Min. 100 units · 3–5 days
Kraft Paper Bags
Custom Bags
Specify thisCustom Bags
Custom paper Bags with Handles produced to your size and substrate, with printing and finishing handled in one run.
No obligation
Name, email, phone and what you are packing. Attach artwork if you have it. We reply with a specification and a written price, usually within one business day.
Paper Bags with Handles hold purchases heavy enough that the handle is the deciding feature rather than an afterthought. That is the starting point for the specification, because twisted paper suits light contents, flat paper is stronger for similar cost, cotton rope carries most and reads most premium.
In service they are used for retail where customers regularly buy more than one item and carry the bag some distance.
Shelf presence is decided at arm's length, not close up. Contrast, the front panel hierarchy and how the pack sits next to competitors matter more than a finish that only reads in the hand.
If paper bags with handles will be faced on a shelf, tell us the facing orientation so the strongest panel is the one the customer sees.
Paper Bags with Handles are specified for retail where customers regularly buy more than one item and carry the bag some distance. Twisted paper suits light contents, flat paper is stronger for similar cost, cotton rope carries most and reads most premium.
150gsm minimum with a doubled top edge; 170gsm and rope handles where the load goes past a few kilos.
The options we would consider for this format are below; twisted paper suits light contents, flat paper is stronger for similar cost, cotton rope carries most and reads most premium.
The face people see is the side, not the front, because a carried bag hangs edge-on. Design for that view.
Flexography, Offset lithography, Digital press are all available for this format. Run length usually decides which is cheapest: digital removes the plate cost on short quantities, offset and flexo overtake it at volume.
The face people see is the side, not the front, because a carried bag hangs edge-on. Design for that view.
Finishes are costed one at a time because each is a separate operation — that way you can see which one is carrying the price.
Across the retail range, with handle type usually mattering more than the footprint.
Send the contents rather than a box size. Handle type is chosen for appearance, and the reinforced top edge that actually carries the load is skipped to save cost.
Allow for the bottom fold and side gussets on the dieline, and keep logos clear of the crease lines so they read cleanly when the bag is open.
Supply a print-ready PDF or vector file with fonts outlined and images at 300 dpi. Our prepress team checks every file before a proof is issued. The check that catches most files is type sitting too close to a crease, which is easier to move at layout than at proof.
Tell us what goes inside, how many you need and when. Those three answers are enough for us to specify and price the job properly.
You approve the quote, we send the dieline, prepress proofs it, and production follows. The proof stage is where changes are still free.
A plain structural sample is the cheapest way to find a fit problem — far cheaper than finding it across a full run.
Sample costs are normally credited against the production order.
Reference
| Product | Paper Bags with Handles |
|---|---|
| Category | Custom Bags |
| Construction | Side-gusseted, bottom-glued |
| Paper weight | 100gsm – 200gsm depending on load |
| Handles | Twisted paper, flat paper, rope or ribbon |
| Materials | Virgin kraft paper, Recycled kraft paper, White kraft paper, Coated art paper |
| Printing | Flexography, Offset lithography, Digital press |
| Finishes | Matte lamination, Gloss lamination, Foil stamping, Spot UV, Uncoated natural kraft |
| Minimum order | Minimum order is 100 units on any format, and unit cost falls sharply as the quantity rises. |
| Lead time | 3 to 5 business days after artwork approval |
| Shipping | Across the US, UK, Canada and Australia |
Specification builder
Set what you know, leave the rest. Everything here travels with your request, so nothing gets retyped.
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What you get
Across the retail range, with handle type usually mattering more than the footprint.
Twisted paper handles pull through the top edge under load, taking a strip of the bag with them.
Specified for retail where customers regularly buy more than one item and carry the bag some distance.
Twisted paper suits light contents, flat paper is stronger for similar cost, cotton rope carries most and reads most premium.
This format sits in our custom bags range, alongside 26 other made-to-order formats.
Answers
Specification, minimums and lead times for paper bags with handles.
Cotton rope, then flat paper, then twisted paper. But the top edge matters as much — above a few kilos the bag tears where the handle attaches rather than the handle failing.
It depends on the load, not the look. Twisted paper handles suit light contents; flat paper is stronger for the same cost; cotton rope carries the most and reads as the most premium. Above a few kilos the failure point is usually the bag tearing at the handle, so a reinforced top edge matters as much as the handle itself.
That is set by the paper weight and the top-edge reinforcement together rather than by the handle alone. Tell us the heaviest thing you will put in paper bags with handles and we will specify to it rather than to an average.
Every run is cut to your dimensions — there are no stock sizes here. Send the product measurements rather than a box size and we will build the paper bag around them, then send a dieline template you can design onto.
We issue a dieline template sized to your product, prepress checks your artwork against it, and a proof comes back for sign-off. Nothing runs until you approve that proof, and paper bags then take 3 to 5 business days.
Yes. Once a first run is approved we hold the board, structure, dimensions, print method and finishes against your account, so a reorder references the same specification exactly rather than being re-derived. It also means a reorder can be priced against a larger quantity without re-opening the specification.
Recycled grades are available across most of the substrates we run for paper bags. Recycled content, kerbside recyclability and certified compostability are three different claims though, so tell us which one you intend to print.
A print-ready PDF or a vector file, with fonts outlined and any raster images at 300 dpi at final size. We supply the dieline to design onto, and prepress checks bleed, safe area and crease clearance before issuing a proof. The dieline we supply carries the crease positions, so keeping type clear of a crease is easier to solve at layout than at proof.
A flat 100 units on any format. Most paper bags in this range are quoted from 100 units upward because unit cost falls sharply above that, but the minimum exists so you can validate a structure first.
3 to 5 business days after artwork approval, plus freight. Paper bag runs with applied finishes can take longer because each finish is a separate pass, and we confirm a firm date in writing with the quote.
Prices start from $0.30 per piece for large-volume orders. For this format the biggest levers are quantity, print route, board grade and how many finishing passes are involved. We quote each element separately so you can see where the money is going. Finishing passes are the lever buyers most often underestimate: each one is a separate run through the line.
Yes. We can send a plain unprinted sample so you can check the fit and structure, or a printed prototype for colour and finish. Sample costs are normally credited against the production order. A plain sample answers fit and structure; a printed one answers colour. On paper bags with handles it is usually fit that is worth checking first.
Related formats
Next step
Send the dimensions and quantity you need. We reply with a full specification and a written price, usually within one business day.