How Greaseproof Wraps and Printed Napkins Are Made

How are greaseproof wraps and printed napkins made, in short?

The two routes differ mainly in how the work is split. Printed wraps pass through two separate businesses, a paper mill that builds the grease barrier and a converter that prints and cuts, and the converter often prints to reel first and converts offline. Napkins usually go from tissue parent reel to wrapped bundle in one continuous pass on a napkin converting line.

The greaseproof wrap route:

1. Pulp preparation and intensive refining at the mill
2. Sheet forming, pressing, drying and calendering into greaseproof parent reels
3. Incoming inspection, conditioning and, where needed, slitting to press width at the converter
4. Flexo printing with water-based inks on the non-food face, with drying between and after colours
5. Rewinding, then sheeting, interfolding or rewinding into counter rolls and machine reels
6. Counting, stacking and packing in wrapped packs and cartons
7. In-process and release testing, then palletising

The printed napkin route:

1. Tissue making at the mill: forming, Yankee drying, creping into parent reels (or airlaid web forming and bonding for airlaid)
2. Incoming inspection and slitting of reels to the napkin line width
3. Unwinding one reel per ply and printing the top ply by inline flexo
4. Embossing to bond the plies and add bulk or decoration
5. Longitudinal folding, cross-cutting and cross-folding into 1/4, 1/8 or other folds (or interfolding and log-sawing for dispenser formats)
6. Counting and stacking, then banding or film wrapping into bundles
7. Casing, inspection and palletising

How is greaseproof paper made at the mill?

Greaseproof paper is made by refining chemical wood pulp far more intensively than for ordinary papers, so the fibres fibrillate, swell and pack into a dense sheet with very few open pores. Oil cannot easily find a path through that structure, which is why genuine greaseproof paper resists grease without fluorochemicals or a separate barrier coating.

Pulp selection

Greaseproof grades are made from bleached or unbleached chemical pulp, mostly kraft (sulphate) pulp from softwood, hardwood or a blend; sulphite pulp has also been used historically because it refines readily. Chemical pulp is needed because the lignin has been removed and the fibres can swell and bond strongly. Mechanical pulp does not respond to refining in the same way. Unbleached or lightly bleached pulp gives the natural or brown look used for "kraft-look" wraps.

Intensive refining (beating)

Refining is the defining step. Pulp in water is passed repeatedly through refiners, typically disc or conical refiners with bars on rotating and stationary plates, which cut, crush and fibrillate the fibres. Fibrillation raises the fibre surface area and flexibility; the fibres take up water, become gel-like at the surface and later bond into a closed sheet.

Mills track how far refining has gone by measuring drainage resistance, usually as the Schopper-Riegler (°SR) value. Greaseproof stock is refined to a very high °SR, far beyond the levels used for sack kraft or ordinary wrapping papers. The exact target is each mill's own know-how and varies with pulp and grade, but the relationship is consistent: more refining means a denser, less porous sheet and better grease holdout, at the cost of slower drainage on the paper machine, more refining energy and lower machine speed. That is a large part of why greaseproof is more expensive to produce than a standard MG paper of the same grammage.

Sheet forming, pressing and drying

The refined stock is diluted and formed on the paper machine wire, pressed and dried on steam-heated cylinders. Because the stock drains slowly, forming and pressing are tuned differently from fast-running packaging papers. As the sheet dries, the swollen fibres collapse onto each other and bond, producing high density and the slightly translucent look typical of greaseproof.

Some mills apply a light surface treatment at a size press, such as starch or other film-forming natural polymers, to even out the surface or adjust printability and water resistance. Many grades are then calendered to smooth the surface. Glassine is a close relative: a greaseproof-type sheet that is moistened and supercalendered to make it smoother, denser, glossier and more transparent.

Why fluorochemicals are not needed

In genuine greaseproof paper the barrier is structural, so no fluorinated treatment is required to reach typical foodservice grease resistance. Historically, some lower-refined grades and grease-resistant papers were boosted with fluorochemical sizing to reach high KIT values cheaply. That route has closed in the main export markets.

