Custom Printed Paper Food Trays

What are custom printed paper food trays and which formats are available?

Each tray is die-cut from printed board and folded into shape, made to your dimensions, board colour and artwork. The main formats are snack trays and food boats, hot dog trays, pizza slice trays, and the same shapes in either glued or flat-pack (easy-assembly) construction.

Sizes are covered in detail in paper food tray sizes and formats. Whether to buy flat-pack or glued is an operational question that deserves its own comparison: flat-pack vs pre-glued food trays.

How are open food trays different from closed takeaway boxes?

An open tray has no lid, so it suits food that is eaten within a few minutes of serving, and it cannot protect food in transit. A closed box holds heat and survives a delivery bag; a tray usually does not, unless it goes into a sleeve, bag or outer box.

That difference changes what the buyer should specify:

• Time between serving and eating. Trays work for counter, kiosk, event and walk-away use. For delivery, a vented box is the safer choice; our takeaway boxes hub and the guide to fries packaging cover the closed alternatives.
• Heat and steam. Without a lid, steam escapes, so food stays crisper, but heat is lost faster. Trays are comparatively forgiving of fried food and poor at holding saucy dishes.
• Grease and liquid. The tray base takes the full load. Barrier choice matters more than on a vented box where food sits above the wall line. See paper food tray coatings.
• Branding. The inside of a tray is visible with the food on it. Open trays are one of the few formats where the interior print is part of the presentation, which has food-contact consequences covered below.

Four neighbouring products are often confused with trays. Fries scoops and cartons belong to the fries guide; round bowls and tubs made from cupstock are covered under custom printed paper food containers; burger clamshells under custom printed burger boxes; and the printed paper laid on top of a serving tray is a different product again, covered under custom printed tray liners.

Which board and weight suit a paper food tray?

Most printed trays use solid bleached sulphate (SBS) or folding boxboard (FBB) for a white printable surface, or unbleached kraft board when the natural look is part of the brand. Weight is typically in the 250-350 gsm range, rising for large or heavy trays; the grade and caliper are chosen from the food, the tray span and the construction.

The choice between brown and white has print, cost and perception consequences that are compared in kraft vs white board takeaway boxes and, at grade level, in FBB vs SBS vs WLC for paperboard cartons. Recycled-fibre board is generally avoided for direct food contact unless a functional barrier separates it from the food, because of mineral oil and other contaminants in recovered fibre.

Two practical points specific to trays. Grain direction affects how a tray holds its shape when a hand squeezes the walls; the dieline is laid out so the long walls do not fold across a weak grain direction. And a tray that sits in a warm, steamy counter for twenty minutes loses stiffness faster than the same board in a closed box, so the specification should reflect holding time rather than serving time.

Does a paper food tray need a coating?

Dry and briefly held foods can go on uncoated or fluorine-free grease-resistant board; fried, saucy or long-held food needs a barrier. The options are PE extrusion coating, aqueous dispersion barriers, PLA and bio-based coatings, and uncoated grease-resistant board, and each has a different status under single-use plastic rules.

A tray adds two coating problems that a closed box does not. The cut edges of the board are exposed along the whole rim, so liquid can wick into the fibre from the edge even when the surface is coated. And the folds and corners of a tray are crease-intensive, which is where dispersion layers are most likely to crack. The reasoning, test methods and trade-offs are laid out in coatings for paper food trays; the underlying chemistry is in barrier coatings for paper packaging, and the standard grease test is explained in KIT testing for grease resistance.

Should food trays be glued or flat-pack?

Glued trays are quicker at the counter and cost more to store and ship; flat-pack (easy-assembly) trays store in a small fraction of that space but need a few seconds of folding per tray. If peak-time speed is the constraint, glued trays win; if back-of-house space or freight volume is, flat-pack does, and chains often decide site by site.

A glued tray has its corners or side seams bonded at the factory and is supplied nested in stacks, so a carton holds many trays but occupies a lot of volume per tray. A flat-pack tray arrives as a flat printed blank with locking tabs or folding corners; the operator erects it by hand. Both can carry the same board, coating and print. The break-even depends on labour time, peak throughput, storage space and freight, which is why flat-pack vs pre-glued food trays works through the numbers with an illustrative calculation. For chain buyers, the choice also interacts with how many tray sizes the menu really needs: see how to reduce takeaway packaging SKUs across a menu.

