Most sandwich shops make this decision the same way. The owner uses whatever generic white deli paper came with the first wholesale order, prices it out against custom options once or twice, decides it seems expensive and moves on. The paper stays generic. Two years later the shop has a loyal customer base, a well-known name in the neighborhood and packaging that looks exactly like the shop down the street.
This guide is for the owner who is ready to actually think it through. What type of custom deli paper fits a sandwich shop, what it costs at realistic order quantities, what to check before placing a first order with customprintedpapers.com, and where the calculation tips in favour of making the switch.
Is Custom Deli Paper Worth It for a Sandwich Shop
The honest answer is: it depends on your volume and your margin.
Custom deli paper from customprintedpapers.com costs more per sheet than plain white deli paper from a generic wholesale supplier. That is always going to be true. The question is not whether the unit cost is higher. It is whether the unit cost difference is justified by what custom paper does for the business.
The Cost of Plain Paper
How much brand visibility is your food service operation leaving on the table?
| Metric | Impact Assessment |
|---|---|
| 300 | Average wraps per day For a busy independent sandwich shop. |
| 1,500 | Brand touchpoints per week At 5 service days — all served on unbranded plain paper. |
| 78,000 | Missed impressions per year Valuable marketing opportunities that go out with no logo, no brand identity, and no word-of-mouth growth. |
Those 78,000 wraps go out every year with a competitor’s generic paper on them. Some of those wraps get photographed. Some get carried through a neighborhood. Some sit on a desk in an office where 10 other people see the bag. Every one of them is a surface that carries nothing about your shop.
Custom deli paper turns that surface into a marketing channel that runs at the cost of the paper difference. Which at 2,000 sheets from customprintedpapers.com, works out to a fraction of a cent per order. The question is not whether it is expensive. The question is whether you can afford to keep sending out 78,000 blank impressions a year.
At customprintedpapers.com, the minimum order is 50 sheets, which at 300 wraps per day covers less than a few hours of service. Most sandwich shops order in 2,000 to 5,000 sheet runs and reorder every four to six weeks.
Which Custom Deli Paper Works at a Sandwich Counter
The type of custom deli paper your shop needs depends on two things: what you put in the sandwich and how fast your counter moves. These are not the same answer for every shop.
For Dry to Medium Fillings – Turkey, Chicken, BLT, Cold Cuts
White uncoated deli paper at 35 to 40 GSM is the working specification for most sandwich shops. It wraps cleanly at speed, holds a standard sub without tearing, and gives the sharpest full-colour logo print of any material in the category. The bleached kraft surface is uniform a four-colour logo prints on it the same way it prints on paper in a brochure.
This is what most of customprintedpapers.com‘s sandwich shop accounts run on. If your menu is broadly cold sandwiches, turkey and chicken subs and standard deli builds, white uncoated at 35 to 40 GSM is the correct starting point.
For Wet Fillings – Meatball, Philly Cheesesteak, Pulled Pork, Hot Sauced Sandwiches
Uncoated deli paper starts to fail when moisture content is high. A meatball sub generates enough sauce and steam in the first five minutes after wrapping to push through an uncoated sheet at the edges. The wrap holds structurally but the outer surface where your logo is gets damp. The presentation degrades before the customer opens it.
Waxed deli paper from customprintedpapers.com has a paraffin or soy wax coating on the food contact side. Moisture sits on the wax rather than absorbing through the fibre. The outer surface stays dry. The logo reads clearly. The wrap looks as good when the customer opens it at their desk as it did when your team sent it out.
For shops with an Eco-first Identity
Brown unbleached kraft carries no bleaching agents and no chemical treatment. It is 100 percent recyclable and compostable. For sandwich shops that lead with a sustainability angle farm-to-table menus, local sourcing, and zero-waste commitments. The packaging material either supports that identity or contradicts it. Bleached white paper does not support it. Brown kraft does.
One to two colour logo print on brown kraft gives clean, consistent results. For complex full-colour designs, white deli paper gives more precise reproduction. If your brand mark is a clean logo in one or two colours, brown kraft prints it clearly.
What Size Custom Deli Paper Do Sandwich Shops Actually Order
Size is the question that trips up first-time buyers most often. Order too small and the paper does not cover the wrap. Order too large and you are wasting material on every single order. These are the sizes that work at a sandwich counter:
Sizing & Application Guide
| Size | Works For |
|---|---|
| 12 x 12 inch |
The deli counter standard. Covers a 6-inch sub sandwich with enough overlap for a clean fold and seal. The most common size ordered through customprintedpapers.com by independent sandwich shops.
