Custom printed napkins for restaurants: what your diners notice
Guests rarely mention the napkins, yet every one of them picks one up. Choosing custom printed napkins for restaurants comes down to four decisions, and getting them in the right order saves you a reprint.
What should a restaurant look for in custom printed napkins?
A restaurant should judge custom printed napkins on four things: a size that matches the dish, a paper quality that matches the price of the meal, a print method that suits the logo, and a minimum order low enough to try before committing. Get those four right and the napkin earns its place on the table.
Most guests will never say a word about your napkins. They will still pick one up, wipe their fingers, fold it and leave it next to the plate, and it is often one of the few branded things they touch from the first course to the bill. That is why the choice deserves ten minutes of thought. The order of those four decisions matters more than you might expect, so take them one at a time.
Which napkin size suits which part of the menu?
The right size depends on what the guest is eating. Small napkins suit drinks and snacks; a 33×33 cm or 40×40 cm napkin suits a full meal. Size also changes how many you need, because guests get through more small napkins than large ones.
These are the six sizes we print, with the use each one is made for and a rough guide to how many each guest uses:
| Size | Best for | Folded size | Typical use per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20×20 cm (XS) | Cocktails, drinks, small snacks; also works as a coaster | 10×10 cm | Around 4.5 |
| 24×24 cm (S) | Cocktails and finger food, including oily snacks | 12×12 cm | 3 to 4 |
| 30×30 cm (M) | Brunch, sandwiches, baguettes and subs | 15×15 cm | 2 to 3 |
| 33×33 cm (L) | Full lunches and dinners | 16.5×16.5 cm | 1 to 2 |
| 40×40 cm (XL) | À la carte and fine dining | 20×20 cm | Usually 1 |
| 40×40 cm 1/8 fold | The same napkin in a slim American fold, popular in à la carte restaurants | 10×20 cm | Usually 1 |
A restaurant can run two sizes: a small one for the bar or the coffee service and a larger one for the table. Because the minimum is per design rather than per business, you can print both. You can see each size drawn to scale on our napkin sizes, colours and inks page.
Which paper quality fits a restaurant?
Choose the paper by the kind of meal you serve. Tissue is the everyday choice, double point is softer in the hand, and airlaid is the closest thing to a cloth napkin while staying disposable. All three take both printing methods and all three start at 100 units.
- Tissue, 2-ply and 3-ply. Soft cellulose with trimmed edges that hold the plies together, so the napkin does not come apart when it is unfolded. It is the most economical option and comes in all six sizes (the 1/8 fold in 2-ply). A good fit for cafés, casual dining and busy lunch services.
- Double point embossed tissue. Point-to-point embossing traps air between the fibres, which makes it noticeably softer and spongier. Available in 20×20, 33×33, 40×40 and the 40×40 1/8 fold.
- Airlaid dry tissue. Our best quality, and the one to look at if you are replacing linen. It suits fine dining and any place where the detail on the table is part of the experience. Available in 20×20, 24×24, 40×40, the 40×40 1/8 fold and a 40×40 Kangaroo fold.
One practical point: the colour range differs by size and quality. We print on up to 28 napkin colours, and the 40×40 cm napkin has the widest choice. Tell us the colour you have in mind and we confirm which sizes and qualities carry it before you decide.
Deluxe® or full colour CMYK: which print suits a restaurant logo?
Most restaurant logos are one or two flat colours, and those print best with Deluxe®, our own system for flat inks. Full colour CMYK is the right choice when the artwork has photographs, gradients or many colours that flat inks cannot reproduce.
Deluxe® prints from a chart of 37 inks: every flat colour carries its Pantone reference, plus metallic gold and silver. If your brand colour is not on the chart, we can mix it. Screens only approximate colour, and a Pantone printed on absorbent paper shifts again with the stock, so for a critical colour we send a physical sample before printing the run.
A detail many restaurants miss: a napkin can carry a QR code. Pointed at your menu, your booking page or your reviews, it turns something every guest already holds into a shortcut. Have a look at napkins we have printed for other clients, including one with a scannable QR code, to see how it sits on the paper.
Not sure which method your logo needs? Send it to us and we will tell you. Ask for a free design and a firm price and you will see the result before you pay anything.
How many custom napkins does a restaurant need?
Work it out from covers, not from a round number. Multiply the covers you serve in the period you want to cover by the typical use per guest for your size, then add a margin for spillage and the bar.
A worked example using the guide above: a restaurant serving 60 dinner covers a night on 33×33 cm napkins (1 to 2 per guest) uses roughly 60 to 120 napkins an evening. Over a five-night week that is 300 to 600. A cocktail bar handing out 20×20 cm napkins at around 4.5 per guest gets through far more per head, so it should plan in larger quantities.
This is where the minimum order changes the decision. We print from 100 units per design, whatever the size, quality or printing method. That means you can:
- print a first run of a new design and see it on your own tables before ordering in volume;
- keep a separate design for a tasting menu, a private dining room or a seasonal menu;
- order a short run for a one-off event without stacking cases of stock in the cellar.
How long do custom printed napkins take to arrive in the UK?
We produce and deliver anywhere in the UK within 10 working days of payment, on orders of up to 10,000 units. If you have an opening night, a relaunch or an event date, tell us when you need them and we confirm the date before you pay.
The ten days start once the design is approved and paid, so the real timeline depends on how quickly the artwork is settled. The design itself is free, with as many amendments as you need, and you see the finished design before paying.
What do you need to send to get a quote?
Three things get you a design and a firm price: the quantity, the size and napkin quality (or "not sure yet"), and your logo in the best quality you have. PDF, AI, EPS or a high-resolution image all work, and the date you need them by helps us confirm delivery. If you are still weighing up file formats and colours, our guide to ordering personalised napkins with your logo covers the artwork side in more detail.
We do not publish a price list, because a run of 100 and a run of 20,000 are not the same job. Price depends on quantity, size, paper quality and the number of ink colours, so the firm figure arrives together with your design.
Ready to see your logo on the table?
Send us your logo, the size you have in mind and roughly how many covers you serve. We reply with a free design and a firm price, usually in under two working hours, with no commitment either way. You approve the design before you pay, we print from 100 units, and the napkins reach you in the UK within 10 working days of payment. If the result is not right, our 100% satisfaction guarantee means we collect the order and refund you. Get your free design and price.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for custom printed restaurant napkins?
100 units per design. The minimum is the same whatever the size, the paper quality or the printing method you choose.
How much do custom printed napkins cost?
It depends on four things: quantity, size, paper quality and how many ink colours your design uses. We do not publish a price list. Send us your logo and you get a firm price with a free design, and no commitment.
Is a small restaurant worth printing napkins for?
With a 100-unit minimum per design you can print a short first run, see it on your own tables and only then order more. You are not committing to thousands of napkins or a cellar full of stock.
Can you match our brand colour exactly?
We print 37 inks, every flat colour with its Pantone reference, plus metallic gold and silver, and we can mix a colour that is not on the chart. For a critical colour we send a physical sample before printing the run.
What happens if the napkins are not right?
You approve the design before paying. If you are not happy with the result, our 100% satisfaction guarantee applies: we collect the material and refund you.
Do you print coasters for restaurants and bars as well?
Yes. Coasters have the same 100-unit minimum as the napkins.