Custom coaster printing in Australia has quietly become one of the sharpest bang-for-buck branding tools available to hospitality venues and event organisers. A well-printed coaster sits under every drink, eye level with every seated guest, and stays on the table for the duration of the visit. No other printed piece gets that much passive exposure for so little cost.
Whether you run a brewery, a cafe, a restaurant, or you are planning a wedding, this guide covers everything you need to order confidently: which stock to choose, what sizes and shapes are available, how single-sided and double-sided printing changes your options, design rules that keep coasters legible, and the numbers that matter (MOQ, production times, and pricing).
- Paperlust Print Shop coasters are printed on 355gsm Beermat Board, a thick absorbent pulpboard purpose-built for beverages.
- Three shapes available: Round, Square, and Rounded Square, all at 95mm.
- Minimum order is 50 coasters, from $3.46 AUD (inc. GST) per unit.
- Production takes 3-7 working days after design proof approval; Australian shipping is flat-rate Australia-wide.
- Printing is front only, full-colour; artwork must include 3mm bleed and crop marks.
- QR codes print cleanly; great for menus, social links, and event-day table directions.
Why custom coasters work so hard for hospitality and events
A branded coaster is not decoration. It is a marketing touchpoint that sits within arm’s reach of your customer for the entire duration of a drink. In a busy bar or restaurant, that can be 20-40 minutes of uninterrupted, undistracted brand exposure. Compare that with a social media post that vanishes in three seconds of scrolling.
For hospitality venues, coasters serve a second purpose: they protect table surfaces. Pulpboard absorbs condensation and keeps timber, marble, and laminate surfaces free from water rings. That functional value means coasters stay on tables by design, rather than being moved aside or discarded. The branding rides along for free.
For weddings and events, personalised coasters anchor every place setting, seat guests at named tables (when paired with a table number), prompt a social media share (when printed with a hashtag), or act as a small keepsake that guests take home. A round coaster with the couple’s initials and wedding date costs very little per unit but creates a lasting impression.
Absorbent pulpboard versus laminated or wipeable coasters
The most important decision when ordering custom coasters is stock type. In Australia, you will encounter two main categories.
Absorbent pulpboard (beermat board)
This is the traditional coaster substrate and the one used at Paperlust Print Shop. The stock is a thick compressed pulp board, typically 350-365gsm, with an uncoated surface on both faces. Because it is uncoated, moisture from a cold glass is drawn into the fibres immediately. The coaster stays flat on the table, the glass stays stable, and your table surface stays dry.
355gsm Beermat Board is the industry-standard choice for bars, breweries, restaurants, and cafes. It is also the most durable for extended daily use. A high-quality pulpboard coaster will last through multiple rounds without going soggy or losing its shape. It is not designed to be wiped down and reused indefinitely, but it holds up well across a standard service session.
The trade-off: absorbent stock cannot be laminated or coated on the print face. That means the print surface has a natural matte finish rather than a high-gloss look. Colours print vibrantly, but very fine serif text or hairline details can look slightly softer than on coated stock.
Laminated or wipeable coasters
A wipeable coaster has a coated or laminated surface that repels moisture rather than absorbing it. These are common in outdoor settings (beer gardens, events) where a coaster may be reused across multiple guests. The print surface is smooth and gloss-bright. However, they do not absorb condensation at all, which means a cold glass can slide on a smooth table surface if there is enough moisture.
For the vast majority of Australian bars and cafes, absorbent pulpboard is the right choice. Laminated options suit corporate giveaways and merchandise where longevity and wiping down between uses matters more than absorbency.
Shapes and sizes for Australian coasters
Standard coasters in Australia are 94-96mm across. This sits in the sweet spot: large enough to catch a full pint glass, small enough to leave room on a table. Paperlust Print Shop produces all coasters at 95mm in three shapes.
| Shape | Size | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Round | 95mm diameter | Classic bar look; all standard glassware; weddings with circular motifs |
| Square | 95mm x 95mm | Modern cafes and restaurants; geometric branding; maximises print area |
| Rounded Square | 95mm x 95mm with rounded corners | Friendly mid-point; comfortable in hand; suits venues with soft branding |
Round is the most traditional choice for pubs and breweries. Square and rounded-square suit contemporary hospitality settings where the brand identity is geometric or typographic.
