How Much Are Printed Compostable Cups?

If you serve take away hot drinks, the compostable cups you give to your customers can be a great way to advertise your business and stand out from the crowd. As you are using compostable cups, it can also be a good marketing tool to show you are doing your part for your environment.

There are many variables which go into pricing printed compostable cups, such as:

  • Single wall or double wall
  • Size (e.g. 8oz, 12oz, 16oz, etc...)
  • Quantity
  • Timescale (how quickly do you need them)
  • Print detail

Single Wall or Double Wall
Although double wall cups are more expensive than single wall cups, the double wall cups are our best selling version. Having a double wall cup means you do not need to have a sleeve for the cup to protect your customer's hand from the hot cup. The double wall gives an air barrier between the two layers of the wall, insulating the cup and protecting your customer.

Size
The smaller the cup, the cheaper it is because there is less material used in the manufacturing process. 8oz and 12oz tend to be the most popular sizes so if you are just starting out, we would recommend having these sizes branded and hold off on the other sizes until you are more established.

Quantity
Generally the higher the quantity you can purchase at once, the lower the unit cost is. For instance, if you order 1,000 12oz Printed Compostable Double Wall Cups, they are about 30p per cup. Whereas if you order 25,000, they are roughly 9p per cup, and the higher you go, the cheaper they become.

A couple things to consider when deciding upon quantity is storage (you get roughly 10,000 cups on a standard UK pallet) and how much capital you are happy to tie up in your cups. 

Timescale
If you are looking for a quantity of 40,000 or less, the lead time is generally 3-4 weeks from artwork sign off. Sometimes we can do them quicker (2-3 week), so if you have a tight deadline, please let us know ASAP.

On 50,000 or more, you have a choice of timescales, and therefore price. If you are OK to wait for 3-4 months, your Compostable Cups will come from the Far East. The biggest benefit of this, is the price is much lower than if you were in a rush and needed them in 3-4 weeks.

Print Detail
For the short lead time option, your print detail will not effect the price of the cups. If it is complicated and we need to do some work on your artwork to get it ready for print, there may be a small artwork charge. For a confirmed price on this, please feel free to contact us and send through the artwork you currently have.

If you go for the Far East option, there is generally a £125 charge per colour per size of cup. Again, for a confirmed price, please feel free to contact us.
 



Summary
If you are just starting out and are unsure of your usage, we recommend going for a print run of about 10,000, as this quantity is a good balance between unit price and tying capital up in your cups. This also gives you the flexibility you might need when starting up.

If you are established and are using 50,000 cups of a particular size within a year, we would recommend the Far East option as the unit price is a lot better. Please click here for more information.

We offer both options (short lead time and Far East). If you would like some prices and advice, please contact us on 01480 309870 or email jturton@naturepac.co.uk.