In the EU, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (the PPWR), Article 5(5), restricts PFAS in food-contact packaging from 12 August 2026: 25 ppb for any single PFAS and 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS by targeted analysis, and 50 ppm for all PFAS including polymeric PFAS, with a total fluorine result above 50 mg/kg triggering a duty to show whether the fluorine comes from PFAS. In the US, the FDA announced on 28 February 2024 that PFAS grease-proofing agents were no longer being sold for food-contact use, and many states ban intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. The full rule set is in PFAS-free food packaging. For production, the practical consequence is simple: fluorine-free paper from the mill, with total fluorine data on file.

In German-speaking markets, greaseproof paper is often called Pergamentersatz ("parchment substitute"), a name that reflects the fact that it was developed as a cheaper alternative to acid-treated vegetable parchment.

How other wrap papers are made differently

"Greaseproof" is used loosely in quotations, but the competing wrap papers are produced by quite different routes. The table summarises the mill or coating step only; the buyer-facing comparison of performance and use is in greaseproof vs parchment vs wax paper vs deli paper.

The barrier chemistry behind coated grades, and how coatings affect recyclability, is covered in barrier coatings for paper packaging. Extrusion coating is the same basic process used for cupstock and for some flexible laminates; see how paper cups and food containers are made and how flexible pouches are made.

Raw materials and incoming inspection for wrap converting

A wrap converter buys greaseproof or grease-resistant paper as parent reels from the mill, usually already slit to a width that suits its printing press, and checks each delivery against the mill certificate before the paper goes near a press. The critical incoming properties are grammage, moisture, grease resistance, surface and winding quality, and documentation.

Typical incoming material for printed wraps:

Incoming checks at the converter usually include grammage (ISO 536), moisture (ISO 287), a KIT spot check (TAPPI T559 or ISO 16532-2), reel condition (crushed cores, edge damage, telescoping, wrapper damage) and a visual check for holes, slime spots and dirt. The test method details are in KIT test and grease resistance ratings explained; this guide only names them.

Conditioning is easy to underestimate. Thin, dense paper takes up or loses moisture quickly. Reels moved from a cold warehouse into a warm, humid print hall should stay wrapped until they reach room temperature, typically for a day or more depending on reel size and temperature difference, otherwise condensation and uneven moisture show up as curl and wavy edges. For how greaseproof sits among other papers, see packaging paper grades.

Prepress and tooling for printed wraps

Prepress for wraps is simpler than for cartons because there is no cutting die, but two decisions shape the whole job: the print repeat length, which is set by the plate cylinder or sleeve circumference, and whether the design runs randomly across the web or must register to each cut sheet.

Typical prepress steps:

• Artwork received as vector files with spot colours (Pantone references) and the food-contact face identified
• Step-and-repeat layout built to the chosen repeat length and web width, so the pattern joins without visible seams in both directions
• Colour separations, one per spot colour, with traps where colours meet
• Distortion compensation for the plate wrapping around the cylinder or sleeve
• Photopolymer flexo plates made, one per colour, mounted on sleeves or cylinders
• Proof: a digital proof for layout, then where agreed a printed sample on the production paper

Random versus registered print is the main design-to-production link. A random repeat lets the sheeter cut anywhere in the pattern, which is efficient and tolerant. A logo centred on every sheet needs eye marks printed on the web and a sheeter that cuts to them, which narrows the choice of equipment and raises waste at set-up. Repeat length also needs to suit the sheet length or tear length if a full logo should appear on every sheet. Sizing implications are in burger wrap and basket liner sizes, file preparation in the packaging artwork guide, and colour matching in Pantone vs CMYK in packaging. Terms such as anilox, trap and step-and-repeat are defined in the printing and prepress glossary.

How are greaseproof wraps printed?

Printed wraps are normally produced on reel-fed flexo presses, either central impression (CI) or stack type, using water-based inks in typically one to four spot colours, printed on the non-food face with moderate coverage and dried between and after colours before rewinding. Low coverage is a production requirement, not just a design preference: thin, dense paper cannot absorb much ink and distorts when it takes on water.

