BAOYUANFENG / CUSTOMIZATION
Customization is not one decision. Colour, surface, logo method, lid, components and packing each carry their own minimum, cost and risk — and one of them usually decides whether the project is viable at your quantity.
THE FOUR LAYERS
Buyers often ask for everything at once. The order below is the order in which cost rises — and the order in which each layer changes what the next one can do.
Match a Pantone on the body, or choose from the standard colour chips. Gloss, frosted, matte or soft-touch. A custom colour needs its own batch, so we charge the colour match as a one-off setup instead of making you buy a run you will never use up — and the chip has to be approved under the light it will be seen in.
Screen print, UV print, heat transfer, laser or hydro dip. One colour of print is a different project from a full wrap: colour count, print area, curvature and the surface under the ink all change the price.
Swap to another lid in the library, add a straw, plug, coaster or sleeve. A component we already tool is a configuration change; a component that does not exist is a new mould.
Poly bag, white box, printed sleeve, gift box, insert, hangtag or barcode. Packing is where a promotional cup becomes a retail product, and it carries its own minimums.
CHOOSING THE METHOD
The right method is decided by the artwork, the surface, the quantity and how long the product has to look good. This is the short version; each method has its own page with the details.
| Method | Best for | Watch out for | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen print | Bold flat colours, high volume, the lowest cost per print | Photographic images and gradients; each colour is a pass | Screen printing → |
| UV print | Multi-colour artwork, gradients, white underbase on dark cups | Adhesion on some surfaces needs a primer; silicone behaves differently from rigid plastic | UV printing → |
| Heat transfer | Photographic graphics and full wraps | Heat response differs by material; registration and transfer edges must be checked on a sample | Heat transfer → |
| Laser marking | Permanent, tonal or textured marks that do not wear off | Material-dependent result; not every colour shows a contrast | Laser decoration → |
| Hydro dip | All-over patterns and camouflage effects that wrap complex curves | Pattern placement is not repeatable piece to piece; film choice decides the look | Hydro dipping → |
| Colour-change coating | A cup that reacts to cold liquid — a giveaway that gets photographed | Activation temperature and response time need sample approval; UV exposure shortens life | Colour-change ink → |
WHERE THE MINIMUM MOVES
The minimum is not a policy — it is what the setup costs. A print screen, a colour match and a mould are three completely different investments.
| What you change | Typical minimum | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Existing model, plain or one-colour print | 10 pcs | No setup beyond the screen; the model already runs |
| Multi-colour print or a full wrap | 10 pcs | Each colour is a pass, so the screens are charged as setup |
| Custom body colour | 10 pcs | The colour match is a one-off setup, not a minimum run |
| Custom lid or component on an existing body | 1,000 pcs | One small mould, quoted on its own |
| New product | 3,000 pcs | 1–4 mould sets; tooling charged separately |
Yes on print — several artwork versions can share one production run if the model and colour are the same. They cannot share a tooling investment, so a mixed order does not unlock a lower MOQ on a new mould.
We match to a chip you approve under an agreed light source. Plastic, ink and coating each render a colour slightly differently, so an exact match across body and print is confirmed on a sample, not on a screen.
Silicone is a different surface and needs its own validation — pad printing or laser rather than a standard screen pass. Ask before you build artwork around it.
Yes, before the press starts. After that, the change is a new run — which is why the approval email is treated as the production reference.
CONTINUE YOUR PROJECT
YOUR NEXT STEP
Artwork file or a description, the model, the quantity per version and where the product is sold.