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Bakery board · Scalloped and plain profiles
Custom Dessert Trays
Shallow board trays built for things that are looked at before they are eaten: cake slices, loaded waffles, patisserie and traybakes. Grease-resistant, printed on the rim, and cut to your plate size.
- 500 piece minimum
- Scalloped or plain rim
- Grease-resistant
- 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
Dessert trays are shallow printed board trays used to present cake slices, waffles and patisserie at a counter or in a display. The Cone Sleeves cuts them to your product footprint in grease-resistant white or kraft board, printing from 500 pieces per design with a free proof and 6–7 business day production.
Why shops order dessert trays from us
Shallow on purpose
A low wall keeps the dessert visible, which is the whole point of a product that sells on how it looks in a display.
Handles sauce
Grease-resistant board copes with chocolate sauce and cream without the base going soft under the plate.
Scalloped or plain
A scalloped rim reads as patisserie; a straight wall stacks better in a chilled display. Both run on the same board.
Prints on the rim
The narrow band around the tray is what shows in a photograph of the dessert, which makes it valuable brand space.
Liner optional
A printed greaseproof liner adds a second layer of branding and keeps the tray itself clean enough to reuse in a display.
Stacks in a cabinet
Straight-walled trays nest in a chilled cabinet without crushing what is underneath, which matters in a small counter.
Printed work
Dessert 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.
| Profiles | Scalloped rim for presentation, or plain straight wall for stacking |
|---|---|
| Board | Grease-resistant white board or natural kraft, 300–350 gsm |
| Sizes | Slice, square and long waffle footprints; cut to your product |
| Printing | Full-color CMYK, single-color logo, Pantone spot colors or foil |
| Finish | Uncoated inner face; matte varnish or lamination on the outside |
| 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 |
| Liner | Printed greaseproof liners can be quoted with the tray |
Scalloped or straight wall
A scalloped rim is decorative. It softens the edge of the tray, photographs well and is what most people picture when they think of a patisserie counter. It also costs nothing extra, because the shape is cut into the same dieline.
A straight wall is more practical. Trays nest cleanly in a chilled display, stack without crushing, and give a flat band all the way around for printing.
Sites with a display cabinet almost always end up on straight walls; counters that hand desserts over directly tend to prefer the scallop. Neither affects how the board performs.
Why a liner is worth considering
A printed greaseproof liner sits between the dessert and the tray. It takes the sauce, which keeps the tray itself presentable, and it gives you a second printed surface at a fraction of the cost of the tray.
For a waffle bar that is a real advantage: the liner can change with a seasonal menu while the tray stays constant, in the same way a sleeve works for a bakery box.
Liners are quoted per thousand and are cheap enough that most sites order them alongside the tray rather than as a later upgrade. Counters that also box desserts to go usually add printed sleeves for boxed patisserie on the same artwork.
Sizing to the dessert, not the menu name
Dessert portions vary far more than main courses. A loaded waffle needs a long tray with room for fruit at one end; a cake slice needs a short one with a narrow footprint so the slice does not slide.
Send the plate you currently serve on, or photograph a finished dessert next to a ruler, and we will cut the tray to that footprint plus a small allowance.
Where a menu covers both slices and waffles, two dielines in one order is cheaper than two orders, and both stay on file so reprints need nothing but a quantity.
Where these are used
- Waffle and pancake bars
- Cake and patisserie counters
- Ice cream parlors serving desserts
- Hotel breakfast and buffet displays
- Market and festival dessert stalls
- Delivery kitchens with a dessert menu
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 dessert 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
Dessert Trays: common questions
Will chocolate sauce soak through the tray?
Not on the grease-resistant board within normal service time. What does cause trouble is a dessert left standing for an hour in a warm display, and that is a holding decision rather than a packaging one.
Can I get a matching printed liner?
Yes. Printed greaseproof liners are quoted per thousand and are cheap enough that most sites order them with the tray. They take the sauce, keep the tray presentable, and give you a second surface to print on.
Do scalloped trays cost more than plain ones?
No. The scallop is cut into the same dieline, so the price is the same. Choose on how the tray is used: scalloped for presentation at a counter, straight-walled for stacking in a chilled display.
Are these strong enough for a loaded waffle?
A 350 gsm tray carries a loaded waffle with fruit and sauce without flexing. If the dessert is heavy and the tray is long, tell us and we will add a fold detail across the base rather than simply going to a heavier board.
Can the tray go in a delivery bag?
An open tray tips in a bag. For delivery we would suggest a tray with a clip-on lid or a closed carton instead. If you deliver occasionally, ordering a lid for the same footprint is straightforward and adds only a little to the cost.
What board do you use against the dessert?
The inner face is left uncoated and unprinted, which is the specification that keeps it food-safe for direct contact. Any varnish or lamination is applied to the outer face only.
Related products
Often ordered alongside
Free quote · No obligation
Tell us your cone, we will price the sleeve
Send your size, quantity and artwork. You get a written quote and a free digital proof before anything goes to press.