CI versus stack flexo

On a CI press all print units sit around one large impression drum. The web is held on the drum through every colour, so it cannot stretch or shift between units, which gives tighter colour-to-colour register on thin, extensible paper. Stack presses have print units arranged vertically on either side of a frame, each with its own impression roll; they are simpler and cheaper and work well for one- or two-colour open patterns where register is not critical. Some converters run stack print units inline with a sheeter or rewinder; others print full reels and convert offline. Printing to reel first adds a handling step but gives the ink more time to dry and lets one press feed several converting machines.

Key print parameters

Why water-based inks and low coverage

Water-based inks are the default for food wraps because they avoid residual solvent odour and are widely available in formulations designed for food packaging. Their drawback on greaseproof is drying. The paper's closed surface means the ink dries mainly by evaporation, not absorption, and the water it contains makes the fibres swell on one side only. Heavy solids therefore cause cockling, curl towards or away from the print, and stacks that do not lie flat. Overprinted colours multiply the problem. That is why converters review designs with large solids before quoting, and why open repeats in one or two colours are the norm. Printing on greaseproof paper covers coverage guidance and design approaches in detail.

Set-off and the GMP requirement

Set-off is the transfer of ink components from the printed face of one layer onto the unprinted, food-contact face of the next, inside a wound reel or a stack of sheets. EU GMP Regulation (EC) 2023/2006 requires printing inks on the non-food side to be formulated and applied so that substances are not transferred to the food-contact side through the substrate or by set-off, in amounts that would breach Regulation (EC) 1935/2004. In production, set-off is controlled by:

• Choosing ink systems intended for food packaging, with supplier documentation
• Drying fully before rewinding, verified by touch, tack or rub checks at the rewind
• Limiting rewind tension and stack height so that layers are not pressed together while ink is still curing
• Keeping coverage and ink film thickness within what the dryers can handle
• Storing printed reels in conditions that do not soften the ink film

Low-migration ink systems, the Swiss Ordinance SR 817.023.21 (Annex 10) used as a market reference, EuPIA guidance and the German Printing Ink Ordinance, which applies from 1 January 2027, are explained in the greaseproof printing article and in food-contact packaging compliance. For how flexo compares with other processes in general, see flexo vs offset vs gravure vs digital printing.

How are printed reels converted into sheets, rolls and dispenser packs?

After printing, the reel is converted into the format the restaurant actually uses: cut sheets on a rotary sheeter, interfolded sheets on an interfolder, counter rolls or machine reels on a slitter-rewinder. Each machine adds its own critical parameters: cut accuracy, count accuracy, stack quality and winding quality.

Slitting and rewinding

Printed jumbo reels are slit to the final width and rewound. For counter rolls, the web is rewound onto small cores at a specified length or diameter, sometimes with perforation across the web at set intervals. For machine reels supplied to wrapping or packing lines, the specification usually fixes width, core diameter, outer diameter, unwind direction (print in or print out), splice marking and the maximum number of splices per reel. Slitting knives (razor or shear) must be sharp; a dull knife on thin paper leaves dusty, fluffy edges that later shed onto food or jam dispensers.

Sheeting

Cut sheets are produced on rotary sheeters (cross-cutters). The web is unwound, guided, and cut across by a rotating knife drum working against a fixed bed knife; the cut sheets are carried on belts to a delivery that builds stacks. For thin papers, several webs are often unwound and run together so that each cut produces several sheets at once, which raises output and helps stacks form neatly. Sheet length is set by drum speed relative to web speed; sheet width by the slit width.

Two cutting modes matter for printed wraps:

• Random (free) cutting: the sheeter cuts to length regardless of the pattern. Suits all-over repeats.
• Registered cutting: a photocell reads printed eye marks and the sheeter adjusts the cut so each sheet carries the design in the same position. Needed for centred logos or designs that must sit on a fold.

Square sheets such as basket liners can also be cut from larger sheets or from stacks on a guillotine. Stacks are counted by the sheeter's counting system (by cut count, often with a marker strip or offset stack at a set count) and then pressed lightly and wrapped. Pack counts of a few hundred to a thousand sheets are common, set by the buyer's usage, the dispenser or the carton.

