Restaurant Paper Napkins: The 2025 Guide
Napkins are one of the key items in the budget of a restaurant, caterer or any food professional organizing receptions.
Beyond budget, restaurateurs must also offer their customers an image and a service in terms of wiping. Vousert has been offering a wide range of paper napkins for over 45 years and can assist you in choosing and purchasing your tableware collection.
The format of the professional paper towel
The format, or size, of a professional paper napkin is a starting point to determine based on the napkin's use and purpose. Thus, depending on its size, the napkin can be used in a specific setting.
• 20x20cm , the “cocktail” format. The advantage of these small professional napkins? They take up little space on the table, which has earned them a good reputation among catering professionals. In addition, the different colors they can be displayed give an aesthetic cachet to presentations and buffets. In addition, their cost remains low compared to the service provided.
• 30x30cm (or 29x29cm) , the most common. Used in a greater number of situations than the cocktail format, the professional paper napkin, reaching, once unfolded, 30 centimeters by thirty centimeters, is often present during meals, brunches, or tastings. Its resistance, as well as a higher number of folds (from 2 to 3) allow it a greater variety of uses. This single-ply format is often the choice of school or self-service restaurants for cost reasons.
• 30x40cm (or 29x39cm) , is an intermediate format offering a larger wiping surface than a 30X30 and is often available in only 2 thicknesses and with a wide range of colors in wadding quality.
• 40x40cm (39x39cm or 38x38cm for the point-to-point embossed ranges such as Celiouate), the largest. These dimensions can cover a wide variety of folds, including the one called a “kangaroo” cutlery pocket, for storing cutlery. The professional paper napkin, reaching, once unfolded, the dimension of 40 centimeters by 40, offers greater comfort to the customer. This is often the format of Premium napkins in Dunilin or Dunsioft, a non-woven napkin but also historically wadding in 2 or 3 thicknesses with a wide choice of colors . The establishments where it is regularly used are brasseries and restaurants.
The thickness and number of plies matters
Tissue napkins are distinguished by a strength proportional to their thickness, and therefore to the number of folds they have. This thickness implies a particular use, allowing to exploit their full potential during buffets, business meals, or brasserie dinners.
• 1-ply: This type of professional paper napkin is the least expensive. Generally, the single-ply napkin is used for occasions requiring little absorbency. It is thus found around sandwiches, accompanying ice creams, or even in takeaway sales.
• 2-ply: Professional two-ply paper napkins are generally held together by mechanical embossing applied to the edges of the napkin, which prevents the napkin from separating. This type of napkin is generally used for meals, picnics, buffets or even appetizers.
• 3-ply. A napkin with a thickness of 3 ply has a significant resistance. Therefore, anyone who owns one in a professional setting can wipe their fingers without fear of piercing it. It is made on the same model as the two-ply napkin, with mechanical embossing applied to the edges. Professional three-ply napkins are found for buffets, birthday aperitifs, or even children's snacks and lunches.
The different materials of paper napkins
When it comes to professional paper napkins, several manufacturing methods exist, improving the feel or production methods. This is a criterion that can influence the purchase depending on the values and image of the desired company, or the intended use.
Paper napkin or rather cotton wool
What we call paper napkins is actually made from cellulose wadding .
Cellulose wadding can be recycled (from old paper for example) or pure wadding (from plants). Pure wadding napkins are made from freshly cut wood pulp, while recycled wadding napkins are made from recycled paper .
Pure cotton towels may be softer and more absorbent , but they also have a more negative environmental impact due to the deforestation required to produce the wood pulp. Recycled cotton towels are more environmentally friendly because they reuse used paper, reducing waste and saving natural resources. However, they may be less soft and less absorbent due to the quality of the recycled paper used.
Cgmp cotton towels have the French origin label and are Ecolabel certified.
FSC - PEFC - OK Compost Home and Industrial - Nordik Swan certifications...
Undeniably, the use of professional paper towels can be worrying about their environmental impact , both for the resources they require during production, as well as their final destination. It is therefore possible to select items with FSC or PEFC, Ecolabel, Ok compost Home certifications like Dunisoft Bio towels from Duni to ensure compliance with certain standards. The OK Compost Home certification certifies compatibility with your household composter while an OK compost Industrial certification requires composting in an industrial facility.
PEFC certification applies to wood from Europe and recognizes the forest certifications that led to the creation of the napkin. The FSC label, for its part, applies to exotic woods . These two elements, coming from independent organizations, ensure that a certain balance has been achieved in terms of the environment, economy and social equity during the harvesting of the wood used to produce paper.
Natural white towel without optical brightener
Without optical brighteners, this wadding is 100% natural. Indeed, optical brighteners are often used to achieve white wadding. Recommended for all those (but not only) for whom the raw appearance is a proof of natural quality. Voussert offers a range ofwhite paper napkins ranging from 30X30 1-ply to 50X50 at some of the lowest prices on the market. Do not hesitate to contact us for annual contracted volumes.
Paper napkin (wadding) pure pulp color and dyed in the mass
Soft to the touch and particularly absorbent, the wadding is guaranteed biodegradable
because it is made entirely from pure cellulose pulp. All the countless colors are dyed in the mass. Benefits from the Ecolabel.
The color determines the price and generally a pastel colored towel is cheaper than a bright colored towel, regardless of the manufacturer.
Celi wadding paper napkin plus embossing
Celi wadding is a technology developed by CGMP, now Manufacture de l'éphémère, and commonly referred to as point-to-point embossing. The Celiouate napkin has a more durable material than traditional wadding thanks to micro-embossing technology.
The thicker towel offers maximum comfort and the finesse of its woven appearance, a vaporous elegance. This type of manufacturing has been widely adopted by processors in Italy, Spain and even Asia. Some qualities remain very good at competitive prices but you must be vigilant about the dyes used and the chemistry used during production, particularly when deinking the paper.
Personalized towels
We can customize all these materials from cocktail napkins to large napkins, from one to several colors.
Do not hesitate to contact us.
The best brands and references
Several brands are considered benchmarks in the world of professional paper napkins used in out-of-home catering and institutional settings. However, three stand out from the crowd for their strength in this area, combining sustainability and innovation.
• Tork is part of the Essity group . This affiliation allows it to offer some of the most sustainable solutions in the production of professional paper towels. Throughout its production, Tork makes it a point of honor to innovate and improve the user experience to remain a global leader in its field.
• The former CGMP, now Manufacture de l'éphémère , works on the production of professional paper napkins for all uses. A wide variety of thicknesses and formats are offered through it, facilitating the supply for a large number of establishments. The company is distinguished by a longevity almost unique in this sector, having been active since 1954.
• Duni , works on the production of napkins mainly on non-woven with exclusive materials such as Dunilin, Bio Dunisoft which emphasizes Eco-responsibility through OK Compost Home and Industrial certification and classic airlaid for standard ranges. Duni represents the top of the range of paper and non-woven napkins in the professional field, being the favorite of caterers and reception organizers.
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