Custom Chequered Deli Paper

Picking a Sheet Size That Fits Your Baskets

Start with the container. A standard oval burger basket is usually around 230 x 150 mm at the base, the same footprint a plain food basket liner is cut for, and a sheet of about 300 x 300 mm folds up the sides with corners hanging over the rim, which is the look most diners want. Larger rectangular trays and platters for sharing need sheets around 350 x 450 mm.

For wrapping, measure the food. A burger needs a square sheet roughly three times the diameter of the bun, so most wrap sheets are 300 to 350 mm square. Hot dogs and subs suit rectangular sheets. If you both line baskets and wrap, one sheet size that does both jobs simplifies stock; 300 x 300 mm is the usual compromise.

Tell us your basket or tray dimensions and we will suggest a size. Sending a photo of the basket with a sheet in it helps too.

Paper Weight and Grease Resistance

Deli paper is usually around 30 to 40 gsm, thin enough to fold and crumple easily but strong enough not to tear when lifted out of a basket with food on it. A grease-resistant treatment in the paper stops oil passing through, so basket liners keep the plastic clean and wraps stay pleasant to hold; for fried fish and chips the heavier fish and chip paper is the better choice.

Heavier sheets around 50 gsm feel more substantial and suit tray liners that carry heavier loads, such as ribs or loaded fries. They are less suited to tight wrapping. Food-contact grade paper is available on request and is the right choice when the sheet sits directly against hot food.

Water-based inks are used for the checks, printed on one side only. We keep the coverage balanced so the sheet stays flexible after printing.

Serving Ideas From Busy Counters

Line the basket with the sheet set at an angle, so one corner points towards the customer and two corners rise up the sides. It looks generous and keeps fries from sliding under the paper, and a matching burger wrap sheet around the bun completes the tray. For sharing trays, two overlapping sheets give a bigger chequered area without needing a special size.

Wrap burgers tightly with the logo panel facing up, then fold the bottom edge under. When the customer peels back the top, the burger is still held in a pocket of paper. Some places wrap the burger in chequered paper and then pop it into a box, using the paper to keep the bun tidy and the box for transport.

Shake bars sometimes slip a square of chequered paper under the glass on a tray, which catches drips and keeps the pattern running through the whole order. Hot dog stands fold a long sheet into a boat shape around the bun, so onions and sauce stay in place while the customer walks. It is a small habit, but staff who fold consistently make every plate look the same, and that consistency is what makes the paper feel like part of the brand rather than a disposable extra.

Storage and Supply

Sheets arrive cut and stacked in packs, boxed to keep them flat and clean. Store them away from the fryer and any steam, because damp paper curls and sticks together, which is also true of greaseproof baking paper kept near a hot pass. A wall-mounted dispenser or a simple tray by the pass keeps them clean and easy to grab.

Because the paper is thin, a box of sheets takes up little space. Most kitchens find one size covers baskets and wraps, and they reorder before the last pack is opened rather than waiting until they run out.

Some kitchens keep two cut sizes on the go: a standard sheet for baskets and wraps, and a larger sheet for sharing trays at weekends. Keeping them in separate, clearly marked boxes avoids staff reaching for the wrong one during service and wasting paper.

Line a Basket With a Plain Sheet First and Note Which Corners Show

Before you choose a check size, take a plain sheet of paper and line one of your own baskets the way staff will on a busy shift, at an angle with corners rising up the sides. Notice how much of the sheet is visible once the food is in: usually the two rising corners and a strip along the front. That tells you where a logo panel needs to sit and whether 25 mm checks or 10 mm checks will read better at that size. It also confirms the sheet size; most oval baskets suit 300 x 300 mm.

Then send the sheet size, the check colour, a logo file if you want one in the pattern and a rough quantity, and a custom quote arrives by email within one working day with minimums quoted per job. The free design proof shows the checks and the logo repeat at full sheet size. Printing takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and the boxed packs reach UK mainland addresses on free tracked delivery in 2 to 3 working days. Counters that wrap hot dogs and subs often add the larger plain deli sheets for those lines.