distinct from the others. PLA is manufactured from plant-based resources including sugar, maize starch, cassava starch etc.

  • Cups made with paper instead of plastic

Because of the public outcry over plastic trash and non-recyclable customized PLA paper cups, policymakers, corporations, and producers had to respond quickly and come up with a great solution to eliminate plastic waste. Therefore, the idea of plastic-free cups was born, and it is now a reality.

Water-based dispersion is used on both sides of the coating to allow liquids to be contained, while chemithermomechanical pulp is used in the cup’s centre layer.

System of recycling improvement

The plastic coating jams the filters at the paper mills, preventing paper cups from being recycled. The United Kingdom has expanded from one tiny paper recycling plant to two and is currently constructing the world’s largest paper recycling lines.

What are coffee shops up to these days?

Starbucks and environmental charity Hubbub established a £1 million fund to reduce paper cup waste. To achieve this, they will use the funds to help extend and improve paper cup recycling facilities across the UK and other nations.

To assist reduce paper cup waste, the UK’s largest coffee businesses, including Costa Coffee, Pret a Manger, Greggs, Starbucks, and Café Nero, are offering discounts to customers who carry their cup rather than using a throwaway cup.

Paper cups that are CO2 neutral

Whenever we say paper cups have a big impact on the environment, we also mean the CO2 they generate during production, transportation, and decomposition. This section will discuss how CO2 neutral paper cups can be achieved.

Regrettably, it is not possible to manufacture and transport paper cups that do not emit more CO2, necessitating the completion of other operations for the paper cups into becoming CO2 balanced. Planting more trees, assisting individuals with isolating their homes so they consume less energy, or a third alternative that is CO2 positive are some of the activities that these organizations/companies engage in.

Coffee mugs made from natural, biodegradable materials

A creative design firm is attempting to reduce plastic waste by ‘growing’ coffee cups from fruit.

They’re constructed from gourds, which are like pumpkins in appearance, and are ‘grown’ inside to take on the shape of a coffee cup. The concept derives from our forefathers’ use of fast-growing squashes for storing liquids and drinking water. Everything about these cups is entirely natural. To make varied sizes, they 3D-print moulds and place them inside baby gourds, allowing them to grow, then removing the moulds and allowing the gourds to dry. Gourds require 3 weeks to fruit from the day they are sown, and they’ll need to stay outside and dry for four months before they can be utilised.



Advantages of Using Eco-Friendly Disposable Cups

Disposable eco-friendly cups are usually made of paper. This disposable cups wholesale consists of thin plastic or wax lining, which prevents leakages. Demand for cups made from recycled paper is on the rise for various reasons.

For one, they are less tacky than Styrofoam or plastic options. Their single-use nature also makes them more hygienic than reusable cups. Here are the advantages of using such cups:

Eco-Friendly

Biodegradable products can help your brand market itself with an eco-friendly consciousness. And, Disposable paper cups made from pulp extracts by paper cups manufacturers can help you with that endeavour. People can avoid travelling to various places to buy cups and do online business. It is essential for people to use online means in various activities, such as playing online casino games at Euro Palace Casino instead of making physical movements. Each individual needs to go online and, if possible, do all activities online.

Safe

These cups can handle both hot and cold beverages, unlike other disposable options. They also don’t contain any additional toxins, which many endanger users. This also ensures that the drinks don’t have any flavour from the cup.

Variety

These cups come in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes so these custom paper cups wholesale are very popular.They also come in a variety of designs. Such designs include sporty, coffee cups, cartons, and other models. It’s also relatively cheap to print a logo and other forms of branding on the surfaces of the cups.

Convenience

Disposable cups are lightweight. Such convenience makes them easy to use and carry around. You also don’t need to wash a pile of cups and glasses when you can use disposable cups. They are also easy to pack and transport for outdoor events.

Clean

Disposable paper cups were first used in 1918 during the Spanish flu. Their single-use and disposable nature helped the masses reduce the spreading of the infection. Such benefits are also as relevant now as they were back then.