What sizes do paper food trays come in?

Paper food trays run from tasting trays of roughly 100 ml to sharing trays of a litre or more, and the size is set from the portion and the garnish, not from a catalogue number. Hot dog trays follow the length of the roll, and pizza slice trays follow the pizza diameter and the number of slices per pizza.

Indicative dimensions for the most common formats (bounding size, in cm; final dimensions are set from the portion and the dieline):

These ranges are starting points. The sizing logic, including how to measure a real portion, how to allow for toppings and how nesting height affects storage, is in paper food tray sizes and formats.

What printing options exist for paper food trays?

Trays are usually printed on the flat sheet before die-cutting and folding, by sheet-fed offset litho on white board, flexo on kraft or simple designs, or digital printing for short runs. The method follows from the board, the number of colours, the run size and the budget, and is confirmed at quotation.

• Offset litho: best for photographic artwork, fine type and tight colour matching on SBS, FBB and CKB; common for chain-standard designs.
• Flexo: suited to line artwork, solid colours and patterns on kraft and corrugated, and to long runs; colour reproduction on brown kraft is darker and more limited.
• Digital: no plates, so it suits short runs, tests and multi-design sets; per-unit cost is typically higher at volume.
• Varnish and finish: a water-based or UV varnish protects the print from grease rub-off; a matt or soft-touch effect needs to be tested for slip in the hand.

Where the ink sits matters on an open tray. If the printed side is the food-contact side, the inks and varnishes must be suitable for that use, and the same is true of migration through the board from the outside. Buyers in Germany should note that the Printing Ink Ordinance (Druckfarbenverordnung) applies from 1 January 2027 for materials placed on the German market. A design with a large solid colour over the inside surface is also more likely to mark or lift under grease than one with the inside left unprinted. Details on methods are in packaging printing methods compared; artwork preparation is in the packaging artwork guide, and dieline principles in carton dielines and tooling.

Which tray suits which menu item?

Match the tray to the food, the holding time and the way it is carried. These rules cover most counter-service menus.

Foods that are hot, wet and held for a while are better in a pail or box; the criteria are in takeaway boxes for hot, wet and saucy food.

Are coated paper food trays single-use plastic, and what do PPWR and PFAS mean for trays?

Under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904, paper or board with a plastic lining or coating counts as a single-use plastic product, so a PE-coated tray is treated as a single-use plastic food container. It is not banned, but it carries producer responsibility costs and national consumption-reduction measures. Uncoated paper trays are outside the Directive. Obligations depend on the company's role (manufacturer, importer, distributor or food business operator) and should be confirmed with the competent authority or compliance scheme.

The main points by market, each of which is covered in more detail in the linked guide:

• EU: the Commission's SUP guidelines (2021/C 216/01) treat plastic-coated paper as plastic; the guidelines set no minimum plastic share and do not name dispersion coatings, so a "plastic-free" claim on a water-based barrier needs written support from the coating supplier. Food containers do not carry the printed "plastic in product" marking that applies to beverage cups. The guidelines distinguish food containers (receptacles such as boxes, with or without a lid, that contain food and may help transport it) from plates (dishes sold without a lid, predominantly flat with a slightly raised edge, used to serve or eat from). A boat or tray with real walls is normally a food container; a very flat coated tray is closer to the plate description, and plates, including plastic-coated paper plates, are banned under Part B of the Directive.
• PPWR: Regulation (EU) 2025/40 applies from 12 August 2026, including limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging from that date. From 1 January 2030 the Annex V restrictions on single-use plastic packaging for food filled and consumed on HORECA premises apply; the Commission's non-binding guidance notice C(2026) 3702 of 5 June 2026 treats paper-based packaging with 5 % or more plastic as covered. Takeaway outlets must accept customers' own containers from 12 February 2027 and offer a reusable option from 12 February 2028 (micro-enterprises are exempt from the second duty). See PPWR explained for foodservice buyers.
• Germany: the reusable-offer duty (Mehrwegangebotspflicht) has applied since 1 January 2023 to takeaway outlets using single-use plastic food packaging, with an exemption for very small outlets; the single-use plastic fund (Einwegkunststofffonds) charges food containers within SUP scope by weight. Details: Germany and Austria.
• Netherlands: since 1 January 2024, plastic-containing single-use cups and containers, including partly plastic ones such as PE-lined board, may not be used for food consumed on the premises. See Netherlands packaging compliance.
• United Kingdom: England's single-use plastics ban (from 1 October 2023) covers plastic-coated paper plates, trays and bowls supplied empty to the public, while trays filled at the point of sale are treated as packaging and are exempt; Scotland and Wales do not list trays or bowls. See UK packaging regulations.
• United States: paper trays must be made from substances authorised for food contact, typically under 21 CFR 176.170 for aqueous and fatty foods, and a growing number of states prohibit intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. See US foodservice packaging regulations and PFAS-free food packaging.

