Butcher paper by color

Why does the color of butcher paper matter?

Color is not decoration on butcher paper. It tells the customer what kind of shop they are in, it decides whether a grease mark shows, and it limits which inks will read if you print.

The paper underneath is the same weight in all three colors. What changes is bleaching (white), a dye (pink) or neither (brown kraft), and in the case of white, whether a wax coat is added.

• Pink: the smoker's paper, uncoated, breathable, recognized by every pitmaster
• White: the clean display wrap, uncoated or waxed, and the stock for color printing
• Brown kraft: unbleached, grease-hiding, the stock for a one-color logo

Pink, white and brown compared

The table sets the three colors side by side on the points that decide most orders: weight, coating, smoker use, grease, print and width. Read down the column for the color you lean toward and see where it falls short.

Pink is also called peach paper. The pink butcher paper page explains where that name comes from and what it is used for.

When should you choose pink butcher paper?

Choose pink for anything that goes back in the smoker. It is uncoated with no wax and no poly, so steam leaves the wrap and the bark stays firm. A brisket wrapped in pink at 165°F finishes with the crust it had before the wrap.

Pink also works at a counter that wants to look like a smokehouse. Customers know the color from every pit they have eaten at, and a black logo on peach reads as BBQ before they read a word.

It is the wrong pick for raw meat in a display case, where a wet cut shows through, and for a logo that depends on bright colors. Pink comes as plain rolls in 18, 24 and 36 in widths, as smoking sheets up to 24 x 48 in, as steak paper, and as printed sheets and counter rolls.

When should you choose white butcher paper?

Choose white when the wrap should look clean and the customer should see the cut. Steak paper, deli wraps and tray liners in a bright case are the classic uses.

White is the only color that can be waxed. Waxed white holds moisture on a wet counter; uncoated white breathes like pink and kraft. Say which you want on the quote, because the products differ.

White is also the stock for color printing. Pantone solid-coated matches come out as drawn on white, which no other color can offer. The white butcher paper page covers waxed against uncoated in full. White is the color with the most formats behind it: rolls, table covers, pre-cut sheets, steak paper, tray liners, printed sheets, counter rolls and bags.

When should you choose brown kraft butcher paper?

Choose kraft for grease. Sausage, burgers, fried chicken and sauced ribs leave stains on pink and white that kraft swallows without a trace.

Choose it too for the cheapest good-looking print. One dark ink on kraft is the print we suggest to most first-time buyers, and it never looks muddy the way two or three colors on kraft can.

Kraft is the only color that comes in a 48 in roll, which covers a picnic table in one pull. The brown kraft butcher paper page lists all eight kraft products. Kraft also makes the best table cover for a crawfish boil, where the shells and the butter would ruin a white roll in minutes.

How to pick a butcher paper color in five steps

1. Decide if the paper goes in the smoker. If yes, pink or uncoated kraft; waxed white is out.
2. Decide if the customer should see the meat through the wrap. If yes, white.
3. Decide how much grease the food gives off. Heavy grease points to kraft.
4. Decide if you will print. One color suits any stock; a color-matched logo needs white.
5. Check the width you need. 48 in exists only in kraft; the rest come in 18 to 36 in.

If two colors tie, order the smaller quantity of each on the same quote and let the counter decide. The minimum is 1,000 sheets or 1 roll per color. A written quote for both colors arrives inside one business day, and plain paper of either color skips the proof and goes straight to production.