Are eco-friendly paper cups or bowls microwave safe?


Microwave ovens have become an everyday convenience for many people. But for heating any beverages or food items, we need to take some precautions and should use the right types of material.

When you want to heat coffee or other food, you naturally put it in the microwave oven and try to heat it. But, does that work if the cup or bowl is made of paper? It's safe or not?

Can you microwave a customized printed paper cups& paper bowls? Normal paper cups and bowls are lined with leak proof coatings and held together with glues that are designed to hold hot beverages. The chemicals may leach into your food or beverages when overheated. Use microwave safe paper cups and nuke on medium heat for 2 minute to minimize risk.

It does not mean that you should not use biodegradable paper cups or bowls and put it into the microwave oven for heating purpose. Before buying customized paper cups or bowls, you will have to check whether it is microwave-safe or not.

However, not all paper cups are labeled as microwave safe.The good news is that our company usesthe pla materialfor the inner coating,you'll don't worry about problem of that.And then you will have a question, what's difference between pla material and normal cups or bowls inner coating material?

Polylactic acid is also called polylactide and belongs to the polyester family. Polylactic acid is a polymer obtained by polymerization of lactic acid as the main raw material. The raw material source is sufficient and renewable. It mainly uses corn, cassava, etc. as raw materials. The production process of polylactic acid is pollution-free, and the product can be biodegraded to realize the circulation in nature, so it is an ideal green polymer material. Polylactic acid has good thermal stability, the processing temperature is 170-230°C, and it has good solvent resistance. It can be processed in a variety of ways, such as extrusion, spinning, biaxial stretching, and injection blow molding. In addition to being biodegradable, products made of polylactic acid have good biocompatibility, gloss, transparency, hand feel and heat resistance, and have certain bacteria resistance, flame retardancy and UV resistance, So they are very versatile.For exemple, our company uses pla material for the inner coating of disposable paper cups andeco-friendly paper bowls. They can be used for microwave heating and are harmless to our health and environment.

So if you are concerned about your health, caring for the situation of environment, interested in our products, don't forget to contact us!


Bagasse Cups The Most Environmentally-Friendly Cups Around


Bagasse cups are the most environmentally-friendly cups in our range. They are suitable for warm and cold drinks, natural in colour and have a paper-like texture.

Bagasse is the fibre that remains after sugarcane has been pressed for its juice. It’s a fantastic widely grown and easily renewable recycled material. Our Bagasse is also certified GMO and PFA free.

Our Sugarcane Range of Take-away Containers are oil and water resistant, sturdy and strong, suitable for hot and cold foods, microwave safe and freezer friendly.The customized pla cup made by our factory are very suitable for home,travel and business.

Bagasse is also a great tree-free source of paper, which is used in our Serviettes and Toilet Paper.

Sugarcane products can be composted in home and industrial compost facilities and in worm farms. They are also recyclable with paper streams if free from food residues.

The cups make a great environmentally-friendly replacement for polystyrene, plastic or paper. They are the made from natural raw materials instead of petroleum-based plastic. The cups are made from recycled raw materials as opposed to virgin wood pulp as is the case with disposable paper cups lined with plastic, which is required for waterproofing.

We suggest warm drinks are served with a cup sleeve.  Drinks can be served with a compostable PLA plastic lid, with or without a sipping hole.

What we love about our cups

1.Made from natural recycled raw materials.

2.Cost effective – half the price of our other eco- hot and cold cups

3.These cups will compost in your home compost heap.

4.Custom design your own sleeve to show your brand or stamp your brand onto the cup.

Whether you are serving water, juice, coffee or tea, try the bagasse custom biodegradable cups. And be sure to collect them after they’ve been used, they make great compost!

Biodegradable Paper Cups

CREATING SAFE PAPER CUPS

There are plenty of ideas on how paper cups are produced, and how they impact the environment. As you read further, you will find out how paper cups must be made. There is a proper way to dispose of them and you will know about it here. They influence the environment a lot, which is why it is important to know more about them.

