Custom printed napkins for restaurants in the UAE: the choice that sets your order size
Your guest touches the napkin before the first bite. With custom printed napkins for restaurants, your name is on the table before the plate arrives. But a first order can go wrong on one detail that is easy to miss until the boxes are open.
Custom printed napkins for restaurants: the short answer
To order custom printed napkins for a restaurant in the UAE you make four choices: size, paper quality, printing method (Deluxe® or full colour CMYK) and quantity. The minimum is 100 napkins per design and the design is free. Production takes 7 working days from design approval and payment, then FedEx ships from Spain and the napkins clear UAE customs.
We have printed napkins in Valencia, Spain, since 1986. What follows is what we explain to restaurant and café owners before they send their logo, in order of how much a wrong choice costs. The most expensive one comes first.
Size comes first, because it sets how many you order
Most people pick a size by eye. Then the first order runs out sooner than planned. The reason is simple: the smaller the napkin, the more of them each guest uses. A guest at a cocktail bar gets through around four or five 20×20 cm napkins. A guest at a dinner table usually needs one 40×40 cm napkin.
So the size you choose decides your quantity, and your quantity decides how often you reorder.
| Size | Best for | Per guest (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 20×20 cm | Cocktails, drinks and small snacks; also used as a coaster | Around 4.5 |
| 24×24 cm | Finger food and nibbles, including oily snacks | 3 to 4 |
| 30×30 cm | Brunch, sandwiches, baguettes and subs | 2 to 3 |
| 33×33 cm | Full lunches and dinners | 1 to 2 |
| 40×40 cm | A carefully set table; widest choice of colours and qualities | Usually 1 |
| 40×40 cm, 1/8 fold | The same 40×40 napkin in a slim rectangular fold (10×20 cm) | Usually 1 |
A coffee shop serving drinks and pastries is usually well served by 20×20 or 24×24. A restaurant with table service at dinner tends to pick 33×33 or 40×40, and the 1/8 fold sits neatly beside the cutlery. If you need a small napkin for the counter and a large one for the table, you can order both; each design and size has its own 100-unit minimum.
You can see every size drawn to scale, with the fold of each one, on our sizes, qualities and inks page.
Paper quality: what your guest feels in the hand
Size is about quantity. Quality is about the moment the guest picks the napkin up. There are three, and all three print with Deluxe® and full colour CMYK from 100 units.
- Tissue 2-ply and 3-ply. Soft cellulose and the most economical option, with the widest choice of sizes. The edges are trimmed so the napkin does not come unfolded.
- Double point embossed tissue. Noticeably softer and spongier. Point-to-point embossing leaves air cells between the fibres, and that is where the softness comes from. Available in 20×20, 33×33, 40×40 and the 1/8 fold.
- Airlaid (dry tissue). Our best quality and the closest thing to a cloth napkin while staying disposable. Available in 20×20, 24×24, 40×40 and the 1/8 fold.
A busy café that hands out napkins at the counter rarely needs airlaid. A restaurant where the napkin sits folded on the plate before the guest arrives is a different story: there, the napkin is part of how the table looks. The napkin itself comes in up to 28 colours, depending on size and quality.
Deluxe® or full colour CMYK: let your logo decide
The choice of printing method depends on your artwork, not on taste.
Deluxe® is our own printing system for flat inks. It gives the sharpest detail and the deepest colour, and it suits most restaurant logos: a name, a symbol, one or two brand colours. We print 37 inks, each with its Pantone reference, plus metallic gold and silver. If your brand colour is not on the chart, we can mix it. Deluxe® needs a printing plate for each ink: AED 180.15 per ink, paid once per design. If you reorder the same design at the same print size, you do not pay for the plate again.
Full colour CMYK is for artwork that flat inks cannot hold: photographs, gradients and logos with many colours. It needs no plate.
Not sure which one your logo needs? Send it to us and we will tell you. Screen colours are only an approximation, and ink on absorbent paper also shifts with the napkin colour, so for a critical brand colour we can send a physical sample before printing the run. The sample is free; you pay its FedEx shipping as one small box.
How many to order, and the box detail that changes the maths
Start from the per-guest estimates above and your covers per week. Then look at shipping, because it is priced per box, not per napkin.
