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Carry handles · Whole meals and platters
Custom Combo Meal Trays
One tray that takes a main, a side, a dip and a drink, with cut-out handles so it can be carried from the counter to a table or a car without a bag.
- 500 piece minimum
- Cut-out carry handles
- Corrugated or board
- Free digital proof
500
Minimum per design
Volume pricing from 1,000
6–7 days
Standard production
After you approve the proof
Free
Dieline and proof
Built around your item
Worldwide
Tracked shipping
Quoted with the job
In short
Combo meal trays are large printed trays with cut-out handles that carry a complete meal or a shared platter in one piece. The Cone Sleeves prints them in corrugated kraft or solid board, sized to your menu, from a minimum of 500 pieces per design with a free dieline and proof and 6–7 business day production.
Why shops order combo meal trays from us
Carries without a bag
Cut-out handles mean a full meal leaves the counter in one hand, which removes a bag from every order.
Holds real weight
Corrugated board carries a loaded platter across a car park without the base bowing in the middle.
Inserts stop sliding
A fitted board insert keeps a drink upright and a dip where it was put, rather than at the far end of the tray.
One piece per order
A combo tray replaces a box, a bag and a drink carrier, which is usually cheaper than the three of them together.
Large print area
The outer wall of a catering tray is the biggest printable surface in a takeaway range, and it travels in public.
Flat until needed
Trays arrive flat and lock into shape without tape, so a stack takes a shelf rather than a corner of the kitchen.
Printed work
Combo Meal Trays we have printed
Every run below started as somebody's artwork on plain board. Yours is quoted the same way, whatever the shape.
Specifications
Everything this order includes
These are the options we quote against. If you need something outside them, ask — most custom sizes and finishes are possible, and the quote will say so plainly.
| Construction | Corrugated kraft for weight, or solid board for a smoother printed face |
|---|---|
| Handles | Die-cut handles at each end, or a folding carry panel on deeper trays |
| Sizes | Single-meal, two-person and catering platter footprints; custom sizes free |
| Compartments | Open, or fitted with a board insert to separate items |
| Printing | Full-color CMYK, single-color logo or Pantone spot colors |
| Minimum order | 500 pieces per design; volume pricing from 1,000 pieces |
| Turnaround | 6–7 business days after proof approval; 3–4 day rush on request |
| Packing | Ships flat in bundles; folds and locks without tape |
Corrugated or solid board
Corrugated board has a fluted layer inside, which is what lets a large tray carry weight without flexing. It is the right specification for anything that has to travel loaded, and it takes print perfectly well.
Solid board is smoother and gives a sharper printed surface, especially for photographic artwork. It is lighter and cheaper, and it is fine for a tray that stays inside a venue.
The deciding question is not how it looks but how far it moves. If a customer carries it to a car, use corrugated; if it goes from a counter to a table ten feet away, solid board is enough. Where the order is smaller, standard open board trays for single portions are usually the more sensible size.
Handles that do not tear
A die-cut handle concentrates all the load on a short span of board, and that is where cheap catering trays fail. The fix is not more board across the whole tray; it is a reinforced fold at the handle.
We build a double-thickness panel into the dieline at each handle so the load spreads across the fold rather than pulling on a single cut edge. It costs nothing extra in material and it is the difference between a tray that arrives and one that does not.
For very heavy platters, a folding carry panel that closes over the top works better than side handles, and the proof will let you load one and test it before committing.
Inserts and how far to take them
A plain open tray is cheapest, and for a platter that is served immediately it is often all that is needed. Inserts start to earn their cost when a drink is included, because an unsecured cup is what turns a delivered meal into a complaint.
A simple board insert with two or three wells covers most menus. Anything more elaborate adds cost and takes staff time to load, which is the hidden expense people forget when specifying packaging.
We will quote the tray with and without an insert so the comparison is on the page. If your order regularly includes drinks, it usually pays for itself in the first month.
Where these are used
- Family meal deals
- Office and event catering
- Fried chicken and rib platters
- Breakfast and buffet drops
- Sports club and stadium boxes
- Delivery kitchens with large orders
Not sure on size?
Send a sample or a photo with a ruler beside it and we cut the dieline to fit. There is no charge for the dieline or the digital proof.
Ask a questionHow the order runs
- You send sizes, quantity and artwork, or just a photo of the item.
- We build the dieline and come back with a written price.
- You approve a digital proof with your artwork laid on it.
- We print, cut and ship, with tracking on the carton.
Materials and printing
Board and print, side by side
Three boards and three ways to print on them. Every combination below is quoted the same way, so the choice is about how you want the packaging to feel in the hand.
Choose the board
Natural kraft
Unbleached brown board. Ink sits into the surface rather than on top of it, which mutes bright colors and reads as craft and small-batch.
Recycled board
Post-consumer fiber with a slight fleck through it. It takes a one or two color mark well and tells the customer what it is without a claim printed on it.
Choose how it prints
Full-color CMYK
Four process inks. The right choice when the artwork is a photograph, an illustration or anything with a gradient in it.
Single-color logo
One ink on plain board. It is the least expensive way to print a run and, on kraft, it is often the better looking one.
Pantone spot colors
A mixed ink matched to a Pantone reference. Use it when a brand color has to be exact across every reprint.
Quote configurator
Configure your combo meal trays
Five short steps. Answer what you know, skip what you do not, and we come back with a written price and a free dieline.
Questions
Combo Meal Trays: common questions
How much weight will a combo tray carry?
A corrugated tray with reinforced handles comfortably carries a family meal for four. The limit is rarely the board and usually the handle, which is why we build a double-thickness fold there rather than simply cutting a hole.
Can the tray hold drinks upright?
With an insert, yes. A board insert with cup wells keeps drinks steady while the tray is carried. Without one, a cup will slide the moment the tray tilts, so if drinks are part of the deal the insert is not really optional.
Do trays come flat or assembled?
Flat, in bundles. They fold and lock into shape without tape, which takes a few seconds. Assembled trays would take several times the storage space and would cost more to ship, so almost nobody orders them that way.
What size should I order for a family meal?
Lay out a typical order on a table and measure the footprint it occupies, then add about 20 mm each way. That is more reliable than picking a size name. If you send us photographs of a typical order we will do the sizing for you.
Can I print inside the tray?
On the inner walls, yes. We leave the base unprinted, since that is the surface in contact with food. A short printed message on the inner wall is visible while the meal is eaten, which is a better place for it than the outside.
Is corrugated board recyclable?
Corrugated kraft is one of the most widely recycled packaging materials there is, provided it is not laminated. We keep the finish to print and an optional varnish for exactly that reason.
Related products
Often ordered alongside
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Tell us your cone, we will price the sleeve
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