Interleaving and interfolding

Interfolded sheets, used in deli and bakery counter dispensers, are made on interfolding machines: two or more webs are cut and folded so that each sheet overlaps the next, and pulling one sheet presents the following one. The output is a continuous stack that is cut to pack height and boxed. Interleaving sheets, such as patty papers between burger patties, are plain cut sheets fed or stacked in a defined count. Dispenser formats must match the dispenser's internal dimensions, so the fold panel width and pack height are tolerance-critical.

Die-cut and special formats

Die-cut shapes, such as kebab cones or shaped liners, need a rotary or flatbed die-cutter and a cutting tool, which adds tooling cost and lead time compared with straight-cut sheets.

Counting, packing and labelling

Finished sheets are stacked and wrapped in paper or film packs, packed into cartons and labelled with the product code, batch or lot number and count. For food-contact traceability under Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 Article 17, the lot label should let the converter trace each carton back to the paper reel, ink batches and print run.

The vocabulary of these machines is collected in the converting and manufacturing glossary. Bag making, which also starts from printed reels, is described in how paper bags are made.

Where do coatings and lamination fit in wrap production?

For genuine greaseproof, there is no coating step: the barrier was built at the mill. Coated grease-resistant papers, PE-laminated wraps, wax papers and foil-laminated insulated wraps add a coating or lamination step, either at the mill, at a specialist coater, or at the converter before or after printing.

Where the barrier is applied affects printing. A water-based dispersion barrier is normally on the food-contact face, so print goes on the uncoated face and the converter must keep the two faces the right way round through every step. PE-laminated wraps are usually printed on the paper side, with the PE facing the food; the PE layer also brings the product under Regulation (EU) 10/2011 for plastic food-contact layers. Wax is often applied after printing, which means the ink must tolerate the heat of waxing. Foil and honeycomb insulated wraps are produced by laminating aluminium foil to tissue or light paper with adhesive, then embossing or creping; they are a lamination product more than a printed paper product.

The trade-off between barrier strength and end-of-life is a specification decision covered in is greaseproof paper recyclable or compostable? and barrier coatings for paper packaging.

How is quality controlled in printed wrap production?

Quality control for printed wraps combines paper tests (grammage, moisture, grease and water resistance), print tests (colour against the approved sample, register, rub resistance, set-off), converting checks (sheet size, cut position, count) and food-contact checks (odour and taint, PFAS documentation, migration where the specification requires it). Most are done at the start of the run and at set intervals during it.

How samples, golden samples and AQL sampling work in general is covered in packaging sampling and quality control; test terms are defined in the testing and quality glossary.

Typical defects in printed greaseproof wraps

How are printed napkins made?

Printed napkins are made on napkin converting lines that unwind one tissue reel per ply, print the top ply by inline flexo with water-based inks, bond the plies by embossing, then cut and fold the web into 1/4, 1/8 or other folds and count the napkins into stacks for banding or wrapping. Airlaid napkins follow the same converting logic but start from a different, thicker nonwoven web.

Because printing and converting happen in one pass, line set-up (plates, emboss rolls, fold and size) is the main fixed cost of each run, and print position relative to the fold depends on machine timing.

Tissue parent reels: fibre, grammage and ply

Napkin tissue is made on tissue machines, where a very light, wet web is pressed onto a large steam-heated drying cylinder (the Yankee dryer) and scraped off with a creping blade. Creping gives tissue its softness, bulk and stretch. The converter receives the result as large parent reels.

The mill decisions that matter for napkins:

• Fibre: virgin chemical pulp gives whiter, softer, stronger tissue; recycled fibre, cleaned and usually deinked, gives lower cost with lower brightness and softness. Recovered paper can carry residues such as mineral oil hydrocarbons, which is why some chains specify virgin tissue for napkins likely to touch food. The trade-offs are in 1-ply, 2-ply, 3-ply and airlaid napkins compared.
• Grammage per ply: roughly 15-19 g/m² per ply for 2-ply and 14-18 g/m² per ply for 3-ply; 1-ply napkins use a heavier single sheet, roughly 17-23 g/m².
• Colour: coloured napkins use tissue dyed in the mass at the mill, not printed solids. Dye lots vary, so colour consistency between batches is agreed at sampling.
• Wet strength: some napkin tissues contain a wet-strength additive so that they do not fall apart in use; this also affects how the used napkin behaves in composting or repulping.
• Crepe and stretch: the crepe ratio affects softness and how the web behaves under tension on the converting line.