Being on the lookout for which branded custom printed paper cups to produce is the manufacturer’s responsibility. Bio Paper Cups has adapted to environmentally-friendly ways to produce branded paper cups. We know that we must meet customer expectations. That is especially when it comes to cost and sustainability. There are many types of paper cups and critical factors to consider before we make them.

MANUFACTURING OF PAPER CUPS

We are not unclear on how we produce our paper cups. Bio Paper Cups is happy to elaborate on the safety, production, and recyclability of our paper cups. We distribute them to the public because they are safe to use. Manufacturing paper cups use raw materials, coating styles, and production processes. In addition, raw materials are the only ones we include the innovation. Since paper cups are an old concept.

By producing biodegradable paper cups, we do not have to worry about how they will go through the recycling process. These cups do not require a separate recycling machine and no distinct process is necessary. Our disposable paper cups are completely recyclable and compostable, our baseboard is bioboard, this is made from cornstarch, totally natural raw extract.

100% BIODEGRADABLE PAPER CUPS – PE VS. PLA

PE is polyethylene, and it is for making packaging, plastic bags, and containers. Additionally, they use it for a paper cup coating so they are stronger and waterproof. PE is petroleum-based, which affects how long a cup breaks down. The PE-lined paper cups are still recyclable. They must go through a recycling process that is different from other recyclables.

PLA comes from plant-based materials like sugar cane or cornstarch. This is a bioplastic since the materials used are renewable sources. PLA is completely biodegradable and compostable. PLA naturally breaks down due to environmental exposure. It also does not leave toxic residues.

Our company began offering PLA-coated paper cups in early 2016. It was after many of our customers requested it. Like any other business, customer demands are always prioritized. They wanted a compostable bioplastic, and PLA was the answer to that.

PLA’s level of heat resistance is the same with PE’s. PLA can handle anything that PE could. As of now, there is still a higher demand for PE than PLA, but that’s because people lack awareness.

Unlike the PE-lined cups, PLA-lined cups do not have to go through a separate recycling process. That is because they can be thrown into the composting bin right away. Thus, reducing landfill. PLA production also uses the same equipment for plastic. That makes it cost-efficient to manufacture.

PAPER CUPS PRINTING

A lot of paper cups are used for marketing, which is why they print the company logo on them. There are many printing methods, and each one is specialized. It will depend on the efficiency and usefulness to customers.

Offset printing is a common printing method, especially for large quantities. The printing plate is the more expensive part of the process. It ensures that each cup has the same printing. The process also ensures reasonable prices. The prices become lower as the amount increases.

Flexographic Printing – This type of printing is the modern letterpress version. It is for printing on almost any kind of substrate. That includes plastic, paper, cellophane, and metal.

The advantages of flexo printing include being able to run on very high press speeds. Flexo is also for printing on a huge range of substrate materials.

The disadvantage is the high cost of printing plates. But, if they are properly maintained, they can be for printing millions of impressions. Furthermore, if a complex job is important, they consume several hours on printing set up.

Digital Printing is a common and efficient method of printing. The documents or color pictures onto paper or other material become easier. Digital printing is cheaper and faster, so they use it more in newspapers. This is because the cost of printing plates is cheaper.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING PAPER CUPS

The paper cup’s design is essential because they are now used for branding, and it is influential. If you have eco-friendly paper cups, focus on the design as well. You must also consider ink safety when you buy the branded paper cups. The water-based ink dry-out and will not contaminate beverages.

The manufacturer’s credibility is important because they must use sustainable solutions only. Bio Paper Cups practices sustainability and we only produce biodegradable paper cups.

The paper cups we make do not harm the environment and they are better for your business as well. With the millions of paper cups being thrown daily in the UK, we want to help the environment. You can read about how our products support FSC’s movement.

Can coffee cups be composted?

Coffee is one of the most desired beverages, and the use of custom printed paper cups is increasing due to the rapid growth of the global coffee market. However, in order to ensure environmental sustainability, industry players are switching to compostable coffee cups. Here we will look at the methods, usage, benefits and different varieties of these eco-friendly coffee cups.

