The reusable coffee cup is the object that replaced the paper cup on office desks and at conference coffee stations. It is a personal cup with a lid, sized for one coffee, cheap enough to hand out in the hundreds and good enough that people keep it.
What makes a good one is the wall. A double-walled polypropylene cup traps a layer of air between two shells: the drink stays hot longer and, more importantly, the outside stays comfortable to hold. Single-wall cups need a silicone or cork band around the middle to do the same job, which is why so many of them have one.
| Festival cup | PP coffee cup | Steel travel mug | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | The event, reissued | One person | One person |
| Insulation | None | Double wall, tens of minutes | Vacuum or double wall, hours |
| Lid | Optional | Standard | Standard |
| Indicative price | Under EUR 1 | EUR 1-3 | EUR 2-8 |
| Right for | Deposit systems, bars | Conferences, offices, volume giveaways | Corporate gifts, smaller lists |
If you are running a deposit scheme rather than giving cups away, the correct product is reusable event cups — or IML printed cups when the artwork has to survive years of commercial washing.
| Capacity | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 250 ml | An espresso-based drink. Fits under every office machine and stacks compactly. |
| 300 ml | The default. One standard coffee, and the size most models in this category are built around. |
| 350 ml | A large coffee, or a coffee with room for milk. |
| 450 ml | The commuter size. Heavier and taller, and it does not fit under every machine. |
Plain polypropylene is the baseline and the cheapest. Recycled PP costs slightly more and supports a sustainability claim. A cork grip band or cork base adds a natural material and a better hand feel; a bamboo lid does the same at the top. Both look considerably more expensive than they cost, and both reduce the printable area — which is the trade-off to weigh when the artwork matters more than the material story.
A sliding sip lid is the standard: it opens and closes with a thumb and is splash-resistant rather than sealed. A screw sip lid seals better and suits a cup that goes into a bag. Bamboo and silicone lids are chosen for looks and are usually press-fit. None of these are fully leak-proof unless the model specifically says leak-free, so if the cup will be carried in a rucksack, specify that.
Two reasons, and the second one is what people notice. A double wall slows the drink cooling, and it stops the outside of the cup getting too hot to hold. A single-wall cup with a hot coffee in it needs a silicone or cork band around the middle before anyone can carry it comfortably.
A PP cup costs roughly a third as much and weighs far less, which is why it works as a volume giveaway. A steel mug holds temperature for hours rather than tens of minutes, and feels like a gift rather than a promotional item. Choose PP when the quantity is in the hundreds or thousands; choose steel when the recipient list is short and the object is meant to last.
No. A festival cup is a thin single-wall cup designed to be washed and reissued hundreds of times under a deposit system, and it costs well under a euro. A to-go coffee cup is a personal object with a lid, meant for one owner. If you are running a deposit scheme, use reusable event cups instead.
Most double-wall PP cups are top-rack dishwasher safe; bamboo lids and cork bands are not and should be wiped by hand. We confirm the exact care instructions per model when quoting, because it varies more in this category than in any other.
Close to it. Most models take a wraparound print covering the majority of the body, with a gap at the seam. Cork and bamboo details reduce the printable area, so if you want a full wrap choose a plain PP body and add the colour in the print rather than in the material.
Usually 50 pieces. These are stock items, so there is no tooling cost and no moulding lead time; delivery is normally two to three weeks from approved artwork.
The rest of the range: vacuum insulated bottles, insulated travel mugs and tumblers, reusable double-wall coffee cups, sports and water bottles and ceramic mugs. For events rather than desks: reusable event cups and IML printed cups. Carrying and accessories: drinkware accessories.
Our EU-based production means we meet even the tightest event deadlines.
Each product is created specifically to meet your unique event needs and brand guidelines.
Sustainable materials are available, incl. recycled and biodegradable wristbands.
