Butcher Paper Sheets

Four sheet papers, one stock, four jobs

Everything on this page is the same 40 lb butcher paper that goes on the rolls, cut instead of rewound. What changes is the size, the color options and where the sheet ends up.

Pre-cut sheets are the general wrap, 12 x 12 in to 24 x 36 in in any color. Smoking sheets are pink only, 18 x 24 in to 24 x 48 in, for the crutch. Steak paper runs small, 8 x 11 in to 15 x 20 in, for the meat case. Tray liners are 8 x 10 in to 12 x 18 in for baskets.

Each one ships in a carton of 1,000, and that carton is the minimum, so the choice is less about quantity and more about size. A sheet that is right for the job wastes nothing; one that is close costs a second sheet every time.

Which butcher paper sheet do I need?

If the job is a sandwich or a sub, start with pre-cut butcher paper sheets. The other three are specialists.

Sheets or a roll: when does a sheet win?

• No dispenser, no wall space, no tearing bar: a food truck, a market stall, a pit outside.
• Every wrap the same size, which matters once the paper is printed.
• Several people wrapping at once from one stack rather than queuing at one roll.
• Small portions, where tearing 12 in off a 24 in roll wastes half the paper.
• A roll still wins on cost per square foot and on odd lengths. Many kitchens run both.

The roll width and length guide works out when a roll pays for itself.

How do the sheet papers behave with hot and cold food?

Pink sheets breathe. Steam leaves, bark stays, which is why the smoking sheet is pink only. Under cold meat in a case, pink absorbs drip and flatters the color of beef.

White sheets are uncoated unless you ask for wax. Uncoated white shows grease fast; waxed white holds it on the face. Brown kraft hides grease and folds stiff.

None of the four carries a poly coating, so all of them tear by hand and fold flat. Printed sheets of any color behave the same as plain; the ink sits in the surface and does not change how the paper breathes or folds.

What gets printed on butcher paper sheets?

Sheets print better than rolls because the logo lands in the same place on every piece. A roll's pattern repeats and the tear falls where it falls.

One or two colors in food-safe soy and water-based ink is the usual run. Pantone solid-coated matches are available, and every printed job gets a free design proof with unlimited edits before it runs. One color on kraft; full color on white; a single dark ink on pink.

Smoking sheets are the exception. Most pits print the sheet that goes across the counter and keep the one that goes in the smoker plain. The printed butcher paper range has the fully custom options.

How sheet orders run

1. Pick the paper, a size from the typical four or a custom cut, and the color.
2. Give the quantity in cartons of 1,000 sheets; that carton is the minimum.
3. Attach artwork for printed sheets or mark the order plain.
4. A written quote comes back within one business day.
5. Approve the free proof if the sheets print; plain sheets skip to production.
6. Production takes 4 to 6 business days, then free tracked delivery to any US address in 2 to 3.

The sheet quote form handles all four papers on one ticket.

Mistakes to avoid when buying sheets

Buying one size for every job. A 24 x 36 in sheet wrapped around a sandwich is wasted paper; a 12 x 12 in sheet on a rib rack is a patch job.

Choosing uncoated white for greasy food and expecting it to stay white. Ask for waxed.

Ordering pink for a fish counter. It works, but pink under pale fish looks wrong; use white steak paper.

Guessing the basket size. Measure the inside of the tray or basket and add for the walls.