Up until recently, customized PLA paper cups were unfortunately not compostable and this created a lot of confusion about the difference between recycling and composting. Custom biodegradable coffee cups are made with a thin coating of plastic that can’t be easily separated during the recycling process.

Therefore, Industry players such as Starbucks, have spent a significant amount of money researching and developing a more environmentally sustainable coffee cup material. Their new cup has a compostable lining, so it can be composted or recycled using single-stream recycling.

Compostable cups are usually made from polylactic acid (PLA) plastic. PLA is an environmentally and resource-friendly bio-based plastic made from renewable raw materials such as corn-based resin.

Why is polylactic acid (PLA) a better choice?

  • Compostable packaging, such as PLA hot cups, has a bioplastic liner. Because this lining is composed of plants, it lowers the consumption of fossil fuels. The product is a polymer with a renewable base.
  • PLA packaging composts under conditions established by the European Union standard EN134321. Commercial composting facilities have these requirements. Ensure that your product is collected for commercial composting to ensure that it is successfully processed.
  • PLA cups are not designed to degrade in home composting environments and must be collected for commercial composting.This is to ensure they may be processed and degraded with food or organic items.
  • Avoiding the landfilling of organic waste eliminates the possibility of the paper component of paper and bio-plastic coffee cups degrading and emitting greenhouse gases such as methane. By ensuring that your PLA goods are successfully collected for commercial composting, you can eliminate the risk of these items emitting greenhouse gases in landfill.

Compostable Coffee Cups All You Need To Know

Coffee is one of the most desired beverages, and the use of coffee cups is increasing due to the rapid growth of the global coffee market. However, in order to ensure environmental sustainability, industry players are switching to compostable coffee cups. Here we will look at the methods, usage, benefits and different varieties of these eco-friendly coffee cups.

Can coffee cups be composted?

Up until recently, coffee cups were unfortunately not compostable and this created a lot of confusion about the difference between recycling and composting. Coffee cups are made with a thin coating of plastic that can’t be easily separated during the recycling process.

Therefore, Industry players have spent a significant amount of money researching and developing a more environmentally sustainable coffee cup material. Their new cup has a compostable lining, so it can be composted or recycled using single-stream recycling.

Compostable cups are usually made from polylactic acid (PLA) plastic. PLA is an environmentally and resource-friendly bio-based plastic made from renewable raw materials such as corn-based resin.

Why is polylactic acid (PLA) a better choice?

Compostable packaging, such as PLA hot cups, has a bioplastic liner. Because this lining is composed of plants, it lowers the consumption of fossil fuels. The product is a polymer with a renewable base.

PLA packaging composts under conditions established by the European Union standard EN134321. Commercial composting facilities have these requirements. Ensure that your product is collected for commercial composting to ensure that it is successfully processed.

PLA cups are not designed to degrade in home composting environments and must be collected for commercial composting.This is to ensure they may be processed and degraded with food or organic items.

Avoiding the landfilling of organic waste eliminates the possibility of the paper component of paper and bio-plastic coffee cups degrading and emitting greenhouse gases such as methane. By ensuring that your PLA goods are successfully collected for commercial composting, you can eliminate the risk of these items emitting greenhouse gases in landfill.

How long does it take for compostable coffee cups to decompose?

In a commercial compost facility that can maintain a consistent temperature of 140 degrees, the PLA cups decompose into carbon dioxide and water in 30–45 days.

However, it can take more than six months for one cup to decompose in a backyard compost bin. Nonetheless, this is still quicker than if they were to end up in a landfill and buried, taking hundreds of years to decompose.

With the goal of diverting waste from landfills and instead diverting it to compost, it seems obvious that cups made of organic material would be preferable to cups made of oil-derived plastic.

What are biodegradable coffee cups made from?

Bio-based plastics are derived from plants rather than petroleum. It is made by extracting sugar from plants such as corn and sugarcane to make PLA, which is used to line many compostable coffee cups.