In German, tissue napkins are often called Zellstoffservietten, which distinguishes them from airlaid and textile napkins.

Incoming inspection of tissue reels

Parent reels are slit and rewound to a width that matches the napkin line, typically related to the unfolded napkin size or a multiple of it where the line runs more than one lane. For a 2-ply napkin, two reels are unwound together; for 3-ply, three. Some mills supply pre-plied reels where two plies are wound together, which simplifies the converting line.

How are airlaid napkins made?

Airlaid is not tissue. It is a nonwoven made by dry-forming: fluff pulp sheets are broken into individual fibres in a hammer mill or defibrator, the fibres are carried in an air stream and deposited onto a moving forming wire under vacuum, and the loose web is bonded to give it strength. The result is thicker, more uniform and more textile-like than tissue, typically roughly 50-75 g/m² for napkins.

The bonding method defines the grade:

After bonding, the web is often embossed and wound into reels, then converted on napkin lines built for the thicker material. Airlaid prints sharper and more opaquely than tissue because its surface is denser and more even. For environmental wording, the bonding route decides what can be said: a napkin containing thermoplastic bonding fibres should not be described as plastic-free, and compostability claims need certification of the specific grade.

How are napkins printed?

Most volume napkins are printed by inline flexography with water-based inks on the top ply, in typically one to four spot colours, immediately before embossing and folding. Tissue absorbs ink quickly and unevenly, so print resolution, colour strength and colour-to-colour register are all looser than on paper or board.

How printing works on a napkin line:

• The top-ply web passes through flexo print units, set in line along the web or stacked, each with its own plate cylinder, anilox roll and ink supply. Some converters print the tissue on a separate printer-rewinder and convert later, which allows more colours and drying at the cost of an extra handling step.
• Plates are relief flexo plates, often softer and thicker than those used on film or board, so that they print evenly on a soft, uneven creped surface without crushing it.
• Water-based inks are used almost universally. On absorbent tissue they set largely by penetration into the fibre network, helped by short hot-air drying sections where the line has them.
• Print position relative to the fold is set by the line's timing and, on lines that have it, by registration control reading marks or the print itself. In practice, position moves by a few millimetres during a run, which is why artwork keeps clear margins from fold lines and emboss bands.

Ink behaviour on tissue sets the design limits. Ink penetrates the fibres, so lines and dots spread (dot gain) and fine detail closes up. Penetration can also go too far: on light 1-ply or 2-ply tissue, heavy ink can strike through to the back of the ply, which shows as a reversed image and can transfer to the next napkin in the stack. Large solids stiffen the napkin and reduce absorbency where they print. The binder system in the ink governs rub resistance and colour fastness when the napkin is wet, which matters more on napkins than on almost any other packaging item. Artwork rules, minimum line widths and placement on the fold are covered in printing logos on napkins.

Digital printing and hot-foil decoration exist for short runs and event napkins, usually on separate equipment and at higher unit cost. Volume foodservice napkins are normally flexo.

How does napkin embossing work?

Embossing presses a pattern into the tissue between rolls under pressure. On napkins it does two jobs: it bonds the plies mechanically so they stay together in use, and it adds bulk, softness and decoration. The common configuration is steel-to-rubber: an engraved steel pattern roll runs against a rubber-covered anvil roll, and the rubber deforms around the steel pattern to push it into the tissue.

Embossing options and how they are produced:

Critical embossing parameters are nip pressure, rubber hardness and condition, pattern depth and the gap between rolls. Too little pressure gives weak ply bonding and napkins that separate; too much cuts or perforates the tissue, raises lint and reduces strength. Embossing over printed areas distorts print and can crack heavy ink films, which is why detailed print is kept away from emboss zones.

How are napkins folded, cut and counted?

