Paper Bag Printing

Packaging That Walks Out of the Shop

A printed bag is the only piece of marketing a customer carries down the high street for you. It gets seen by everyone they pass, it sits in a kitchen for a fortnight, and it costs a fraction of anything else that reaches that many people.

Full colour on white or brown kraft, four handle styles, 100% recyclable. From 50 bags, with free UK delivery.

Choosing a Handle

• Folded handles — internal 5-ply folded paper handles, taped securely inside with additional reinforcement patches to prevent tearing. The most common style, and available in all four sizes.
• Twisted handles — heavy duty twisted paper cord, strengthened by the tight twist of the material. Rounder in the hand and a slightly more premium look. Available in three sizes, and the only option on bottle bags.
• Handless grab bags — no handles, so the top edge stays clean. Taller and narrower than the handled bags, and designed to be filled at a counter and handed over. Available in small and large only.
• Bottle bag — tall and narrow at 360 x 110 x 85mm, sized for a single bottle. Supplied with twisted handles.

If you're unsure, folded handles are the safe default — expected, comfortable, and available at every size.

Sizes

Dimensions vary by handle type, so check the style you want rather than assuming a "large" is the same across the range.

Folded handles (H x W x D)

• Small — 240 x 180 x 80mm
• Medium — 290 x 220 x 100mm
• Large — 370 x 270 x 120mm
• Extra Large — 450 x 320 x 170mm

Twisted handles (H x W x D)

• Small — 210 x 190 x 80mm
• Medium — 310 x 240 x 110mm
• Large — 420 x 320 x 140mm
• Bottle — 360 x 110 x 85mm

Handless grab bags (H x W x D)

• Small — 345 x 175 x 115mm
• Large — 405 x 260 x 130mm

Weight Limits

• Small and bottle — 3.5kg
• Medium — 4kg
• Large — 5kg
• Extra Large — 6kg

The handles are the limiting factor rather than the paper. Folded handles carry reinforcement patches on the inside precisely because that's where a loaded bag fails.

Printable Area

Bags are printed single sided, in CMYK, within a fixed print panel on the face of the bag — not across the whole surface.

• Small — 120mm square
• Medium — 170mm square
• Large — 200mm square
• Extra Large — 220mm square
• Bottle — 270 x 80mm
• Small handless — 160mm square
• Large handless — 190mm square

Worth noting the print area is considerably smaller than the bag. An extra large bag stands 450mm tall with a 220mm print panel, so design for the panel rather than the bag — our templates show exactly where it falls.

The bottle bag panel is the odd one out at 270 x 80mm, tall and narrow to suit the shape.

White or Brown Kraft

White kraft is a crisp, clean stock with a smooth uncoated finish. Colours reproduce accurately against a white base, so choose it if your brand depends on specific colours or you're printing photography.

Brown kraft is a natural, fibrous stock with a rustic speckled finish. It reads as sustainable and suits earthy or minimal branding — but colours print onto a brown base rather than a white one, so everything comes out warmer and more muted than it appears on screen.

One firm limitation on kraft: white ink can't be printed. Anything white in your design will be the colour of the bag showing through, which on brown kraft means brown. If your logo relies on white type or a white keyline, it won't appear — worth designing around before you order.

What They Will and Won't Do

100% recyclable, which is most of the reason people choose paper over plastic.

Not food safe. They're fine for carrying food in food-safe boxes or wrapping, but not for direct contact with unwrapped food.

Not waterproof. Paper is paper — a soaked kraft bag will fail, so they're not the answer for anything wet or for a rainy day without an outer bag.

Supplied flat with gusseted sides, so they open out in a second at the counter and store flat until needed.

Where They Go

• Retail — the obvious one. Clothing, gifts, homeware, anything handed over at a till.
• Takeaways and delis — carrying boxed or wrapped food.
• Bakeries and farm shops — where brown kraft suits the product.
• Off-licences and wine merchants — bottle bags for single bottles.
• Events and conferences — delegate bags, goody bags, sample packs.
• Salons and clinics — retail product sales.
• Markets and pop-ups — where a printed bag does the branding a shopfront would.

Artwork Requirements

• Bleed: 3mm all round
• Resolution: 300 dpi minimum
• Format: PDF or JPEG
• Colour: CMYK
• Fonts: outlined or embedded
• Artwork: one design per order

Free templates are available for each size. Design to the print panel rather than the bag dimensions, and remember white won't print.

Every file is checked by a real person before printing, so obvious problems get flagged. We don't make changes or fixes to artwork — files should be supplied print-ready.

Turnaround & Delivery

Choose a 1 working day express turnaround, or 3–4 working days as standard. Turnaround covers production only — delivery is on top of that.

Standard UK delivery is free on all paper bag orders, whatever the size or quantity. Collection from our Burnley production facility is also available.

FAQs

What's the minimum order?
50 bags.

Which handle styles are available in which sizes?
Folded handles come in small, medium, large and extra large. Twisted handles come in small, medium, large and bottle. Handless grab bags are small and large only.

Are they food safe?
No. They're suitable for carrying food in food-safe boxes or wrapping, but not for direct contact with unwrapped food.

Are they waterproof?
No. They're paper, and they won't survive being soaked.

Can you print white ink?
No. White ink can't be printed on kraft, so anything white in your design will show as the bag colour. Colours also print more muted on brown kraft because of the natural tone.

Are they recyclable?
Yes, 100% recyclable.

Can I upload multiple designs?
No. Each order covers one artwork design — add separate items if you need several.

How much can they hold?
3.5kg for small and bottle bags, 4kg medium, 5kg large, 6kg extra large.

Do they arrive flat?
Yes, supplied flat with gusseted sides so they open quickly at the counter.

How long does it take?
1 working day express or 3–4 working days standard, with delivery on top.

Is delivery really free?
Yes. Standard UK delivery is included on all paper bag orders, with no minimum spend.