Most Popular |
| 14 x 14 inch | For footlong subs and larger builds. Covers a 12-inch sub with working overlap. If your 12×12 sheets leave you short on the fold, this is the next size up. |
| 18 x 24 inch | For oversized wraps, burritos and large sharing formats. Also used as tray liner or counter display paper by some shops that double the sheet across uses. |
| Custom cut | Available for non-standard sizes. If your shop has a signature format that does not match standard dimensions, customprintedpapers.com manufactures to your specified cut. |
A practical check: take a standard sheet from your current paper stock and measure it. If you are happy with the coverage, that is your size. If you are consistently folding short or trimming excess, measure what you actually need and order to that specification.
What Custom Deli Paper Actually Costs for a Sandwich Shop
No supplier publishes a clean cost comparison on their own site. Which is why most sandwich shop owners make this decision on incomplete information. Here is how it actually works at customprintedpapers.com.
The minimum order through customprintedpapers.com is 50 sheets. Wholesale pricing tiers start at 2,000 sheets. For a shop doing 300 wraps per day, 2,000 sheets covers roughly 6 to 7 days of service. Most shops order in 2,000 to 5,000 sheet runs and reorder every four to six weeks depending on menu mix and storage capacity.
The cost per sheet at 2,000 units is significantly lower than at 50 units. If you are on the fence about committing to custom paper, the unit cost calculation at 2,000 sheets is the one that makes the switch financially straightforward for most independent shops. At 50 sheets, the per-unit premium is higher the 50-sheet option exists for first-time buyers who want to test quality before committing to a larger run.
The comparison to make is not custom paper versus plain paper in isolation. The comparison is: what does it cost per order to add a brand impression to every wrap that leaves your counter. At wholesale rates from customprintedpapers.com, that figure is typically less than the cost of a single social media post that reaches a fraction of the audience your paper reaches in a week.
What to Check Before Placing Your First Custom Deli Paper Order
First orders go wrong for predictable reasons. These are the checks that prevent the most common issues:
- Confirm your paper type before ordering. If you are not sure whether your fillings need waxed or uncoated, request a free sample pack from custom printed papers before placing a production run.
- Know your size. Measure your current paper or your sandwich build. 12×12 covers a 6-inch sub. 14×14 covers a footlong. Custom sizes are available if your format is non-standard.
- Have your logo file ready. custom printed papers accepts PDF, AI, EPS and PNG at 300 DPI minimum. Vector formats give the sharpest result on print. If you only have a JPEG logo, request design support before submitting.
- Check that your supplier provides FDA 21 CFR 176.170 compliance documentation — not just a food safe claim on the website. All orders from custom printed papers include compliance documentation.
- Request a digital proof before approving production. custom printed papers provides a free digital proof within one business day. Approve the proof on screen before the order goes to press.
- Factor in turnaround time against your current stock level. Production at custom printed papers runs 6 to 8 business days from artwork approval. Order before you run out, not after.
Questions Sandwich Shop Owners Ask About Custom Deli Paper
Can an independent sandwich shop order custom deli paper or is it only for chains?
The minimum order at customprintedpapers.com is 50 sheets, which is within reach for any independent shop doing consistent daily service. Custom deli paper is not a chain-only product. The minimum exists to allow low-volume digital testing before scaling, making small orders highly viable. A single-location sandwich shop ordering 2,000 sheets every six weeks unlocks our wholesale pricing tier, making custom branding accessible without enterprise-level volumes.
How long does the first order take from artwork submission to delivery
From the point you submit your artwork file to custom printed papers, you receive a digital proof within one business day. Production runs 2 to 3 business days from proof approval. Delivery to your door is then 2 to 3 business days depending on your location. Total from artwork submission to paper in hand: 5 to 6 business days in most cases. Plan your first order against your current stock accordingly. The second and third orders are easier to time because you know the cycle.
My logo is only available as a JPEG – can I still order custom deli paper
Yes, but the print result will not be as sharp as a vector file. custom printed papers design team offers free artwork assistance. If you submit a high-resolution JPEG and request support, the team will prepare a print-ready version of your logo before your order goes to press. For best results, a vector file in PDF, AI or EPS format at the original design size is what the print team works with most cleanly.
Can I order sheets and rolls under the same logo?
Yes. customprintedpapers.com produces both formats from the same artwork file. Some sandwich shops run rolls on the main service counter for high-speed lunch service and keep a stock of pre-cut sheets for packaging stations, catering orders or a second location with different volume. Both formats carry the same logo print at the same quality. The minimum order applies to each format separately.
Order Custom Deli Paper for Your Sandwich Shop
Custom Printed Papers manufactures custom deli paper in white bleached kraft, brown unbleached kraft and waxed finishes in sheets and roll format with your logo printed & food safe from 50 sheets. All materials are FDA 21 CFR 176.170 compliant with documentation on every order. Free digital proof within one business day.