On a standard napkin line, the printed and embossed web is folded lengthwise, cut across into individual napkins and cross-folded into the final fold, then counted into stacks. Dispenser formats such as interfold are made differently: an interfolder produces a continuous interleaved stack that is cut into bundles by a saw.

1/4 and 1/8 fold napkins

For a 1/4 fold napkin, the web is first folded in half along its length by a folding board or folding triangle (the longitudinal fold). The folded web is then cut to length by a rotary cutting unit with knives on a cylinder, and each piece is cross-folded by a folding blade that pushes it into the nip between folding rolls. The result is a square at one quarter of the unfolded area. A 1/8 fold adds a further fold, either a second longitudinal fold before cutting or an additional cross-fold, depending on the line. 1/6 and other folds use different folding board and blade arrangements. Fold dimensions for each size are in napkin sizes and folds.

Critical parameters are fold accuracy, cut length and the position of the printed panel relative to the folds; a napkin folded a few millimetres off-square stacks unevenly.

Interfold and dispenser napkins

Interfolded dispenser napkins are produced on interfolding machines. Webs are cut and folded so that each napkin's panel overlaps the next; the machine typically uses vacuum folding rolls that grip and fold alternating sheets into a continuous stack, often called a log or clip. The log is transferred to a saw, commonly a band saw or circular log saw, which cuts it into bundles of the required length. Some dispenser formats, including US tall-fold and low-fold styles, are made on dedicated dispenser napkin machines with their own fold geometry.

Dispenser napkins are tolerance-critical. A dispenser is designed around a specific folded width, depth, fold pattern and bundle height, so the line set-up must reproduce that geometry closely. Dispenser compatibility and consumption trials are covered in dispenser napkins for quick-service restaurants.

Counting and stacking

Napkin lines count napkins as they leave the folding section and separate stacks at a set count, often with a separator finger or by offsetting a stack. Counts are verified by weighing bundles against the nominal napkin weight or by manual counts at intervals.

How are napkins banded, wrapped and packed?

Counted stacks are banded with a paper band, film-wrapped, or bagged, then packed into shipping cartons. Bundle counts are set by the use: retail and event packs are small, foodservice bundles are larger, and dispenser bundles match the dispenser's capacity. Napkins are light and bulky, so many converters compress stacks slightly during wrapping to reduce volume, within limits that do not crush the emboss or create permanent creases.

Because napkin freight is often charged by volume, bundle count, case size and cases per pallet should be agreed in the specification. The bands, film wraps and cartons are packaging in their own right, even when the napkins themselves are usually not classed as packaging; see the custom printed napkins hub for that distinction.

How is quality controlled in printed napkin production?

Napkin QC focuses on tissue properties (grammage, strength, absorbency), the converted napkin (ply bonding, fold and size, lint), and the print (position, colour, rub resistance and colour fastness when wet), plus count accuracy. Tissue properties are usually documented by the mill and spot-checked; converted properties are checked at start-up and at intervals during the run.

Typical defects in printed napkins

Packing, storage and transport for wraps and napkins

Both families are moisture-sensitive paper products. Wraps should be packed in closed packs and cartons, stored off the floor at moderate temperature and humidity, and protected with stretch film on the pallet; humidity swings cause curl, sticking sheets and dimensional change. Napkins should be kept dry and away from odours, because tissue picks up both moisture and smells readily.

Points that come up in practice:

• Pallet patterns: cartons interlocked or column-stacked depending on carton strength; corner boards and top sheets for long transport
• Stack height: limit pallet weight on top of wrap cartons so that sheets do not block or set off in storage
• Containers: condensation in sea containers is a known risk on long routes; desiccants or moisture barriers inside the stretch wrap are sometimes specified
• Volume versus weight: wraps are dense and freight-efficient; napkins are light and bulky, so container fill is limited by volume
• First-in, first-out rotation at the restaurant or distribution centre

Shipping from Türkiye to the EU, UK and US, including documents and transit, is covered in sourcing packaging from Türkiye.

How does the production route drive MOQ, cost and lead time?

