Custom Labeled Water for Universities and College Campuses

DrinkMore Custom Water produces custom labeled water for universities and college campuses — custom labeled bottles and printed aluminum cans, filled with award-winning purified water. Minimums are low enough to run a separate design for each event — homecoming, alumni weekend, or commencement. Bottles start at six cases and turn in about two weeks; cans start at 18 cases and take about five weeks.

A Different Can for Every Event on the Calendar

Because bottles start at six cases and cans at 18, a university does not have to settle on one generic design for the whole year. Each event on the calendar can have its own — homecoming in October, commencement in May, printed with the graduating class year. Something dated to the occasion gets kept rather than thrown away:

• Commencement and graduation — printed with the graduating class year and handed out at the ceremony, at senior week, or in grad packs
• Homecoming, reunion weekend, and alumni events, where a year-specific design is part of the occasion
• Admissions tours and yield events, where families form an impression by the hour
• Athletics — sidelines, home games, commitments, and recruiting visits
• Orientation and move-in weekend
• The president’s office, board meetings, career fairs, and department conferences

Bottles or Cans: Sizes, Minimums, and Turnaround

Bottles come in four sizes and start at six cases, which is why they work for a single department testing the idea. Cans cost more and take longer, but the printed artwork holds up on ice and photographs better.

Bottles are the faster and lower-commitment option — six cases gets you started and most orders turn in about two weeks. Cans take about five weeks because each design is printed directly onto the aluminum, and the result is a seamless, full-wrap look with no label edge. Either way, pricing improves as order size increases, so it is worth asking what the next tier looks like before you settle on a quantity. Timelines run from artwork approval and payment. Delivery is included inside our DC-area zone, and we ship anywhere in the continental United States through our freight partners.

Artwork needs to arrive print-ready as vector EPS or high-resolution PDF. We provide the dieline and print spec sheet, and our in-house art team can build a design from scratch if you do not have one.

University of Delaware and Vanderbilt

The University of Delaware ordered custom cans for a home football game on a compressed timeline. They landed well enough that the university president passed along how much she liked them, and the department came back for another 40 cases within the month. Their words afterward: “a great addition to campus.”

At Vanderbilt, the canned water turned up on the admissions and campus experience side rather than athletics. The detail that stuck with the team there was a student who cited the canned water among the reasons the campus felt like a place that paid attention to detail. After admitted students weekend, DrinkMore got requests from parents of future students – where can we buy the Vanderbilt Canned Water?

Both are the same pattern — a small line item that shows up in a lot of first impressions, from a campus tour through commencement.

Common Questions

Can we order for a single home game or event?

Yes. Eighteen cases of the 12 oz sleek is 432 cans, which covers a single event without committing the department to a standing program. Plenty of campuses start with one event and expand once other departments see the cans.

Can we do a separate design for graduation, homecoming, and other events?

Yes, and it is one of the better uses of a low minimum. Each event carries its own artwork — homecoming in the fall, commencement in the spring with the graduating class year. Each distinct design is its own run with its own setup charge, so plan the calendar ahead and order them as separate runs. Bottles are the cheaper way to do several event designs in one year, since they start at six cases each.

Can different departments order under one design?

Yes, and it is the cheaper way to do it. The setup charge is per design, so once artwork is approved and on file, additional runs skip both the setup and the design cycle. Departments that coordinate timing also reach the better volume tiers together — pricing steps down at 21 cases and improves further above that, which a single department rarely hits alone.

Can you match our exact school colors?

Send your brand guidelines with PMS values and we will match as closely as digital printing allows. You get a free digital mockup within two business days, and your first physical sample can is free, so you can see the color on an actual can before a full run. Additional samples carry a $50 fee.

Do you work with campus purchasing and vendor onboarding?

Yes. We regularly work through university procurement and can supply the W-9, insurance certificates, and vendor paperwork most campuses require. Tell us what your process needs and we will start it alongside design so it does not hold up the order.

How far ahead should we order for graduation or move-in?

Five weeks from approved artwork and payment, plus design time on the front end. For a fixed date like commencement or move-in, start eight weeks out. Graduation is the one worth calendaring early — spring is busy and a class-year can cannot be reprinted after the fact.

Ready to Design Your Can?

Send us your logo and we will return a free digital mockup within two business days, plus a free first sample. Plan the academic calendar with us and we will build the schedule backward from your dates.

See Can Options & Request a Quote See Bottle Options

Or call us at 301-591-9391.