How paper, plastic and aluminium compare on regulation, cost and heat is set out in paper vs plastic vs aluminium food trays. Document requirements for food contact are in food-contact packaging compliance in the EU, UK and US.

Terminology by market

Buyers use different names for the same tray, and a mismatch can produce a wrong quotation. These are the terms most often used.

In Germany, packaging filled at the point of sale is "Serviceverpackung", the regulatory term that applies to most trays. Terms such as "tray" and "plate" matter in the UK and EU because plates are subject to SUP bans, so the quotation request should say clearly that the item is a food tray or boat that contains food.

How 9 Packaging works with food tray buyers

9 Packaging manufactures and exports custom printed packaging from Istanbul to business customers, and has experience supplying chain-style and fast-food operations where many formats need to look like one brand. For trays, the useful starting point is usually the menu and the counter: which foods go in open trays, how long they are held, where the trays are stored and how fast they are erected. We then propose board, coating, construction and print combinations. Board, coating, dimensions and print method are confirmed at quotation and technical review, and structural samples can be discussed for new shapes. Minimum order quantity depends on material, size, print method and run configuration; the MOQ guide explains how these interact, packaging cost drivers lays out what moves the unit price, and lead times shows where time goes between artwork and delivery. Buyers importing from Türkiye can read sourcing packaging from Türkiye for customs and documentation. Chain buyers rolling out a tray specification across many sites will find the procurement angle in packaging for restaurant chains and franchises.

Related production guide: how folding cartons and food boxes are made explains die-cutting, folding and gluing. Unfamiliar terms are in the packaging glossary.

What to send for a paper food tray quotation

A quotation request that names the food and the way it is served is quicker to price than one that only gives a size. The packaging RFQ guide has a full template, and the RFQ template tool can be downloaded. For trays, include at least:

• Tray format (snack tray, boat, hot dog tray, pizza slice tray) and the food it holds, including sauce, grease and heat.
• Target internal dimensions or the real portion, and whether the tray must nest or stack.
• Holding time between serving and eating, and any plan to reheat.
• Board appearance (white, kraft) and barrier preference (uncoated or fluorine-free grease-resistant, PE, dispersion).
• Construction: glued, flat-pack, or both for comparison; storage space per site.
• Artwork status, number of colours, whether the inside is printed and the print method preference.
• Destination markets, so documentation (declaration of compliance, PFAS statement, polymer status of the coating) can be prepared for the right jurisdictions.
• Quantities per size and the number of designs, since MOQ depends on the run configuration.

Send the specification through our contact page for review. If you are still choosing between formats, start with the takeaway boxes category and the guides listed below.

Guides for paper food trays

• Paper food tray sizes and formats: boats, hot dog trays and snack trays: dimensions, capacity and how to size a tray from the portion.
• Pizza slice packaging: trays, triangles and slice boxes: slice geometry, steam and handling.
• Coatings for paper food trays: PE, dispersion, PLA and uncoated: barrier choice by food.
• Paper vs plastic vs aluminium food trays: cost, heat and SUP rules: material comparison.
• Flat-pack vs pre-glued food trays: assembly time and storage: operational trade-offs.