Custom Paper Lunch Bags
A paper bag costs less than almost anything else a food business buys, and it still has to stand open on a counter while it is filled, hold a warm sandwich without going translucent, and survive being carried by its top edge.
- Formats
- SOS bottom bags, flat bags, block-bottom builds
- Paper
- Grease-resistant food-grade kraft or white, 40–70gsm
- Top
- Double-folded top edge as standard
Get a price for Paper Lunch Bags
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.
SOS bottom or flat
An SOS bag — the one with a folded rectangular base — stands up on its own when it is opened, which matters enormously at a counter where someone is filling it one-handed. A flat bag does not, and has to be held.
A flat bag is cheaper, packs flatter and is fine for a wrapped item slid straight in. For anything filled at speed, the SOS base pays for itself in seconds saved per order.
Test a bag by opening it with one hand. If it needs two, it will slow a queue every single order.
Grease is the whole material question
The mark on a plain bag reaches the outside and transfers to hands and clothes, which is the complaint. Grease-resistant paper costs a little more and prevents the entire class of it.
| Plain kraft | Cheapest; a warm buttered item marks it within minutes |
|---|---|
| Grease-resistant kraft | Handles fat without a plastic coating; stays repulpable |
| Greaseproof-lined | For very oily items; a second layer |
| Bleached white | Prints brighter and shows every mark |
It is carried by its top edge
- A filled bag is gripped by the folded top, so that edge takes the whole load.
- A double-folded top is far stronger than a single fold and costs nothing.
- A sticker or a fold-over label seals it and stiffens the grip at the same time.
- A bag with a wet base and a heavy filling fails at the base, not the top.
Print that reads at arm's length
A lunch bag is seen at a counter, in a hand, and on a desk. It is close-range, brief and repeated, which favors one strong mark over a detailed design.
One or two colors on natural kraft is the category standard, and it hides grease marks far better than white paper does — the same reasoning that runs through our printed carrier notes.
Sizes, and stocking fewer of them
Paper bags are forgiving about fit in a way boxes are not — a slightly large bag folds down around its contents. Two sizes covers most counters, and every extra size is another line to store and run out of.
Where a third earns its place is a small bag for single items, because using a large bag for a pastry looks careless as well as costing more.
Paper Lunch Bags — 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
- SOS bottom bags, flat bags, block-bottom builds
- Paper
- Grease-resistant food-grade kraft or white, 40–70gsm
- Top
- Double-folded top edge as standard
- One or two colors flexo; white underbase available on kraft
- Supply
- Flat-packed, no assembly
- Minimum
- 100 bags
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo in one to six colors, printed on the outer face only and before any lining goes on.
- Color
- Food-safe inks throughout. Kraft mutes color; a white board or liner is needed for anything photographic.
- Tolerance
- Cutting plus or minus 1 mm, and fit confirmed by filling a plain sample from your own kitchen or line.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per size, kept. Molded pulp needs a tool per shape, which is a longer lead and a larger one-off.
- Food contact
- Every board food-contact grade, with grease resistance built into the sheet and never a PFAS treatment.
- Sustainability
- Aqueous linings and unlined boards repulp with ordinary paper. PE-lined cups need cup collection, and we say which you have.
- 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 paper lunch bags on
Food packaging is chosen for what the food does to it: grease, steam, heat and time. Every board here is food-contact grade, and none of them uses a PFAS treatment for grease resistance.
Food-grade virgin board
Bleached board made for direct food contact. Clean, bright, no recycled fiber and no mineral-oil risk from recovered paper.
14–24ptGrease-resistant board
Resistance built into the sheet rather than sprayed on. Holds fries, pastry and butter without darkening. PFAS-free.
16–24ptPE-lined cupstock
Board with a polyethylene film for hot and cold liquid. Microwave-safe for reheating; recycled only where cup collection exists.
260–350gsmAqueous-lined cupstock
A water-based lining instead of PE. Repulpable in ordinary paper recycling in more places, and compostable; a slightly shorter hold time.
260–320gsmGreaseproof and glassine
Dense, calendered paper that resists fat through the fiber. Wraps, liners and interleaves; breathable, so pastry stays crisp.
30–55gsmFood-grade corrugated
E and B flute with a food-contact liner, vented where steam has to leave. Pizza, catering and anything hot and heavy.
E and B fluteMolded pulp and bagasse
Fiber pressed into a shape. Holds heat, resists grease with no lining, composts, and takes only an embossed or one-color mark.
Molded to shapeRecycled board
Post-consumer fiber. Used for outers, sleeves and anything that does not touch food directly — not for direct contact.
Non-contact onlyNot 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.
Food finishes are limited by what may touch food, and that is the point.
Food-safe inks
Printed on the outer face only. Every food pack we make uses them, laminated or not.
Uncoated kraft
No coating at all. Breathable, so pastry stays crisp, and it takes one or two colors.
Aqueous varnish
Scuff resistance without a plastic film, so the pack still repulps.
Molded emboss
A logo pressed into pulp or bagasse. No ink, nothing to rub off, and it survives grease.
Grease-resistant face
Not a finish you can see. It is in the sheet, it is PFAS-free, and it is why the print stays clean.
Matte lamination
Available on outers and sleeves that never touch food — a cake box lid, a carrier, a gift sleeve.
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 food packaging around a portion, hot: paper lunch bags
Food is sized by serving, not by dimensions, and it is served hot, heaped and in a hurry. Send us the portion — or better, the box you use now with the food in it — and we size to how it is actually filled.
- Portion, heaped
- Fries, popcorn and salad are served above the rim. A box sized to a level fill looks mean and spills in a bag.
- Lid clearance
- Enough that a loaded burger or a topped cake does not touch the lid. This is the single most common complaint about a food box.
- Venting
- Hot food steams. Vents in the lid keep pastry and fries crisp; a sealed box is right only for cold food.
- Grease path
- Where the fat sits decides the board. Say if the food is fried, buttered or sauced, and whether it is held for minutes or an hour.
- Stacking in a bag
- Delivery boxes are stacked five high on a bike. The lid has to hold the box above it off the food below.
- Sample fill
- A plain box filled from your kitchen settles the size in one try, and we send one before the run.
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
Build your Paper Lunch Bags in 3D
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a board 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 paper lunch bags? 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.
SOS or flat bag?
SOS if it is filled at a counter — it stands open one-handed. Flat is cheaper and fine for a wrapped item slid in.
Why does grease show through?
Plain kraft marks within minutes of a warm buttered item. Grease-resistant food-grade paper prevents it and still recycles.
Where do bags fail?
The top edge if carried full, the base if the contents are wet and heavy. A double-folded top helps the first.
How many sizes do I need?
Two covers most counters. A third small size is worth it only because a pastry in a large bag looks careless.
What is the minimum order?
100 bags, flat-packed with no assembly.
Kraft or white paper?
Kraft hides grease marks and costs less. White prints brighter and shows every mark.
SOS or flat bag?
SOS if it is filled at a counter — it stands open one-handed. Flat is cheaper and fine for a wrapped item slid in.
Why does grease show through?
Plain kraft marks within minutes of a warm buttered item. Grease-resistant food-grade paper prevents it and still recycles.
Where do bags fail?
The top edge if they are carried full, the base if the contents are wet and heavy. A double-folded top helps the first.
How many sizes do I need?
Two covers most counters. A third small size is worth it only because a pastry in a large bag looks careless.
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