Custom Drink Carriers

How a carrier holds each cup

A flat sheet of board with cup-sized openings that folds into a tray, with side walls holding the cups upright.

The blank has circular or slotted cut-outs where the cups sit. The sides fold up and lock, and the cups drop into the openings. Because most cups taper, the opening grips the cup part of the way down and the rest hangs below it.

Most carriers are made from corrugated or kraft board and ship flat. A handle, where fitted, is cut into a centre divider or the side panels. Assembly takes a couple of seconds, and a stack stores flat until the rush starts.

• Cut-outs sized to the cup
• Sides fold up and lock
• Handle cut into the board if fitted

Corrugated or solid kraft?

Corrugated resists sagging under weight. Solid kraft is thinner and prints more cleanly.

Full cups are heavy and a carrier hangs them from the cut-outs. A fluted board is stiffer and keeps its shape under that load, so the cut-outs stay round and the cups stay upright on the walk out. Kraft board is thinner and flatter, which suits lighter loads and two-cup layouts.

More cups means more weight on the same sheet, so a four-cup carrier usually needs a stronger board than a two-cup one. Spills weaken any board, and a thicker fluted board has more material to lose before it gives.

• Corrugated: stiffer, copes with load
• Solid kraft: thinner, cleaner print
• More cups usually need stronger board

Measure the cup at two points

Most cups taper, so the opening has to fit the cup where it will sit, not at the rim.

Measure the cup diameter near the base and near the rim, and its total height with the lid on. The opening grips at a point partway down, so a carrier made for one cup will be too loose or too tight for another, even at the same volume.

Menus with several cup sizes are the hard case. A carrier cut for a small cup lets a tall one tip. Send us those three figures for every cup, and we draw the openings on the dieline so each one grips and the lids clear the top of the tray.

Board carrier or moulded pulp tray?

A board carrier ships flat and prints well. A moulded pulp tray is bulkier and grips in shaped pockets.

Moulded pulp trays hold cups in formed pockets, but they arrive already shaped and take much more space to store. The surface is rough and takes little print.

A board carrier folds flat, so a large stack takes little room, and the outside prints cleanly in one colour. It grips less firmly, so the fit to the cup matters more.

Print, spills and damp board

A carrier gets wet, so one-colour print on kraft is usually enough and holds up well.

Cold drinks sweat and hot drinks drip, and the board absorbs both. One colour on a kraft or corrugated surface stays readable. Large areas of solid ink on a damp carrier can mark or scuff more easily.

A water-resistant coating helps on delivery menus where carriers travel in the rain, though it adds cost and changes how the board recycles. Keep the artwork simple and well clear of the fold lines, because the folds are where the board flexes and the ink scuffs first. A single logo and a short line of text on each outer face is a layout that survives handling.

• One colour is usually enough
• Heavy solids mark when damp
• Coating helps delivery, affects recycling

One carrier or one per cup size?

One carrier is the pick for a menu built on one cup shape. A carrier cut for each size, in stronger board for hot or heavy loads, is the pick once the menu spans small, tall and wide cups.

A carrier fits a cup size. If the menu spans small, tall and wide cups, one carrier will not suit all of them, and keeping several sizes adds complexity for the counter staff. Send us your cup list and we work out the fewest layouts that cover it. Long trips on a bike or in the rain are also hard on board.

Very hot or heavy loads can sag the base and bend the cut-outs. For those, a stronger corrugated board or a moulded pulp tray is the safer choice.