Printed waterproof drinks menu

If a secret Santa were to bring you a gift this season, pray it’s waterproof paper!

The party season is upon us and whilst we revel in jolly festivities, this can be somewhat of a ‘bah-humbug’ time for the hospitality and leisure market. Managers know all too well that celebratory CHEERS and subsequent pint spilling slosh will lead to sticky floors, wet tables, and drenched food menus. And that’s before the tacky Ketchup, squished mushy peas and gravy goo manage to weld themselves to the breakfast special tariff. How it happens we’ll never know, but have you thought about the subliminal messages that a grubby, flaking menu might raise?

Customers spill stuff. In fact, they spill stuff all the time. But now there’s an easy way to guard against those inevitable slips from plate to mouth that will also save pounds in your marketing budget.

 

Introducing waterproof paper

It’s been around for sometime but waterproof paper (and card) is now available with more choice in weight, material finish and price point and so customers are now starting to pay more attention.

Innovation has refined waterproof paper to make it more durable. There is no longer a necessity for a layer of lamination to provide much-needed protection for your print … the protection you need against greasy fingers and careless beverage-grasping hands.

 

The benefits of waterproof paper

As well as the obvious namesake, waterproof paper has numerous additional properties such as being:

  • Tear-resistant
  • Impervious to grease
  • Able to withstand certain chemicals
  • Unaffected by high and low temperature variations

Waterproof paper is produced with compact fibres that are so close-knit that they resist the permeation of water. It’s quite ingenious and an excellent choice for bars, restaurants, cafes and clubs.

 

New waterproof menus for The Lewis Partnership

Panda Press was privileged to print brand new menus for The Lewis Partnership in the spring using 150 micron waterproof paper which was digitally printed in colour.

Karen Brown, Group Marketing Manager for the company approached us with an ongoing problem they were facing at The Bear Grill, which meant they had to reprint menus every couple of weeks.

Four sample menus were collated on a clipboard for guests to browse through in order to view the choice of beverages on offer. Unfortunately the menus were getting dog-eared, but the ease of skimming through the sheets proved popular.

We suggested waterproof menus to maintain the flexibility of guests being able to flip the sheets but also to introduce an untearable material that is cleanable and long lasting.

Karen Brown commented, “We were aware of waterproof paper but didn’t realise the scope of options available. We previously produced the menus in-house on standard paper and had to reprint often because they quickly became unsightly with food or water markings.”

Sample menus, each one being a set of four, were printed to the exact size to test. A total of fifty complete menus were then printed and waterfall trimmed to a 10mm stepped length, to ensure a neat and easy flipping manoeuver for guests.

 

Indestructible waterproof menus

The waterproof menus are of pristine print quality and ink coverage and are still being used six months after production.

“We thought the new menus would last a couple of months but they’re still going strong [six months later]. We will be extending the amount of waterproof menus we print – 5/5 for the finished product, we’re really pleased and it has certainly improved our image standards and saved on our time and effort,” said Karen.

Matt and gloss lamination finishes are popular for printed menu products but lamination can still be subject to bubbling and peeling, being particularly susceptible to those beer sloshes, mashed veggies and greasy marks mentioned earlier. Whilst this may not appear to be a major problem, a mucky menu could unintentionally cause the unvoiced perception that the venue is unclean. Not something any business wants to see being reported on Trip Advisor!

Waterproof material is extremely versatile and offers benefits to many industries. A recent project for Staffordshire Aide Memoirs saw the production of logbooks suitable for roadside incidents. Using waterproof sheets has allowed the team to use the books in all-weather conditions without the risk of damage.

 

Take the Panda Challenge

Innovation in print can sometimes carry a ‘too good to be true’ label so we’re out to set the record straight with our Panda Challenge.

Simply request a sample swatch from us by clicking here and we’ll pop a brand new material pack in the post, which includes a sheet of waterproof paper. We dare you to tear the sheet but stress that no scissors or sharp instruments are allowed – brut strength only!

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Stay professional in everyone’s eyes; consider waterproof paper for your next menu, table top advert or foodie flyers – talk to us today on 01785 815110.