Red Checkered Basket Liners

What Are Red Checkered Basket Liners?

Red checkered basket liners are grease-resistant paper sheets printed with a red and white gingham check. They sit inside plastic or wire baskets and on trays under burgers, fries, wings and fried chicken, keeping grease off the basket and giving the food a classic diner look. We print the check as a stock pattern or with your logo added.

Red Checkered Basket Liners Sizes

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

Red checkered basket liners for burger baskets and trays

Drop a red check sheet in a basket and the food looks like it came from a drive-in. That association is the whole reason this pattern never goes away.

Burger joints, wing bars, fish fry nights, barbecue counters and concession stands all run it. It works under a cheeseburger and fries, a basket of wings, or a tray of fried chicken.

Both photos show the same red and white check in two baskets: a red plastic oval with a burger and fries, and a black wire basket with chicken, fries and sauce cups on the rim.

Which liner size covers an oval burger basket?

The standard oval plastic basket in the first photo takes a 12 x 12 sheet. It covers the floor and comes up the sides enough to catch a dropped fry, without hanging over the table.

12 x 15 fits a rectangular basket or a cafeteria tray with the edges turned up. It is also the size to use if your baskets are the deeper kind.

15 x 15 is for the wire basket in the second photo, a chicken and fries combo, or any basket where you want the paper to flare over the rim the way the photo shows.

Grease-resistant or dry wax under fries and wings?

Grease-resistant white is the stock this liner is printed on, and it is the one to order for anything fried. It hides the grease spots a basket of fries leaves and keeps the basket itself clean for the next wash.

Dry wax checkered paper exists for cold baskets, like a pretzel bag or a bread basket, but a hot wing dumped on dry wax leaves a dark ring within a minute. Dry wax belongs under cold and warm food, not in an oven or microwave.

The red check prints on white because the white squares are the paper itself, not a second ink. Kraft or black backgrounds would change the pattern, so this liner stays white.

The basket liners and tray papers range has the green and black checks and newsprint if red does not fit your room.

Adding your logo to a red check pattern

The check is one spot color, red, and that leaves room for up to two more. The usual move is a black or navy logo dropped into a corner, or repeated across the sheet on top of the check.

Keep the logo bigger than a check square or it disappears into the grid. A simple wordmark reads best; thin detail fights the pattern.

A centered logo works here better than on a wrap, because a liner stays flat. It still gets covered by the food, so a corner mark or a repeat is the safer choice for a full basket.

Send a Pantone number for the red if you have a brand red, or we print the standard diner red. Inks are food-safe soy and water-based, outside face only, so fries never touch the print.

How does a checkered liner behave under hot fries?

Fries and wings leave grease. On grease-resistant stock the spots stay on the inside of the sheet and the printed face stays bright, which is what the photos show.

Pile fries on one side and the liner wicks a little moisture, so the bottom layer stays crisper than it would on a plastic basket floor.

Sauce cups on the rim, as in the wire basket photo, keep ketchup off the liner. A sauce poured straight onto the paper will soak through the check in time, so serve it in a cup.

In a closed takeout box the liner does the same job: catching grease and keeping the box presentable when the lid opens. Fries steam in a closed box, so leave a vent.

Lining wire baskets, plastic baskets and trays

A wire basket shows the pattern through the mesh, so a sheet that flares over the rim looks fuller than one tucked inside. A plastic basket hides the sides, so tuck the paper in and let the burger sit on a flat floor.

On a tray, the liner is a placemat. Lay it square with the tray and set the basket or plate on top; the check frames the food and catches crumbs.

• Wire basket: 15 x 15, flare over the rim, sauce cups on the holders
• Plastic oval basket: 12 x 12, tuck inside the rim, burger on the flat
• Rectangular tray: 12 x 15, turn up the long edges
• Takeout box: 12 x 12, fold to fit, leave a corner loose to vent

Storing and reordering checkered liners

Liners ship flat in reams, packed in cartons. Keep them flat and away from the dish pit and the fryer, and the white squares stay white.

A run is 1,000 sheets of one size at minimum. A wing bar goes through that in a weekend, so order by the month and keep the design on file for the reorder.

If the logo changes, send the new file and we proof it again free. If nothing changes, a reorder is one email and the sheets come back matching the last run.

Basket liner mistakes that show up on the table

The proof catches the print problems, and the size table above catches the fit. A photo of your basket with a ruler across it settles the rest.

1. Buying 12 x 12 for a deep wire basket and watching the paper slide to one side under the fries.
2. Printing a thin script logo over the check so nobody can read it.
3. Ordering dry wax check for hot wings and serving dark grease rings to every table.
4. Letting cartons sit next to the fryer until the sheets curl and the red fades.
5. Pouring ranch straight onto the liner instead of a cup and soaking the basket.

Getting red check liners quoted and printed

Want to see your logo on the check before asking for a quote? Open the Design Your Deli Paper page and drop it onto the red check sheet.

1. Tell us the basket type, the sheet size, how many sheets, and whether you want a logo on the check.
2. The written quote for the liners arrives inside one business day.
3. Check the free PDF proof of the check with your logo placed on it. Changes are free until it is right.
4. Approve in writing. Production takes 4 to 6 business days.
5. Free tracked delivery to any US address takes 2 to 3 business days; the invoice is paid after approval.
6. Report misprints or damage with photos within 10 days for a reprint or refund.