Custom Wax Paper Sheets

Choosing a Wax Paper Sheet Size

The right sheet size depends on the largest item you wrap. A general rule is that the sheet should be about three times the width of the item and about twice its length, so it can fold over and tuck under. For a standard sandwich, a sheet of around 300 x 300 mm works well. A foot-long baguette needs a longer sheet, around 300 x 400 mm or more.

For basket liners, measure the base of the basket and add enough on each side for the paper to rise up the walls. Liners for burger baskets are often around 300 x 300 mm. Tray liners should match the tray exactly or sit just inside the rim so they do not catch when trays are stacked.

If you use several sizes, one printed design can be produced in each size within a single order. Our guide to measuring products for packaging covers sheet size against portion size.

Print Styles and Paper Colour

Wax paper prints best with simple, bold designs. Fine detail and photographs do not suit the absorbent base paper and the thin coating. Most businesses choose a repeating pattern: a logo tiled diagonally, a simple illustration of their speciality, or a chequered or striped design in their brand colour.

One or two colours keep the cost down and look clean. Black, red, green and navy all print strongly on white wax paper. On natural brown wax paper, black or a deep colour gives the best contrast. Food-contact grade paper is available on request if your use requires it, and we can talk through which side should face the food.

Leave a little space around the logo in the pattern. Overcrowded designs can look muddy on a crumpled sheet, while a well-spaced pattern reads clearly even when the sheet is scrunched around a burger.

White wax paper gives the cleanest look and makes bright colours look vivid. It suits modern cafés, burger bars and brands with colourful identities. Natural brown wax paper has a rustic, artisan feel and suits bakeries, sandwich shops and delis that want a traditional look.

Both are strong enough for everyday wrapping. If you want the sheets to show well in photographs, which many food businesses do because customers post their lunch online, a white sheet with a bold pattern usually photographs best. One-colour and full-colour repeat patterns are compared in the print and finish options guide.

Handling and Storage Tips

Sheets arrive interleaved and packed flat in boxes, ready to sit in a dispenser or on a shelf under the counter. Store them somewhere cool and dry, away from ovens and direct sunlight, because the wax can soften in warm conditions and sheets may stick together.

When wrapping, fold the sheet with the printed side out so the logo faces the customer. If your staff wrap quickly, a design that repeats in every direction means the logo always ends up visible, however the sheet is turned.

For a busy lunch counter, keeping a stack of pre-cut sheets within reach is much faster than tearing paper off a roll, and it reduces waste because every sheet is the right size. The guide to how custom pricing works explains why pre-cut sheets cost less per wrap than a roll.

Wax Paper, Greaseproof or Deli Paper?

Food businesses often ask which wrapping paper to choose, because several look similar. Wax paper has a wax coating that makes it smooth and moisture resistant, and it clings slightly to itself when folded, which keeps a wrap closed. Greaseproof paper is treated during manufacture rather than coated, so it resists grease but is less resistant to moisture; it suits chips, pastries and anything oily. Deli paper is a lighter wax-coated or dry-waxed sheet made for fast interfolded dispensing.

For sandwiches, cheese and anything that needs to stay fresh for a few hours, wax paper is usually the best fit. For hot, greasy food, greaseproof often performs better. Some businesses use both: wax sheets for the sandwich counter and greaseproof liners for the fryer. If you are unsure, describe what you wrap and how long it sits before being eaten, and we will suggest the paper that suits it. Hot, oily food that sits for a while is better on greaseproof paper for hot food.

Count a Busy Day's Sheets Before You Order

The quantity question matters more on wax paper than the design, because a café that wraps two hundred sandwiches a day gets through a case a week. Count how many sheets you use on a typical busy day, multiply by the trading days in a month, and order enough to cover six to eight weeks; that gives a sensible first run and tells you how fast to reorder. Note which sizes the count splits into, because one printed design can be produced in each size within the same order.

Tell us the size or sizes, white or natural paper, and send the logo or pattern idea, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day, with minimums low enough to suit an independent café or market stall. The free design proof shows the pattern repeat and the colours before printing. Production takes 4 to 7 working days after approval and free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses follows in 2 to 3 working days; sheets that arrive misprinted or damaged are reprinted or refunded if reported within 10 days. Portions that need a bag rather than a sheet use the wax paper bags for pastries.