[ Us vs. Them / 004 ]
The honest comparison.
Custom cups shouldn't require a 5,000-unit gamble, a shipping quote, or a two-month wait. Here's how Sunhouse Supply stacks up against the two options most cafés get stuck choosing between.
Option A
Sunhouse Supply
The one we built
Option B
Big Print Shops
Legacy commercial printers
Option C
Overseas Suppliers
Alibaba / container orders
Reading this chart
Each card compares one thing — us, big print shops, and overseas — head to head.
Minimum order
Sunhouse
100 cups. Test your logo first.
Big Print Shops
1,000–5,000 cup minimums.
Overseas Suppliers
10,000+ per style. Full container common.
U.S. shipping
Sunhouse
Free to the lower 48. Baked into every price.
Big Print Shops
Quoted separately. Often $150–$500+.
Overseas Suppliers
Freight + customs + brokerage on top.
Digital proof
Sunhouse
Free. Mocked up on the actual cup. Approve before you pay.
Big Print Shops
$25–$75 proof fee. 3–7 day turnaround.
Overseas Suppliers
Flat art only. Real proof = paid sample shipment.
Pay when
Sunhouse
After you approve the proof. No deposit.
Big Print Shops
50% deposit up front. Balance before ship.
Overseas Suppliers
30% wire deposit. 70% before shipment leaves port.
Lead time
Sunhouse
2–3 weeks from approved proof to your door.Faster shipping available at approval.
Big Print Shops
4–6 weeks typical.
Overseas Suppliers
8–14 weeks including sea freight.
Made in
Sunhouse
Printed in our U.S. facilities.
Big Print Shops
Mixed. Often unclear.
Overseas Suppliers
Overseas. Quality varies lot to lot.
Reorders
Sunhouse
One-click from your dashboard. Art stays on file.
Big Print Shops
Email your rep. Requote every time.
Overseas Suppliers
Restart the whole PO + sampling loop.
Who you talk to
Sunhouse
A real person, same day.
Big Print Shops
Sales rep. Then a ticket queue.
Overseas Suppliers
WhatsApp with a timezone gap.
[ The Real Math ]
It's not just the sticker price.
Most quotes hide the true cost of a custom cup order. When you add proof fees, freight, deposits, and dead inventory sitting in your back room, the "cheap" quote usually isn't.
A · Sunhouse
$0
Extra fees beyond the cup price. Shipping, proofs, and reorders are included.
B · Big Print
+$200–$600
Proof fee + shipping + rush charges tacked onto the base quote.
C · Overseas
+$1,500+
Freight, customs, brokerage, and a warehouse full of cups you'll take years to use.
"We spent six weeks getting a quote from a big printer and never even saw a proof. Sunhouse had our mockup in a day and cups on the shelf inside three weeks."
See your price in under a minute.
100-cup starter runs · Free U.S. shipping · Free proofs