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Open board trays · Loaded sides and sharers
Custom Snack Trays
The open tray that loaded fries, nachos and wings are actually served in. Deep enough to hold a topped portion, stiff enough to carry it one-handed, and printed with your artwork on the visible rim.
- 500 piece minimum
- Three tray depths
- 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
Snack trays are open board trays used for loaded fries, nachos, wings and sharing sides. The Cone Sleeves prints them on grease-resistant white or kraft board in shallow, standard and deep profiles, from a minimum of 500 pieces per design, with a free dieline and digital proof and 6–7 business day production.
Why shops order snack trays from us
Deep enough to load
A standard tray takes a topped portion without cheese and sauce going over the rim on the first handover.
Rigid across the middle
The board and the fold pattern keep the base flat when a full tray is picked up at one end, which is where thin trays fail.
Dip without a second pot
A two-compartment version holds chips and dip in one piece, so a nacho order does not need a separate sauce cup.
Grease stays put
Treated board keeps oil from soaking through under a hot, loaded portion for as long as it takes to eat.
Print on the rim
The visible band around the tray is the part a customer sees while eating, and it is where the artwork should sit.
Folds in one move
Flat-packed trays lock into shape in a single motion, so a busy counter is not folding boxes during service.
Printed work
Snack 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 | Shallow, standard and deep; two-compartment versions for chips and dip |
|---|---|
| Board | Grease-resistant white board or natural kraft, 300–400 gsm |
| Sizes | Regular, large and sharing footprints; cut to your own portion |
| Printing | Full-color CMYK, single-color logo or Pantone spot colors |
| Finish | Uncoated or matte varnish; the inner face is left uncoated for food contact |
| 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 and folds in one motion, or nested pre-formed on request |
Choosing a depth
Depth is the specification that decides whether a tray works. A shallow tray suits dry items such as wings or churros, where the appeal is seeing the whole portion at once.
A standard depth handles loaded fries, which need room for sauce and cheese without them going over the side as the tray is passed across a counter.
Deep trays are for sharers and for anything that will travel in a delivery bag. They use noticeably more board, so we only recommend them where the portion genuinely needs the height.
One piece or two compartments
A single open tray is cheapest and quickest to fill. It is the right answer for anything eaten with a fork or with fingers straight from the tray.
A two-compartment tray keeps a dip separate from the chips, which stops a portion of nachos going soft before it reaches the table. The extra cost per piece is small and it removes the need to buy and fill separate sauce cups.
Where you serve both wet and dry items on the same menu, most sites end up ordering the two-compartment tray for everything, because managing one line of stock is worth more than the few cents saved on the simpler shape.
Trays, boats and sleeves
People use the words interchangeably, so it is worth being clear. A tray is open with four low walls. A boat has raised ends and lower sides, which suits a hot dog or a sub. A sleeve is a band that wraps a product rather than containing it.
For a mixed menu, a tray is the most flexible of the three because almost anything can be served in it. Where the item has a strong shape of its own, the fitted format usually looks better on the counter.
Sites running a full fast-food menu tend to order these alongside printed trays sized for a burger meal, since the two share a board specification and ship in the same delivery.
Where these are used
- Loaded fries and poutine counters
- Nacho and Tex-Mex stalls
- Wing and fried chicken shops
- Stadium and arena concessions
- Festival and market traders
- Bar snacks and sharing menus
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 snack 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
Snack Trays: common questions
How deep should a tray be for loaded fries?
A standard profile, around 40 to 50 mm deep, holds a topped portion without spilling. Shallow trays look generous but lose toppings the moment they are tilted. Send us your portion weight and we will match the depth to it.
Do the trays arrive flat or ready-formed?
Flat as standard, which saves a great deal of storage. They lock into shape in one motion, so there is no assembly to train staff on. Pre-formed nested trays are available if your service is too fast to fold anything, and the quote will price both.
Will cheese sauce soak through the board?
Not on the grease-resistant grade within normal eating time. If your menu is built around very wet loaded portions, ask for the heavier board. It is a small step in price and a large step in how the tray behaves at the end of a portion.
Can I have a compartment for dip?
Yes. A two-compartment tray holds chips and dip in one piece and removes the need for separate sauce cups. It uses a little more board, but it usually works out cheaper than a plain tray plus a cup and a lid.
Are these suitable for delivery?
An open tray is fine inside a rigid delivery box but poor loose in a bag, where it tips. For delivery-heavy sites we usually suggest the deep profile with a separate lid, or a closed carton instead.
Can I print inside the tray as well as outside?
Only on the outer face and the rim. We leave the inner surface uncoated and unprinted because that is the side in contact with hot, oily food, and it is the specification that keeps the tray food-safe.
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.