The process of producing biodegradable cups is through a mechanical process called wet milling, first corn starch must be converted into sugar.

The moisturiser separates the starch from the kernels. When these components are separated, acid or enzymes are added. They are then heated to turn the starch into sugar. Next, it is fermented with sugar.

The addition of Lactobacillus bacteria to the sugar is one of the most common fermentation methods. In turn, this produces lactic acid. The lactic acid is then converted into lactide, a lactic acid ring shape dimer. These lactide molecules connect to form polymers.

The polymerization results in small pieces of polylactic acid plastic raw material that can be converted to a range of PLA plastic products.

Reasons to use compostable coffee cups

Bio cups, unlike Styrofoam or plastics, can be recycled or composted. This helps to ensure that paper cups are recycled into other useful materials. As a result, fewer coffee cups end up in landfills and oceans. This encourages waste reduction.

Here are a few reasons why you should use compostable cups:

Protect marine life

Ensuring the safety of water bodies

Sustainable for future generations

Reduced waste

Healthy and safe for human consumption

The preservation of fossil fuels

Preserving forests and preventing soil erosion

How to dispose of compostable coffee cups and lids?

When it comes to compostable cups and lids, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Compostable cups cannot be recycled alongside paper or cardboard and must be collected separately for commercial composting. This is because it is difficult to separate the liner from the paper fibre.

Takeaway cup lids are typically made of rigid polystyrene (triangle code 6), which is not commonly recycled and must therefore be removed and discarded separately. Although polystyrene can be recycled, it is widely regarded as too complicated and costly to be worthwhile.

Compostable Paper Hot Cups

We’re a paper cup specialist with a large collection of sizes and different styles. All are customisable. Fully certified to EU food-grade standards and ideal for takeaway coffee and other hot drinks.

Unlike conventional disposable paper cups which are lined with plastic, our custom biodegradable paper cups are lined with an environmentally-friendly coating that excels in biodegradability and compostability. Furthermore, the high quality paper used to create our cups is sourced from sustainably managed forestry which together make them a sustainable choice for takeaway drinks.

Our unique collections feature different designs to match your own concept and are available in various sizes. And, with a smooth flat surface, our personalized printed paper cups are perfectly suitable to be branded with your own design.

ABOUT OUR ECO-FRIENDLY PAPER COFFEE CUPS

  • Made from high quality paper sourced from sustainably managed forestry
  • Biodegradable & Compostable
  • Lined with BioPBS, a coating that excels in biodegradability and compostability
  • Suitable for holding hot drinks
  • Available in various sizes and styles
  • Combine with one of our compostable cup lids
  • Custom designs available on request
  • Certified to EU food-grade standards
  • Made in China.

Difference Between PE, PLA and Water-Based Coating Cups

We like take away service, we enjoy the convenience of the current paper cups bring to us and it had been an essential part of our life without any doubt.

But have you ever thought about that if the current paper cup we used is good enough for our environment?

What we call “paper cup” is wrong as it mainly composed of paper+ polyethylene liner inside.

What is the difference between PE, PLA and Water-based coating cups?

PE protective film, full name Polyethylene, is the simplest polymer organic compound and the most widely used polymer material in the world today. The PE protective film uses a special polyethylene (PE) plastic film as the base material, and is divided into high-density polyethylene protective film, medium-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene according to the density.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a new type of biodegradable material, made from starch raw materials proposed by renewable plant resources (such as corn).

• It has good biodegradability and can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature within 1~1.5 years under specific conditions, and finally carbon dioxide and water are generated without polluting the environment. This is very beneficial to environmental protection and is recognized as an environmentally friendly material.

• On the other hand, based on the waste management hierarchy, compostable paper cup is not the most economical option.

What can we do to find a balance?

• By adopting the new technology “Paper+ water-based coating” to achieve paper cup fully recyclable and re-pulpable.

• Cup recyclable in the paper stream that it is the most developed recycling stream around in the world.

