Custom Table Tent Cards
Almost every other piece of print is glanced at while someone is moving. A tent card sits on a table in front of a person who is waiting for food and has nothing else to look at, which is the most attentive audience printed matter ever gets.
- Formats
- Two-sided and three-sided tents; insert-pocket builds
- Sizes
- A6, A5, 4 × 6 in, and bespoke
- Card
- 300–400gsm, creased on press, slot-lock base cut on the same die
Get a price for Table Tent Cards
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Write for someone who has time
Because the reader is seated and waiting, a tent card can carry more than a poster can. Three or four short lines get read properly here, where the same text on a wall would not.
That is worth using. The strongest tent cards say something specific — where a dish comes from, what is on this week, why the coffee is what it is — rather than repeating a logo that is already on the menu, the cup and the door.
Set type for a half-meter reading distance. Signage type sizes look shouty on a table; book type sizes read perfectly.
It must survive service
A tent card is handled by people who are eating and wiped by staff several times a day. Matte laminate is the answer in almost every indoor case.
| Uncoated card | Takes a pen, absorbs everything, looks tired within a week |
|---|---|
| Matte laminate | Wipes clean, still writable with ballpoint; the working default |
| Gloss laminate | Wipes just as well, reflects ceiling lights into a seated reader's eyes |
| Synthetic stock | Effectively waterproof, most expensive, right for outdoor tables |
Standing up is a die-cut problem
A folded card holds its tent shape by friction alone, and on a wiped or slightly warped table it slides flat. Two interlocking tabs under the fold turn it into a rigid triangle that stays put through a service.
The lock costs nothing on the same cutting die. It is the single difference between a tent the staff keep re-standing and one they do not think about — set out with the size choices in our table tent notes.
Two faces or three
- A two-sided tent faces one diner; the other sees the back of it.
- Print both faces the same unless the two seats genuinely need different messages.
- A three-sided tent reads from any seat and stands more stably on an uneven table.
- The top edge is what staff read from standing height — put the table number there.
Changing the message weekly
Offers change and card does not. A tent with a slot or a clear pocket takes a printed insert you can reprint on any office printer, so the branded outer is bought once a year and the message costs a sheet of paper.
For anywhere running weekly specials that is dramatically cheaper than reprinting tents, and it means the outer can be a better card than you would otherwise justify.
Table Tent Cards — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Formats
- Two-sided and three-sided tents; insert-pocket builds
- Sizes
- A6, A5, 4 × 6 in, and bespoke
- Card
- 300–400gsm, creased on press, slot-lock base cut on the same die
- Finishes
- Matte laminate as standard; synthetic stock for outdoor use
- Both or all three faces; inserts printed separately or by you
- Minimum
- 100 tents
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. Both sides as standard on cards, tags and leaflets.
- Color
- CMYK with spot colors for a brand match. Uncoated and cotton stocks print noticeably lighter than coated ones.
- Tolerance
- Trim plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut. Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding.
- Tooling
- A die only where the piece is shaped, perforated or drilled, made once and kept. A plain rectangle needs none.
- Food contact
- Food-safe inks on menus and counter print that will be handled where food is served.
- Sustainability
- Uncoated and unlaminated stocks recycle without separation, and FSC papers are available across the range.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build table tent cards on
Sheet print is judged in the hand more than a box is: the weight, the surface and whether a pen works on it. These are the stocks we run for cards, folders, leaflets and stationery.
Coated card 300–400gsm
The workhorse. Sharp full-color print, matte or gloss, laminated where it is handled. Does not take a pen unless the finish is matte.
300–400gsmUncoated card
No clay coat. Colors read softer and warmer, a deboss goes deeper, and it writes on with anything. Photographs lose punch.
300–400gsmCotton and textured card
Soft, thick and fibrous. Takes a deep blind deboss and reads as an invitation. Foil sits beautifully; four-color does not.
400–700gsmDuplexed card
Two sheets bonded, often with a colored core, for a very thick card with a visible colored edge. The heaviest thing we print.
600–900gsmText paper 100–170gsm
Leaflets, folder inners and booklet pages. Folds without cracking and takes a full-color print on both faces.
100–170gsmManila and kraft paper
Unbleached, tan, and cheap. One or two colors read well; white ink gives a light mark. Envelopes, folders and tags.
90–300gsmSynthetic stock
Polypropylene sheet for tags and cards that get wet, torn or handled outdoors. Prints like paper and does not soften.
200–400 micronBoard-backed
A printed face laminated to grayboard, for a rigid card, a folder back or a display that has to stand up on its own.
1–2 mm boardNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Sheet print takes the widest range of finishes of anything we make.
Matte lamination
Soft, fingerprint-resistant, and it still takes a pen. The default on anything handled.
Gloss lamination
Maximum color depth. Shows every fingerprint and refuses a ballpoint.
Hot foil
Gold, rose gold, silver, holographic or a color. The block is small so the die is cheap.
Emboss and deboss
Deepest on uncoated and cotton stocks; shallow and prone to cracking on gloss coated.
Spot UV
A gloss shape on a matte laminate. Best on a dark ground where the contrast reads.
Edge paint and colored core
Color on the cut edge of a thick or duplexed card. Only seen when the card is picked up, which is the point.
Soft-touch
A velvet laminate on a cover or a folder. Marks on white; excellent on dark.
Uncoated and textured
No film at all. Writes on, debosses deeply, and reads as considered rather than cheap.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing printed sheets, folds and the grain: table tent cards
A printed piece is specified flat and finished folded, and the difference between the two is where mistakes live. Send the finished size you want and we work back to the flat.
- Finished size
- The size after folding and trimming. A6, A5, A4, DL, US letter and legal are standard; anything else is cut on its own die.
- Bleed and safe area
- 3 mm of artwork past every trim edge, and nothing important within 4 mm inside it. The guillotine drifts by a fraction on every stack.
- Grain direction
- Paper folds cleanly along the grain and cracks across it. We set the grain to the fold, which is why a sheet is not simply cut from the biggest sheet available.
- Fold allowance
- On a roll fold or a gate fold, the inner panels are cut a millimeter or two shorter so the piece closes flat.
- Creasing
- Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding. Without it the fold cracks and the coating flakes along the line.
- Trim tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Table Tent Cards
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about table tent cards? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
How much text can a tent card carry?
More than you would think. The reader is seated and waiting, so three or four short lines get read properly.
Why does mine keep falling flat?
Only friction is holding it up. A slot-lock base cut into the same die makes it rigid.
Which laminate should I use?
Matte. Gloss reflects ceiling lighting into the eyes of someone sitting down.
Can I change the offer without reprinting?
With an insert pocket, yes — reprint a sheet of paper and keep the branded outer for the year.
What is the minimum order?
100 tents, two or three sided.
What card weight stands up in a restaurant?
300gsm is the working default. Below that it curls in a humid room; above 350gsm it needs creasing on press.
How much text can a tent card carry?
More than you would think. The reader is seated and waiting, so three or four short lines get read properly.
Why does mine keep falling flat?
Only friction is holding it up. A slot-lock base cut into the same die makes it rigid.
Which laminate should I use?
Matte. Gloss reflects ceiling lighting into the eyes of someone sitting down.
Can I change the offer without reprinting?
With an insert pocket, yes — reprint a sheet of paper and keep the branded outer for the year.
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