Single-sided versus double-sided printing
Paperlust Print Shop coasters are printed front-only, with full-colour on the face. This is the standard choice for hospitality use, where the primary goal is brand impression while the coaster sits under a glass.
Some venues use the reverse (unprinted) side as a practical advantage: staff can flip a coaster face-down to signal a table has been cleared, or a guest can flip it to indicate they do not want another round. This service convention works precisely because the back is blank.
For event coasters (weddings, corporate functions), a printed reverse can add value. If you need double-sided printing, this requires discussion at ordering time, as it is not a standard option on the product page. Contact printshop@paperlust.co to discuss custom double-sided runs.
MOQ, pricing, and ordering at Paperlust Print Shop
The minimum order quantity for custom coasters at Paperlust Print Shop is 50 units. Pricing starts from $3.46 AUD (inc. GST) per coaster. Per-unit cost decreases as quantity increases, so if you are ordering for a venue, ordering in larger runs brings the cost down meaningfully.
For context on how quantities match use-cases:
- Small venue or event (50-100): A pop-up, private dining room, or intimate wedding reception. Enough to cover a dozen tables.
- Mid-size venue or event (200-500): A busy bar, medium-sized cafe, or wedding of 100-200 guests. Covers daily service with a buffer.
- High-volume venue (500+): Breweries, restaurant chains, and hotel bars where coasters cycle through quickly. Higher quantities drop per-unit cost to its most competitive.
Production takes 3-7 working days after design proof approval. This is typical for pulpboard coasters and worth building into your planning. If you need urgent delivery, email printshop@paperlust.co before ordering to ask about express production options.
Australian shipping is flat-rate Australia-wide, making the landed cost predictable for venues across all states. International orders ship via DHL at a flat rate of $35 AUD.
Design tips: getting the most out of a 95mm coaster
A 95mm coaster gives you approximately the area of a CD. That is enough space for a strong logo, a tagline, and a supporting graphic element, but it is not enough for a wall of text. The best coaster designs are the ones a guest can read from across a table.
Set up your artwork correctly
- Bleed: 3mm bleed on all sides is required. Without bleed, trimming variation can leave white edges.
- Safe zone: Keep logos, text, and key design elements at least 5mm from the trim edge. Anything closer risks being clipped.
- Resolution: 300 DPI minimum for photographs. Vector logos (SVG or outlined PDF) are preferred.
- File formats: PDF with embedded fonts and images, SVG, or native Adobe Illustrator files. All fonts must be outlined/vectorised.
- Colour mode: CMYK. If your brand uses Pantone colours, ask for CMYK conversion guidance before submitting.
Design for legibility at small scale
On a 95mm coaster, a logo that fills 60-70% of the face reads strongly. A logo at 30% looks lost. Conversely, a logo surrounded by four lines of body text in 8pt becomes unreadable in venue lighting.
Rules of thumb that work:
- One primary element: logo or wordmark, centred or anchored to a strong point.
- One secondary element: website, Instagram handle, QR code, or event date.
- Strong contrast: Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background. Mid-tones disappear under dim venue lighting.
- Avoid hairlines: Any line thinner than 0.5pt may not print cleanly on pulpboard’s matte surface.
QR codes on coasters
QR codes print cleanly on beermat board and are a natural fit. Bars use them for digital menus; weddings use them for RSVP pages, photo upload links, or social media hashtag pages. A QR code needs a minimum print size of 25mm x 25mm to scan reliably on a 95mm coaster. Always test-scan a proof before approving the full run.
Custom coasters for hospitality venues: bars, breweries, cafes, restaurants
For commercial venues, the coaster has three jobs: protect the table, reinforce the brand, and extend the average time a guest engages with your branding.
Bars and pubs use round coasters almost universally. The form is familiar, and guests interact with them naturally. A craft brewery can reinforce its visual identity, highlight a seasonal beer name, or print rotating designs for limited-release products.
Cafes and specialty coffee venues often choose square or rounded-square formats, which align better with the flat-lay aesthetic common in cafe social media. A coffee venue can print a roast profile or origin story on the reverse (with a custom double-sided run), or keep the front clean with just a logo and website.