For printed wraps, the main drivers are paper availability (mill minimums for specific grades, colours or barrier types), the number of print colours and plates, the sheet size and format change on the converting line, and whether registered cutting or special folds are needed. For printed napkins, the drivers are tissue grade and colour, plates per colour, custom emboss rolls, line changeovers for size and fold, and dispenser-specific formats.

The general logic of minimum quantities, price build-up and scheduling is in what determines MOQ, packaging cost drivers and packaging lead times. Final figures for any project are confirmed at quotation and technical review against the material, format and print design.

What does food-contact hygiene look like in wrap and napkin production?

Wraps are food-contact materials, so their production falls under GMP Regulation (EC) 2023/2006, which requires a documented quality assurance and quality control system, suitable raw materials and, for printing, controls against ink transfer to the food side. Napkins may or may not be food-contact materials depending on their intended and foreseeable use, but many chains apply the same expectations.

What hygiene controls typically cover in converting halls producing food-contact paper:

• Segregation of food-contact production from operations using non-food inks or materials
• Clean machine surfaces, guarded rolls and controlled lubricants (food-grade where contact is possible)
• Pest control, glass and brittle-plastic policies, and controls on loose items near open product
• Personal hygiene rules, including clothing and hair covering in packing areas
• Covered storage of reels, finished packs and cartons; no direct floor contact
• Lot traceability from paper or tissue reel and ink batch to finished carton, as required by Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 Article 17
• Retained samples per lot and documented complaint handling

Buyers, particularly chains with their own food-safety audits, often ask whether a supplier operates under a recognised hygiene or food-safety scheme. Common examples are BRCGS Packaging Materials, FSSC 22000 (which has a packaging scope) and ISO 22000. These are schemes a buyer may ask about and audit against; whether a particular supplier holds any of them should be checked against a valid certificate. Documentation requirements in general are covered in food-contact packaging compliance.

What should a buyer ask a wrap or napkin manufacturer about the process?

Ask questions that reveal how the product will actually be made: which base material and mill, how the print is dried and how set-off is controlled, how sheets or napkins are cut, folded and counted, which tests are done at what frequency, and what documentation comes with each lot.

For printed greaseproof wraps:

• Which paper type: genuine greaseproof, coated grease-resistant, PE-laminated or wax, and from which grade?
• What grammage, KIT and, where relevant, Cobb values does the mill certify, and are they tested on printed and creased samples?
• Is the paper fluorine-free, and is total fluorine or PFAS test data available for the grade?
• Which face is food-contact, and how is that face kept consistent through printing and converting?
• What ink system is used, and which documents support it (GMP, EuPIA positioning, Swiss Ordinance, German Printing Ink Ordinance for Germany)?
• How is drying verified before rewinding or sheeting, and how is set-off checked?
• Random or registered cutting, and what tolerance on sheet size and logo position?
• Pack count, pack type, carton count and lot labelling

For printed napkins:

• Tissue fibre (virgin or recycled), grammage per ply, ply count and colour, and the mill's documentation
• Emboss type: edge, all-over, deco, glue-laminated; any custom emboss roll needed
• Number of print colours, print position tolerance relative to the fold, and coverage limits
• Ink system and colour-fastness evidence when wet (for example EN 646)
• Fold type and folded size, or for dispensers the dispenser model and the bundle geometry it needs
• Bundle count, banding or wrapping method, case size and pallet configuration

For the wider structure of a quotation request, use the packaging RFQ guide, and for evaluating a supplier beyond the process questions, see how to choose a packaging manufacturer.

Next step: specify wraps and napkins by how they are made

9 Packaging is an Istanbul-based B2B manufacturer and exporter of custom printed packaging with experience supplying fast-food and chain-style foodservice operations, where wraps and napkins are often specified together with cups, bags and boxes as one branded set. Start from the product hubs, which set out the material and format decisions: custom printed greaseproof paper for wraps, sheets, liners and rolls, and custom printed napkins for tissue and airlaid napkins. Then send a specification that covers base material, grammage, barrier or ply, format and size, print colours and coverage, food-contact face, pack counts, required tests and documents, annual volumes and destination. Request a quotation with those details, and the material, print and converting route will be confirmed at technical review. For the other packaging families, return to how custom printed packaging is made.