Custom Coasters by Alfred Mank

Having custom made coasters for drinks can enhance your guests drinking experience and make a movie or sports watching a notch better. Here are some other benefits of custom-made coasters:

We have four main materials that we can make coasters from. They include:

There is nothing more enjoyable on a hot summer day than a tall, refreshing cold drink. But, whether your customers are enjoying an alfresco lunch or a social hourafter work, there is nothing that makes more of a mess than a sweaty glass creating puddles of condensation.

The problem of condensation is created when water vapor that exists in the air around us comes in contact with a cold drink in a glass or cup. The coldness of the container begins to cool the water vapor in the air and it turns into water. Condensation can be a tricky problem for drink service, either inside or outside. To battle condensation, you need an absorbent paper coaster to soak up condensation and avoid sloppy bar and table tops. At the same time, your coasters need to be durable enough that they do not disintegrate into a wet, paper-like mess.

Absorbent paper coasters are most commonly available in the following materials:

• Cellulose paper
• Tissue with poly-laminate coating
• Textile-like Airlaid paper
• Budgetboard
• Pulpboard

We created the following video to test the absorbency of each type of paper coaster and show how these various materials stand up to condensation created by the summer sun: The Coaster Absorbency Test

At Alfred Mank, everything we create starts with paper. As young children we learn that paper comes from wood, but there’s a lot more to it. Here’s our look at what the paper production process really involves.

HOW PAPER IS MADE

• Logs are run through a debarker which removes the bark. The logs are cut into boards for other purposes and the remaining wood is broken down into wood chips.
• Wood chips are processed by “pulp digesters” where steam and chemicals turn them into a messy stew of fibers, called paper pulp.
• Paper pulp fibers are cleaned and screened multiple times to remove chemicals, wood resins, and wood lignin.
• Paper pulp is now fed into the paper-making machine. This is done using a pump to spray a thin layer of the wet paper pulp onto a moving wire screen.
• As the pulp is carried along by the screen, the water that’s inside the pulp starts to drop away. As they become less wet, the fibers of the wood pulp become matted together and form paper.
• The paper is finally fed through a series of heated rollers which press it and dry it.

Now that you have an understanding of the basic paper production process, here’s a closer look at many of the unique materials used to produce Alfred Mank’s line of paper products and how they are made.

HOW TISSUE PAPER IS MADE

Tissue paper is a popular material used to create a number of paper products including coasters and tray doilies, as well as specialty items like plate holders, tea pot holders and egg covers.

• Tissue paper is made from a mixture of softwood and hardwood trees. Softwood trees have long fibers that easily wrap around each other, adding strength. Hardwood trees have shorter fibers that makes the paper softer. Tissue paper is generally made up of 70% hardwood and 30% softwood.
• The main difference in producing tissue paper is that it’s creped. The creping process is what makes it very soft and gives it a slightly wrinkled look.
• During creping, the paper is scraped off the dryer with a metal blade. This makes tissue paper sheets more flexible but also lowers their strength and thickness.

HOW AIRLAID Is MADE

When you feel Airlaid, you may not think it’s paper at all. It feels almost like cloth. In fact, Airlaid is a nonwoven fabric made from fluff pulp. It’s used to create coasters, jar toppers and napkins.

• The raw material in Airlaid is long fiber softwood fluff pulp. Unlike traditional paper, it is produced using air instead of water. This adds to its absorbent properties.
• The pulp is hammer milled, freeing the fibers from each other before entering the wire of the paper machine.
• Typical Airlaid paper is made up of only 85% fiber, so a binder is added to fill the spaces, as a spray or foam, which is activated by heat.

HOW PULPBOARD IS MADE

Used to create the coasters and beer mats found in bars and restaurants everywhere, pulpboard can be produced in multiple thicknesses to withstand moisture and absorb condensation.

• Producing pulpboard relies heavily on utilizing recycled paper. The recycled paper is mixed with fresh, or virgin, pulp fibers in order to make new material.
• A small amount of fresh pulp is needed because recycled fiber often loses strength when reused. Virgin fibers add strength to the mixture.
• Mixed waste paper does not always go through a deinking process when creating pulpboard, so it may contain traces of inks, adhesives, and other residues which result in a grey color.
• Pulpboard can be produced as single-ply or multi-ply. When using multiple layers, each layer is treated and shaped individually, then formed together.
• Coating is added to improve the whiteness, smoothness and glossiness of pulpboard.
• Pulpboard is produced on paper machines that can handle higher grammages and plies of board.

HOW PARCHMENT PAPER IS MADE

Perfect for avoiding a sticky situation, parchment paper is used to produce butter and jam covers.

• Creating parchment paper differs from the traditional paper process when sheets of paper pulp are run through a bath of sulfuric acid or zinc chloride. These chemicals partially dissolve or gelatinize the paper.
• The process is then reversed by washing away the chemicals and then drying the sheets.
• This results in paper with a higher density, stability, and heat resistance and a lower surface energy. This is why parchment paper is a perfect non-stick option.

Attract new customers to your bar, restaurant, hotel, or catering company with individually designed coasters. Bulk orders assure you the best return on investment, as these unique custom products can leave a lasting impression on clients and business partners.

