Custom Napkins for Breweries and Taprooms: Start With What Sits on Top of Them
Custom napkins for breweries and taprooms usually get planned from the logo out. Pick the artwork, pick a color, order.
Then the first busy Friday arrives. And the napkin does something the artwork never prepared it for.
It sits under a cold, sweating glass for an hour. It gets picked up, wiped across a pretzel, folded, photographed.
So the smart starting point is not the logo. It is the object resting on the napkin all night: the glass.
Below you will find how the glass shapes size, paper and print choices. Then how to plan for seasonal releases, and how to restock without running out.
What size custom napkins work best for a brewery or taproom?
For the bar counter and under the glass, choose a cocktail size: 20×20 cm or 24×24 cm open. Folded in four, that is about 3.9 or 4.7 inches square. For food service at tables, step up to 33×33 cm, about 6.5 inches folded. Measure the base of your most-used glass and pick the folded size that frames it.
That measurement is the whole trick. A napkin that is too small disappears under the glass. One that is too large covers the bar in paper.
Napki’s hospitality napkins page recommends the 20×20 cocktail size for the bar counter and 33×33 or 40×40 for table service.
Napkin sizes for a taproom, in inches
Napki lists sizes as open dimensions in centimeters. Most napkins are folded in four. Here is the conversion for US venues.
| Napki size | Open (approx. inches) | Folded in four (approx. inches) | Taproom use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20×20 cm | 7.9 × 7.9 | 3.9 × 3.9 | Under the glass, tasting flights |
| 24×24 cm | 9.4 × 9.4 | 4.7 × 4.7 | Larger glassware, bar snacks |
| 30×30 cm | 11.8 × 11.8 | 5.9 × 5.9 | Small plates, food trucks on site |
| 33×33 cm | 13 × 13 | 6.5 × 6.5 | Burgers, wings, table service |
| 40×40 cm | 15.7 × 15.7 | 7.9 × 7.9 | Beer dinners, private events |
One trap to avoid. “20×20” can mean the small cocktail napkin or a 40×40 napkin folded to 20×20. Napki asks which one you mean before quoting. The full guide is on our napkin sizes page.
Which paper holds up under a cold glass?
Condensation is the test every taproom napkin faces. Paper choice decides how it looks after an hour.
Napki offers four papers:
- 2-ply: two layers of soft tissue. Standard absorbency. Napki lists it for casual bars and high-volume service.
- 3-ply: three layers. Thicker and more absorbent than 2-ply.
- Double Point: 2-ply with an embossed border that locks the layers together, so they do not separate.
- Airlaid: a cloth-like paper with excellent absorbency. The premium option for beer dinners and private events.
For a busy counter, 2-ply or 3-ply covers most needs. Under heavy, cold glassware, 3-ply gives more thickness. Feel them side by side before you decide: the free sample includes 3 paper finishes. The sample is free; you pay its FedEx shipping as one small box.
Full Color or Deluxe for a brewery logo?
Your napkin color decides first. Then your design.
Full Color is digital CMYK printing. It handles photos, gradients and labels with many colors. It only prints on white napkins. It starts at 20 units and has no plate fee.
Deluxe prints 1 or 2 spot inks with a metal printing plate. It works on white or colored napkins and gives a solid, sharp color. It starts at 100 units. Each ink needs a plate at $49.09, paid once per design. Metallic gold and silver count as inks.
A simple way to split it:
- Your house logo, in one or two colors, every week. Deluxe. The plate is paid once and reused on every reorder with the same design and print size.
- A logo on a black or colored napkin. Deluxe, because Full Color needs white.
- A full-color can label or illustration. Full Color on white.
- A small run for a one-day event. Full Color, from 20 units.
Napki’s printing inks guide has a decision table if your design sits in between.
*Want to see both options priced? Get an indicative price in 30 seconds on the Napki home page.*
How to use napkins for seasonal releases
Many breweries print the house logo and stop there. The napkin can do more work than that.
