Custom Printed Fry Paper

What Are Fry Paper?

Fry paper is a small grease-resistant sheet, usually white, that a cook folds into an open-top pocket or drops flat into a basket for a serving of fries. It keeps oil off hands, trays and bags. We print it with a repeat pattern on the outside face, or supply it plain.

Fry Paper Sizes

Standard sizes carry no cutting charge. Any other size is quoted on request; the deli paper size chart lists what each one wraps.

Fry Paper for Counters, Trucks and Stands

Fry paper is a small grease-resistant sheet that folds into a pocket, lines a basket or wraps a hand-held serving of fries. It is the sheet in the photos: white, matte and slightly translucent where the oil touches it. Kitchens fold it on the fly or use it flat under a scoop.

Burger counters, drive-ins, boardwalk stands, stadium concessions and food trucks all use it, because fries go out with almost every ticket. A branded fry pocket is often the first thing a customer sees on the tray, before the burger wrap is opened.

Why Grease-Resistant Stock for Fries?

Hot fries shed oil for minutes after they leave the basket. Plain paper goes dark and limp in seconds. Grease-resistant stock keeps its surface, so the pocket stays bright and the print stays readable while the customer walks to a table.

Dry wax works as a fry liner in a basket, where the sheet lies flat and the hold is short. It is softer and folds easily, but the wax lets oil show as dark patches, so we steer most fry orders to grease-resistant white. Kraft grease-resistant hides spots even better and suits a smokehouse or a truck with a brown-paper look.

White stock is the choice when you print in color. Red, green and brand blues sit cleanly on a bright sheet, as the samples in the photos show.

How Big a Sheet Folds into a Fry Pocket?

The size question for fry paper is about the fold, not the flat sheet. A pocket uses about half the sheet for the front and back, and the rest for the folded base and side seam.

Most counters land on 6 x 10. It folds into a pocket that fits the hand, takes a regular scoop and leaves the top open for salt. Buy 10 x 10 only if your large portion really needs it; a half-empty pocket looks like a short serving.

Repeat Prints That Survive the Fold

Once a sheet is folded, you cannot predict which part faces out. A single centered logo ends up inside the pocket half the time. That is why the printed samples in the photos use a repeat: the mark appears every couple of inches, so some of it is always on the outside face.

We print the repeat in 1, 2 or 3 spot colors, or full color on white. One bold color at a diagonal is the classic fry pocket look and the simplest to run. Keep each repeat element simple; thin script and hairlines soften on absorbent stock, and the proof will thicken them before you approve. Our guide to line weights that print on deli paper shows how thin is too thin.

Ink goes on the outside face only. The side that touches the fries is left plain, which matters more on a pocket than on a flat liner because the fold brings the inside face against hot food.

Steam, Crunch and the Open Top

Fries steam. Seal them in and the steam condenses, the paper softens and the fries go limp before the customer sits down. A folded pocket with an open top vents that steam while the sides hold the heat. This is the main reason fry paper is folded rather than sealed.

For delivery orders the pocket goes into a bag or box, and the open top still helps because steam escapes into the bag instead of staying against the fries. A grease-resistant sheet keeps the outer bag clean on the ride.

Cold uses are rare, but a sheet also lines a tray of sweet potato fries at a buffet or a bowl of chips at a bar, where the job is simply to keep oil off the tray.

Lining a Basket With a Fry Sheet

A flat 6 x 6 or 10 x 10 sheet in a plastic basket is the quickest branded serve. Drop the sheet, scoop the fries, send the basket. The sheet catches oil and salt, the basket stays clean for the dish pit and the logo shows around the edges.

For a full tray, the larger checkered and newsprint sheets cover a 12-inch basket; see the basket liners for full-size trays. Fry paper is the smaller sibling, sized for the side basket that rides next to a burger.

Can Fry Paper Be Folded Ahead of Service?

Yes. Many lines fold a stack of pockets during prep and keep them in a bin beside the fryer. Grease-resistant stock holds a crease, so a pre-folded pocket opens with one hand when the ticket prints.

Fold with the printed face out. Crease the base first, then the side seam, and nest the pockets ten deep so they stay open. Dry wax sheets are softer and lose the crease faster, which is another reason to choose grease-resistant for pockets.

A truck with no prep space can fold on the road instead. Keep the carton flat under the counter and fold one pocket per order; grease-resistant stock creases cleanly even when the cook is in a hurry, and a pocket folded wrong still holds the fries.

Fry Paper Mistakes We See Most

Most fry paper complaints trace back to one of these.

• Choosing dry wax for a folded pocket, then seeing dark oil patches through the sheet.
• Centering one logo on a sheet that will be folded, so the mark disappears half the time.
• Ordering 10 x 10 for a regular portion; the pocket looks half full and wastes paper.
• Fine script in the repeat that softens to a smudge on absorbent stock.
• Closing the top of the pocket for a to-go order and steaming the fries limp.
• Running out mid-week because the reorder was placed after the last carton was opened.

Ordering Printed Fry Paper Step by Step

Here is the full path from first contact to fries in a branded pocket.

1. Tell us the portion size and whether you fold pockets, line baskets or both; that sets the sheet size.
2. Pick the stock: grease-resistant white for color prints, grease-resistant kraft for a brown look, dry wax only for flat liners.
3. Send your logo as a vector PDF, AI or EPS, or a PNG for a single-color mark. A photo of your sign is enough to redraw a simple wordmark free.
4. Receive a written quote within one business day and a free PDF proof showing the repeat on the sheet.
5. Approve the proof in writing; changes are free until you do. Printing takes 4 to 6 business days, then free tracked delivery to any US address in 2 to 3 business days.

The minimum is 1,000 sheets per print run, paid by invoice after approval. If a carton arrives misprinted or crushed, send photos inside 10 days for a reprint or a refund. Try your logo on a real fry sheet on the Design Your Deli Paper page before you ask for the proof.