We get asked this constantly. Someone fills in a quote form and writes "I want personalised cups" in the notes. The next person writes "branded cups". The person after that writes "custom cups". All three want exactly the same thing: a reusable festival cup with their logo or artwork printed on it.
Here's the straight answer: personalised festival cups, branded festival cups, and custom festival cups are the same product. The cup is the same. The material is the same. The sizes are the same. The minimum order is the same. The lead times are the same. The only reason three different terms exist is that different people search for different words. That's it.
So if you've been comparing quotes and wondering whether you should be ordering "personalised" or "branded" or "custom", stop worrying. You're looking at the same cup. The only real decision is which print method suits your artwork.
Why do three terms exist for the same product?
Language. A wedding couple ordering 100 cups with their names and date calls that "personalised". A festival organiser ordering 5,000 pints with a stage lineup calls that "branded". A sponsor looking for full-wrap photographic artwork calls that "custom". Different contexts, different words, same cup coming off the same production line at our Stockton-on-Tees factory.
Our personalised festival cups, branded festival cups and custom festival cups pages all exist because people search for all three terms. But if you pick up the phone and say any of those words, we're going to ask you the same questions and quote you the same product.
The actual decision: single colour or full colour IML
Forget the terminology. The decision that actually matters is your print method. We offer two.
Single colour screen print gives you a bold, clean, professional finish at the lowest unit cost. One Pantone colour, sharp edges. It's the right call for logos, wordmarks, and simple one-colour designs where impact comes from the boldness of the mark. Most event orders use single colour.
Full colour IML (In-Mould Labelling) is the premium option. The printed label is placed inside the injection moulding tool during manufacturing and bonds permanently with the cup wall. Design and cup become a single piece of polypropylene. That means 360-degree full-wrap coverage with no limit on colours, gradients or photographic detail. IML won't peel, flake or fade because it's not sitting on the surface. It is the cup.
The detail that catches people out: because IML is fused into the polypropylene, the finished cup remains 100 percent recyclable at end of life. It's not a sticker or a sleeve. It's part of the material. That matters for sustainability reporting and end-of-life compliance.
When to choose which print method
If your artwork is a single-colour logo or wordmark, single colour screen print is the fastest and cheapest option. For bold brand marks it often looks better than full colour because the edges are sharper and the finish is cleaner.
If your artwork is multi-colour, photographic, or needs to wrap the full cup surface, go IML. Most event-specific designs with lineups, sponsor panels, event imagery or full-bleed artwork sit comfortably in IML.
If you're running a deposit scheme where the cups will be washed and reissued over multiple seasons, IML pays for itself because the print survives hundreds of commercial dishwasher cycles without degradation.
Honestly, most buyers overthink the terminology and underthink the print method. The word on the quote form doesn't matter. Whether you need single colour or IML does.
What we need from you to get started
Four things. First, your artwork or logo in any digital format (we accept AI, EPS, PDF, SVG, PNG, JPG). Second, your cup size (pint to line at 568ml, pint to brim at 625ml, half pint at 330ml, or ask us to recommend based on your serve). Third, your quantity. Fourth, your event date so we can confirm the lead time.
Standard production is 10 working days from artwork approval. Eco Saver is 25 working days at the lowest unit cost. For under 48-hour turnarounds on urgent printed orders, our sister site Express Cups handles express production. Every order includes a free digital proof before production starts. Minimum order is 50 units on both print methods.
Whether you call them personalised, branded or custom, just send us your artwork and tell us what you need. Browse our personalised festival cups and branded festival cups pages, or send us a quote and we'll come back inside the hour.