A small box holds up to 500 napkins and a large box up to 2,000, whatever the size or quality. Here is what each one costs to ship to the UAE:
| Box | FedEx Economy (about 6 working days) | FedEx Priority (1-2 working days) |
|---|---|---|
| Small, up to 500 napkins | AED 548.87 | AED 722.53 |
| Large, up to 2,000 napkins | AED 634.05 | AED 877.48 |
Look at the gap between 500 and 2,000. An order of 600 napkins and an order of 2,000 travel in the same large box at the same shipping price. So if you know you will use the napkins over the coming months, ordering 2,000 instead of 600 spreads one shipping charge across more than three times the napkins. The unit price of the napkins also follows the quantity band.
The price calculator shows this for your own case: choose size, quality, printing and quantity, and it gives the product price in AED, the plate if you choose Deluxe®, and FedEx shipping for both services. The final price comes confirmed with your design, free and with no commitment.
How long it takes to reach your restaurant
Production takes 7 working days from design approval and payment. FedEx then adds 1-2 working days with Priority or about 6 with Economy, plus 1-3 days for UAE customs clearance.
| Step | FedEx Priority | FedEx Economy |
|---|---|---|
| Production | 7 working days | 7 working days |
| Shipping | 1-2 working days | About 6 working days |
| UAE customs | 1-3 days | 1-3 days |
| All in, as a guide | 10-12 working days | 14-16 working days |
We cannot promise a fixed date that depends on customs, and customs can take longer in busy seasons. For an opening, a Ramadan iftar menu, Eid, National Day on 2 December or a corporate event, order at least a month ahead and tell us the date. There is no express service to the UAE, so the margin has to come from ordering early.
What you pay us, and what you pay on arrival
We ship on DAP terms. What you pay us covers the napkins, the plate if your design uses Deluxe®, FedEx shipping and export clearance in Spain. UAE import clearance, customs duty, import VAT and any other charge from customs or FedEx are paid by the receiver when the parcel arrives. We do not charge VAT, and shipping is never free, so the calculator always shows it as a separate line.
From logo to napkins on the table: the steps
- You send your logo and tell us quantity, size, quality and the date you need them by.
- We reply with a design and a price. The design and every change you ask for are free.
- You approve the design and pay. Nothing is printed before that.
- We produce in 7 working days and ship by FedEx, Economy or Priority, your choice.
The best logo file is a PDF, AI or EPS, or a high-resolution image. You can see printed results on our examples page.
Get your design and price
Send us your logo today and you get back a design on your chosen napkin and a confirmed price in AED, before you pay anything. From 100 napkins, made in Spain, with the timing laid out above.
Request your free design and quote, or write to info@tuservilleta.com or WhatsApp +34 650 504 339.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for custom printed restaurant napkins?
100 napkins per design, whatever the size, paper quality or printing method. If you want two sizes, each one has its own 100-unit minimum.
How long do printed napkins take to arrive in the UAE?
Production takes 7 working days from design approval and payment. Shipping adds 1-2 working days with FedEx Priority or about 6 with Economy, plus 1-3 days for UAE customs. As a guide, 10-12 working days with Priority and 14-16 with Economy. There is no express service, so order with a margin for seasonal dates.
Who pays customs duty and VAT in the UAE?
The receiver. We ship on DAP terms: our price includes shipping and export clearance in Spain, and UAE import clearance, customs duty, import VAT and any customs or FedEx charges are paid on arrival. We do not charge VAT.
Is it expensive to print my logo on only a few hundred napkins?
The cost depends on size, quality, printing method and quantity, and shipping is per box. Because a large box carries anything from 501 to 2,000 napkins at the same shipping price, a larger order often lowers the cost per napkin. The price calculator on our home page shows your exact case in AED.
Do I pay for the design?
No. The design and the changes you ask for are free, and you see the finished design before you pay anything.
Can you match my brand colour exactly?
We print 37 inks with Pantone references, plus metallic gold and silver, and we can mix a colour that is not on the chart. Screen colours are only approximate, so for a critical colour we can send a free physical sample first; you pay its shipping as one small box.