Printed paraffin paper is a cut sheet with a glassy wax film over your printed design, made for food that sweats, sticks or sits in a chiller for days. It peels clean off a butter pat, keeps a cheese wedge from drying at the cut face and carries your name on every portion.
From £0.25 a sheet. Written quote in one working day and a free design proof; the exact number depends on size, ink count and quantity.
From £0.25 a sheet. Exact price on the written quote.
| Base sheet | White or kraft base, printed then paraffin coated |
|---|---|
| Typical weight | About 40–50 gsm base, plus the coating |
| Coating | Paraffin film on one or both faces; glassy, supple, moisture-resistant |
| Heat | Cold and counter use; paraffin softens at about 60°C |
| 1–4 food-safe colours under the film; Pantone solid-coated matches | |
| Packing | Flat sheets in reams of 500; 1,000 sheets minimum |
Printed paraffin paper is a white or kraft base sheet, printed with your artwork and then coated with a film of paraffin wax on one or both faces. The film is heavier than dry wax, so the sheet holds moisture back for longer and releases sticky food without leaving fibres. It is for cold and counter use; paraffin softens at about 60°C.
| Format | Typical size | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet | 200 × 200 mm | Toffee and fudge wrap |
| Sheet | 250 × 270 mm | Cheese wedge wrap |
| Sheet | 300 × 300 mm | Fudge and butter block |
| Sheet | 300 × 400 mm | Cooked meat interleaving |
The four sizes above are the usual picks; any other size is a custom cut, so ask on the quote. Full sheet and roll size chart.
Pick one of this paper's photos, drop your logo on it and send the mock along with your quote request.
Upload a logo and it appears on this sheet
The three photos show unprinted samples of the stock. One is a white sheet curling off a short roll and one is a natural buff sheet. The third is a white sheet held over an orange board, where the grain shows through and gives away how thin the paper is.
Printed paraffin paper is that sheet with your artwork underneath the wax. The print goes on first, the paraffin film goes over it, and the design ends up sealed between the paper and the coating.
Cheese shops, farm shops, dairies and fudge makers buy it in cut sheets. It is the wrap you use when the paper is also the label a customer reads at home.
Paraffin sits on the surface as a continuous film rather than soaking into the fibres. Nothing sticky can get a grip on the paper itself, so a butter pat or a square of fudge comes away whole.
Dry wax paper releases well too, but a wet, heavy item can draw fibres off its face. Paraffin never does, which is why dairies wrap butter in it.
The film also stays supple in the chiller. A sheet folded round a wedge at 4°C unfolds without cracking the next morning.
Hold it up to the light and the sheet looks glassy. That is the paraffin, and it is the easiest way to tell it from dry wax in the hand.
Pick the sheet by the largest item on the counter, with enough to fold under twice and close the ends.
| Typical size | The usual job |
|---|---|
| 200 × 200 mm | Butter pats, fudge and tablet squares, single cheese portions |
| 250 × 270 mm | Cheese wedges to about 300 g, blocks of fudge, sliced cooked meats |
| 300 × 300 mm | Larger wedges, whole small cheeses, sausages by the half dozen |
| 300 × 400 mm | Whole small rounds, terrines, cooked meats by the kilo |
Most cheese counters settle on the 250 × 270 mm sheet. If your wedges run bigger, the chart of sheet and roll sizes explains how to measure the next size up.
Both are waxed papers, and both are printed before coating. The difference is how much wax stays on the surface.
Dry wax is pressed into the sheet and the face still feels like paper. It costs less, creases sharply and suits sandwiches eaten within the hour.
Paraffin leaves a film on top. It feels slicker, holds moisture back for days, and releases wet food cleanly. It does not take a sharp crease, so close it with a fold-under or a sticker.
If your counter mostly does sandwiches, custom wax paper for sandwiches is the cheaper and better sheet. If it does cheese and butter, stay on this page.
Well, for days rather than hours. The film keeps the fridge smell off the cheese and the cheese moisture in the parcel, so the cut face does not go hard and dark.
Condensation is the thing to watch. A wedge wrapped straight from a warm cutting board sweats inside the sheet. Chill the wedge, then wrap it.
Grease is no trouble at chiller temperature. A fatty salami or a block of butter leaves no mark on the outside. Above about 60°C the film softens, so keep paraffin sheets away from the toastie press and the hot cabinet.
Because the artwork is sealed under the film, it cannot rub onto the food and it cannot be scratched off at the counter. A few notes on the artwork itself.