Restaurants benefit from coasters that double as a branded touchpoint for cocktail service or pre-dinner drinks. A restaurant with a strong visual identity can use coasters as an extension of its menu design.
Hotels and accommodation venues use coasters in bars, restaurants, and room service. A hotel chain can order a single design across all properties and rely on flat-rate shipping to distribute nationally.
Breweries often use coasters as a low-cost product launch tool. A new seasonal release gets a coaster run at 200-500 units. Guests pick them up, take them home, and the brand travels outside the venue.
Custom coasters for weddings and events
Wedding coasters are a niche that has grown significantly in Australia. They serve three functions at a reception: table decoration, practical drinkware accessory, and personalised keepsake.
The most common format is a round coaster at 95mm with the couple’s names, wedding date, and a simple illustrative motif (botanical, abstract, or typographic). These are placed at each setting, either as a standalone piece or alongside menus and place cards.
For larger weddings, table numbers can be incorporated into the design: a coaster showing “Table 6” paired with the couple’s initials is a neat, single-piece solution that avoids the cost of separate table number cards.
Corporate and conference events use coasters similarly: each session table gets a branded coaster with the event name, date, wifi password, and a social hashtag. Production at 50 units works for a boardroom event; 500 units is appropriate for a full conference.
For weddings and events where design consistency matters, ordering your custom coasters through Paperlust Print Shop means all files go through a proof before printing, and a design team is available to assist if you need artwork adjustments before final approval.
Artwork submission and the proof process
The workflow at Paperlust Print Shop is designed to catch errors before they go to print. After you upload your artwork and place an order, the team reviews your file and sends a digital proof showing exactly how your design will print.
What the proof checks:
- Bleed and trim alignment
- Font rendering (any unoutlined fonts will be flagged)
- Image resolution (low-res images will be highlighted)
- Colour accuracy (CMYK rendering)
- QR code placement and scannability (if applicable)
You review the proof and either approve it or request changes. Production begins once you give final sign-off. This single review cycle is standard; if you need to iterate on the design itself, it is worth working through your design before submitting, or requesting design assistance at ordering time.
For complex or large-scale runs, emailing printshop@paperlust.co before uploading artwork is a good practice. The team can confirm whether your file meets requirements and flag anything that might slow down the proof stage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard coaster size in Australia?
The standard size for bar and hospitality coasters in Australia is 94-96mm. Paperlust Print Shop produces all coasters at 95mm across, available in round, square, and rounded-square shapes. This size works with all standard glassware including schooners, pints, wine glasses, and coffee cups.
What is beermat board and why is it used for coasters?
Beermat board (also called pulpboard) is a thick compressed pulp stock, typically 350-365gsm, with an uncoated surface that actively absorbs condensation from cold glasses. It is the industry-standard coaster material for bars, pubs, breweries, cafes, and restaurants in Australia because it protects table surfaces and stays flat under wet glasses. Paperlust Print Shop uses 355gsm Beermat Board for all coaster orders.
What is the minimum order quantity for custom coasters?
The minimum order at Paperlust Print Shop is 50 coasters. This covers a small venue, an intimate wedding, or a product launch event. Larger quantities reduce the per-unit cost and are recommended for venues that cycle through coasters in daily service.
Can I print a QR code on a custom coaster?
Yes. QR codes print cleanly on 355gsm Beermat Board. The minimum practical print size for reliable scanning is 25mm x 25mm on a 95mm coaster. Common uses include digital menus for bars and cafes, RSVP links for weddings, and social media or hashtag pages for events. Always request a proof and test-scan the QR code before approving the full print run.
How long does coaster printing take in Australia?
Production at Paperlust Print Shop takes 3-7 working days from the date you approve your design proof. Shipping is flat-rate Australia-wide and adds 1-5 business days depending on your location and the service selected. For tight deadlines, contact printshop@paperlust.co before ordering to discuss options.
Are coasters printed on both sides?
Standard orders at Paperlust Print Shop are printed front-only with full-colour on the face. If you need double-sided printing, contact the team at printshop@paperlust.co before ordering to discuss a custom run. For most hospitality and event applications, single-sided printing is sufficient, and the blank reverse is often used as a practical service signal by venue staff.