We are a company that prides itself in the quality of its work since it’s our mission to delight our customers. We have a variety of glass coasters and other additional products such as the ramekin covers, glass cover caps, doilies, teapot holders and other innovative hospitality industry products.
One of the greatest advantages of personalized coasters is their ability to make your brand visible in a very cost effective way. Furthermore, their functionality cannot be denied. At Alfred Mank, we will make your coasters in whichever way you want them- elegant and classy, fun and shouting or the laid back and relaxed design- the choice is yours.

What’s more, we can either bulk produce or you can order a fixed number of coasters. However the minimum order number is 10,000 pieces to ensure our lowest price.
When you want your coasters to be custom made, then the material and the printing method you choose plays a big role in the final product. Some of the greatest considerations to take in mind while ordering for personalized coasters are: the budget, timeline, the number of coasters you require, the material to be used and lastly the tone and style of the branding.

At Alfred Mank, we will add any message that you want included alongside your company’s logo. We have four distinct printing methods which include the hot foil stamping (premium), flexography (fast), offset and letterpress. All this can be done on parchment, tissue or Airlaid depending on the material that will complement your establishment’s outlook.

The manufacturing of paper and use of paper products is often blamed for the deterioration of the world’s forests and being harmful to our environment. But the truth is, paper is a truly sustainable product. Here are some well-researched facts on the state of sustainable manufacturing and product use in the paper industry.

• The demand for wood fiber used in paper production encourages sustainable forest management and discourages landowners from selling forest lands for development.
• Only 36% of timber harvested in the U.S. is used in paper manufacturing.
• Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world and globally 82% of recovered paper is used in tissue, board products, containers, and other packaging.
• Paper can be recycled 7 times before the fibers begin to break down.
• Recycling paper reduces greenhouse gases created when paper breaks down in landfills, reduces energy consumption needed for additional paper production, and saves landfill space.

source: Two Sides North America

As a manufacturer of tissue and paper products, Alfred Mank is dedicated to sustainable manufacturing practices that minimize our impact in the surrounding environment.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

Mank products carry the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) seal which certifies that our products stem from ecologically, economically, and social sustainable forestry. Sustainable forest management ensures that there is a balance between meeting the demand for wood and forest products and maintaining the health and diversity of our forests.

Avoiding the use of paper products is not the way to protect forest areas. In fact, when less wood and paper products are consumed, we experience more forest loss. The USDA Forest Service reports that over the last six decades, forest area in the U.S. has grown by over 3% and net volume of trees has increased by 58%.

SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

Sustainable manufacturing of paper products needs to also ensure that our products do not stem from overexploitation. The raw materials sourced to produce our tissue and paper products are cultivated from forest areas where no indigenous people are exploited and no animals or plants are endangered.

ENVIRONMENTALLY HEALTHY LIFE CYCLE

The manufacturing of sustainable products must satisfy very stringent criteria for environmental and health protection through the entire production cycle.

• Starting with wood fibers from sustainable forests
• Limiting the use of hazardous materials, for example using water based inks free from solvents and avoiding chlorine in bleaching agents
• Implementing a waste management system, treating and filtering waste water from production until it can re-enter the normal water cycle
• Reducing energy consumption in manufacturing

CARBON NEUTRAL

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is recognized as a contributing factor to climate change. Increased CO2 levels from the growth of industrial activity creates a greenhouse effect, trapping extra heat into the Earth’s atmosphere. Through sustainable manufacturing with a carbon neutral goal, every carbon emission generated from the use of raw materials, production, and transportation is reduced by the same amount through a climate protection project by myclimate. Our current myclimate project includes decreasing CO2 emissions by producing energy for the operation of paper machines through woodchips.

Founded in 1930, the Mank Group has an established background of customer service and satisfaction and superb product quality. For almost 90 years, we have been steadily improving our services to meet and exceed all of our customers‘ needs, by providing them with only the best quality materials and printing methods. Our Pennsylvania-based company, Alfred Mank, presents so much more than just customized coasters. We offer you an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and personally connect with your clients.

 

Our custom drink coasters are one of the most cost-effective investments for your establishment, for they are a small but thoughtful detail which translates into customer loyalty. Currently, we hold a portfolio with four available materials, all of them coming in two different size designs: round and squared. Please use our online contact form to place a request or inquire about individual options, tailored to your needs. Whether you are looking to custom make coasters online for special events, as promotional items or simply as your personal business card our customer support team will gladly assist you in chosing the perfect option for your occasion.

 

As we have stated before, at Alfred Mank, we offer so much more than merely personalized merchandise or eyecatchers. We believe our products are a doorway to establishing a strong corporate identity while forging an intimate identification between your brand and your clients. Achieving customer loyalty brings a myriad of benefits for your establishment, amongst which we can mention:

• Loyal customers tend to spend more and are also willing to pay more, generating a steadier income.
• A satisfied customer will refer their peers to your company, which could save considerable marketing and publicity costs on customer acquisition.
• There is a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and employee loyalty. The more satisfied your customers are, the happier your employees are going to be – which means less hiring and training costs.
• Additionally, our custom made coasters will also grant hygiene and an overall feeling of tidiness to your place, both of these factors having a tremendous impact on customer loyalty. A clean and welcoming environment will ensure they come back.
• Last but not least our wholesale bulk options allow for cost-effective budgeting and thus decrease your cost in the long term.

Here, at Alfred Mank, we believe that both product sustainability and an eco-friendly production are paramount for our corporate image. By combining tradition and avant-garde techniques, along with our pillars of excellence, perfection, and an unparalleled commitment to quality, we thrive side-by-side with our customers, offering only the best custom coasters in the market.