Every new Full Color design needs no plate. That makes short runs practical. A seasonal beer, an anniversary or a festival weekend can get its own napkin. Full Color starts at 20 units, so a run can match the event instead of filling a storeroom.
Here is an illustrative plan for a taproom, not a client case:
- All year: house logo, Deluxe 1 ink, 20×20 cm, 2-ply, reordered with the same plate.
- Spring release: Full Color napkin with the new label artwork, 24×24 cm.
- Anniversary party: Full Color napkin with the date and a photo of the brewhouse.
- Beer dinner: 40×40 cm Airlaid with the menu theme, for seated guests.
Each special design is a new mock-up. Napki’s design team prepares it free, within 24 hours, with up to 2 rounds of revisions.
How to restock custom napkins for breweries and taprooms
A taproom that runs out of napkins on a Saturday notices fast. The fix is a reorder point tied to delivery time.
Delivery takes 10 business days from proof approval with FedEx Priority, or about 14 to 16 with Economy, US customs clearance included. There is no express service for US orders. So reorder when your stock covers at least three weeks of service.
For a repeat Deluxe design, the reorder is quick to approve. The artwork already exists and the plate is reused at no extra cost.
To find your own reorder point, count first. Track how many napkins leave the bar in one normal week, then in one busy week. Use the busy week for planning. Multiply it by three and you have the stock to keep on hand when you approve a reorder.
The same count tells you which box to order. A taproom that uses 600 cocktail napkins in a busy week needs about 1,800 for three weeks. In 20×20 cm 2-ply, that fits in one small box.
Boxes matter for the budget. Napki always ships in the smallest box your order fits in, and capacity depends on size and paper:
| Size and paper | Small box holds up to | Large box holds up to |
|---|---|---|
| 20×20 cm, 2-ply | 2,000 | 5,000 |
| 24×24 cm, 2-ply | 1,000 | 3,000 |
| 33×33 cm, 2-ply | 500 | 2,000 |
A small box ships for $138.00 Economy or $184.00 Priority. A large box ships for $161.00 Economy or $224.25 Priority. The rate is flat to the 48 contiguous states. Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are quoted separately.
Orders ship DAP. Napki adds no tax to the invoice, because the order is an export from Spain. US import duties, the Merchandise Processing Fee and any state or local taxes are paid by the buyer on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for brewery napkins?
20 units in Full Color on white napkins. Deluxe, for 1 or 2 spot colors on white or colored napkins, starts at 100 units.
Can you print our logo on black napkins?
Yes, with Deluxe. Full Color only prints on white, so any colored napkin uses Deluxe with 1 or 2 inks.
How fast can we get napkins for a release party?
Delivery takes 10 business days from proof approval with FedEx Priority, or about 14 to 16 with Economy, customs included. There is no express service for US orders, so start the design early.
Do we pay the printing plate on every order?
No. A Deluxe plate costs $49.09 per ink and is paid once per design. Reorders with the same design and print size reuse it at no extra cost.
Is the design included?
Yes. Napki’s team prepares the artwork and a digital mock-up within 24 hours, with up to 2 rounds of revisions, at no extra cost.
Can we test the paper before ordering?
Yes. The free sample pack has 5 napkins with real prints in 3 paper finishes. You pay only its FedEx shipping as one small box, Economy $138.00 or Priority $184.00.
What if the printed napkins do not match the approved design?
Napki reprints them free of charge if they do not match the approved mock-up.
Put your brewery on the napkin under every pint
You now know where to start: the glass, then the paper, then the print. The logo comes last, and it lands better for it.
Send your logo and tell Napki your most-used glassware and napkin color. The team returns a free digital mock-up within 24 hours, with up to 2 rounds of changes. Napki has printed custom napkins in its own facilities in Spain since 1986. Orders start at 20 units in Full Color.
Calculate your taproom napkin price on the Napki home page, or see all custom paper napkins. Prefer to talk first? Message the team on WhatsApp at +34 650 50 43 39.