• Save energy, reduce waste, develop a circle and sustainable future for our only one earth.

What Products Can We Offer for You?

Hot Paper Cup

• Single side coated for hot drinks (coffee, tea, etc.)

• Available size ranges from 2.5oz to 22oz

• Excellent waterproof and stiffness.

Cold Paper Cup

• Double side coated for cold drinks (Cola, juice, etc.)

• Available size ranges from 8oz to 22oz

• Alternative for transparent plastic cup

Paper Bowl

• Single side coated for noodle food, salad

• Available size ranges from 6oz to 32oz

• Excellent oil resistance

Different ways to use paper cups

Paper cup, to-go cup, disposable cup – paper cups with logo have as many different uses as they do have different names. The good thing about paper cups is that they are really just deep containers that can be used to hold a range of different contents.

In what follows, we will go through the different things that our customers most often use the cups for, as well as any remarks relating to each point. To cap things off, we also have some tips and tricks for fun things you can do with your paper cups.

The obvious utility

Most of our customers use their paper cups with logos to serve hot drinks such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Paper cups are designed for serving hot drinks, and you come across them every single day, whether it’s in 7/11 or in your local supermarket.

When buying paper cups for serving hot drinks, you should think about how hot the drinks will be, as single wall paper cups are often not sufficient for high temperatures. Single wall cups can become very hot and almost impossible to hold until the drink starts to cool down. In such cases, you should consider whether double wall paper cups might be more suitable, as they prevent your customers from burning their fingers and help to keep the contents warm.

Cold drinks

Many of our customers use printed paper cups to serve cold drinks such as juice, water and soft drinks. They have been used for water at orienteering events and for cups of juice given to students with a message. The common theme in such cases is that the paper cups have been used to start up an interaction with other people.

If you are going to use the paper cups for cold drinks, then the single wall option is well suited for this. Paper thickness is not all that important when it comes to cold drinks, as the printed cup does not need to preserve heat. Single wall cups offer a simple yet clear expression on the outside and are also a cheap option for serving drinks.

Alcohol and fat

Some of our customers have used the paper cups to serve alcoholic drinks, such as coffee with Baileys and other similar drinks. You might tend to believe that a simple paper cup can hold almost anything, but there are actually a few things that the simple cup can nonetheless struggle with. Alcohol and fat are a couple of examples. Most paper cups are actually not designed to manage large concentrations of alcohol or fat. This is rarely a problem for alcohol volumes of less than 5 % or for low fat percentages. But anything higher can drastically impact the durability of a standard paper cup.

This can be addressed as many manufacturers are able to strengthen the cup material (especially at the bottom) so that they do not begin to leak. Alcohol and fat are not common contents for a paper cup, so remember to ask your paper cup supplier if you want to use your paper cup with logo to serve strong alcoholic drinks or drinks with very high-fat content.

If you are unsure about what you want to serve might be unsuitable for a paper cup, you are always more than welcome to give us a call and hear a little more about the various options we can offer.

Tips and tricks on how to use your paper cup in a different way

We have had customers who have used their custom designed paper cups as popcorn boxes as these are a cheaper solution, and if you select 12 or 16 oz paper cups, you will still be able to offer a good serving of popcorn. The clever thing about paper cups in this context is that their rounded exterior gives them a coherent appearance rather than a typical boxy look.

CMYK colours offer you a great form of expressivity to use on your printed paper cups. This means that we have had customers who have given their own customers the chance to add their expressions to their printed paper cups that involve their customers in the process.

As the paper cup is quite simply a container, we have also had customers who have used them to serve snacks such as fruit salads, crisps and baked potatoes. Cups in different sizes offer you the opportunity to adapt the portions depending on how much you want to serve.

General

In general, paper cups can be used for a range of different purposes, including many that are not listed above. It is amazing that an object as simple as a paper cup can be used in so many different ways. It is nonetheless important to consider the print and size of the paper cup in accordance with what you plan on using it for. You are always welcome to give us a call and chat with us about whether paper cups are right for your set-up.