The guide to printing on greaseproof and waxed paper goes through plates, trapping and ink weights.
It can carry up to four colours, and paraffin shows colour better than dry wax because the film is clear rather than cloudy. A name, a flavour line, a weight panel and a small illustration all fit on a 250 × 270 mm sheet.
Even so, we pull Pantone solid-coated matches a shade deeper than the swatch. Every ink reads a little lighter through the film, and the proof shows the corrected colour.
If the sheet is doing the job of a label, keep the important text in one block near a corner. The customer unwraps from the middle and the corner stays flat and readable.
Try the layout on a sheet in Design Your Custom Printed Paraffin Paper and send it with the quote.
A farm shop wraps its own butter in a 200 × 200 mm printed sheet, folded into a neat brick with the name on top. The paper is the packaging; there is no box.
A cheese counter uses the 250 × 270 mm sheet for wedges and sells the whole small round in the 300 × 400 mm. Both leave the shop with the same name and phone number on the outside.
Fudge and tablet makers lay slabs on paraffin sheets to set, cut on them, then wrap the squares in the same paper. The sugar never grabs the sheet.
Delis wrap sliced cooked meats in the 250 × 270 mm sheet with a fold-under. A wet slice of ham will not soak through on the way home.
Wrapping warm. Butter or fudge still soft from the kitchen sweats inside the film and the surface goes patchy. Chill first.
Expecting a crease. Paraffin will not hold a sharp fold the way greaseproof does, so a parcel that relies on creases alone will spring open in the bag.
Fine white type. Reversed lettering under the film closes up; keep lettering positive and dark.
Storing by the ovens. The film softens in a warm room and the sheets cling together in the ream.
Begin with the printed paraffin paper quote form; add a photo of the item you wrap if you are unsure about size.
The questions UK buyers ask before a first order. Type a word to filter the cards, or open one for the full answer.
Yes. The paraffin film sits on the surface, so butter comes away without leaving fibres behind.
Yes. The paraffin film sits on the surface, so butter comes away without leaving fibres behind. That is why dairies use it.
Yes, for days. The film keeps moisture in the parcel and fridge smells out, so the cut face stays soft.
No. Paraffin softens at about 60°C and the sheet goes tacky and see-through.
No. Paraffin softens at about 60°C and the sheet goes tacky and see-through. Hot food needs a greaseproof sheet.
Up to four. The film is clear, so colour reads better than on dry wax, though every ink prints a shade deeper to allow for the coating.
No. The artwork is printed first and the paraffin film is applied over it, so the ink is sealed under the wax.
The 250 × 270 mm sheet. It wraps a wedge up to about 300 g with enough to fold under and close both ends.
Yes. Kraft gives a farm shop look and suits one dark colour.
Yes. Kraft gives a farm shop look and suits one dark colour. Colours shift warmer on kraft and the proof shows that.
The film on the surface springs back. Close a paraffin parcel with a fold-under, a sticker or a band rather than relying on the crease.
Either. One face is standard for wraps; ask for both faces on the quote if the sheet is used for interleaving.
Yes. Makers pour slabs onto the sheet, cut on it, and wrap the squares in the same paper.
Yes. Makers pour slabs onto the sheet, cut on it, and wrap the squares in the same paper. The sugar does not grip the film.
Yes. The same stock comes wound on a core as printed paraffin paper rolls for cheese and butchers' counters.
1,000 sheets of one size. Mixed sizes are quoted as separate lines.
No match. Ask us on WhatsApp or call +44 7578 382054.
Paraffin Paper RollsFrom £0.25 a sheet300 mm × 200 m · 375 mm × 200 m · 450 mm × 300 mButter, cheese and cooked meatsSee this paper
Custom Wax PaperFrom £0.25 a sheet150 × 270 mm · 250 × 270 mm · 300 × 300 mmDeli, sandwich and bakery sheetsSee this paper
Glassine Paper BagsFrom £0.25 a bag90 × 140 mm · 120 × 170 mm · 140 × 190 mmBiscuits, pastries and sweetsSee this paper
Custom Printed Greaseproof SheetsFrom £0.25 a sheet250 × 375 mm · 300 × 300 mm · 350 × 450 mmLogo wraps for hot foodSee this paperName the paper, a size and a quantity, and attach a logo if you have one. A written price and a free design proof come back within one working day. Rather talk it through? Call +44 7578 382054 or message us on WhatsApp.