Custom Pouches
Rigid packaging holds its shape because of the material. A pouch holds its shape because of how it is folded and sealed, and it only holds it when there is something inside. Everything awkward about pouches follows from that one fact.
Get a price for Pouches
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- 4styles in this range, each with its own page and price
- 100unit minimum on every style, printed or plain
- 4markets quoted in the delivery currency
- ±1mmcutting tolerance on folding board, checked on a sample
4 styles in this range
Styles we make in this range
Every one below is written up, priced and dielined. Tap a style to see how it is built.
01See the build →Chub Packaging
Custom chub packaging
02See the build →Kraft Stand Up Pouches
A kraft pouch looks like paper and behaves like a laminate, because it is both: a kraft outer layer bonded…
03See the build →Lay Flat Pouches
Custom lay flat pouches
04See the build →Stand Up Pouches
A stand-up pouch is a flat bag with a folded panel in the bottom that opens into an oval base when the…
Side by side
Which pouches style fits
| Style | Board | Build | Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chub Packaging | Co-extruded PE with nylon or EVOH barrier; 50–120 micron by weight; freezer grade | Printed flat tube on reel; pre-cut and clipped tubes for hand filling | 100 chubs | Open → |
| Kraft Stand Up Pouches | Chosen per job | See the page | 100 pouches | Open → |
| Lay Flat Pouches | Laminated barrier (PET/AL/PE, PET/PE); mono-material PE or PP; paper-faced | Three-side-seal, pillow, zip-top flat, tear-notch | 100 pouches | Open → |
| Stand Up Pouches | Chosen per job | Stand-up pouch with a bottom gusset | 100 pouches | Open → |
A pouch is sized by fill, not by dimensions
A pouch quoted as 130 × 210 mm does not hold a fixed volume, because the gusset opens as it fills and the pouch gets shorter as it gets fatter. The same pouch holds noticeably different amounts of coffee beans, ground coffee and protein powder.
Send us the product and the fill weight rather than a size. Density is what decides the pouch, and guessing from a size chart is how brands end up with pouches that are two-thirds empty on a shelf.
A stand-up pouch needs headspace above the fill to stand at all. Filled to the seal, it topples.
Shapes, and what each is good at
| Stand-up with bottom gusset | Shelf presence; the default retail pouch |
|---|---|
| Flat pouch | Cheapest per unit; single-serve and thin contents |
| Side gusset | Block shape, takes a valve neatly; the coffee standard |
| Quad seal | Four printable panels and the best shelf face, at the highest price |
| Spouted | Liquids and purees; the spout is a separate component with its own cost |
Fittings that earn their place
- Zipper. Worth it for anything used over weeks; wasted on a single serve.
- Tear notch. Costs almost nothing and is the difference between opening a pouch and attacking it.
- Degassing valve. Essential for freshly roasted coffee, and a hole in your barrier for anything else.
- Hang hole. Only if it will hang; it weakens the top seal area slightly.
The recyclability question, answered properly
A standard pouch is a laminate of two or three different films, which is what gives it a barrier and what makes it unrecyclable in a normal stream. Mono-material recyclable pouches exist, use one polymer throughout, and cost more with a slightly weaker barrier.
Neither is the right answer for everyone. What matters is not claiming the first while implying the second — we will quote both structures side by side so the decision is made with the trade-off visible.
Printing on film, which is not printing on board
Film prints digitally or by rotogravure. Digital has no tooling and is why a 100-pouch run exists at all; rotogravure needs a cylinder per color and beats it comfortably above a few thousand.
Matte finishes on film show fingerprints far more than on board, and white ink is a separate layer that has to be built into the artwork rather than assumed. The barrier and layer detail is set out in our barrier pouch notes.
Across the range
What every pouches job runs on
Boards
- Natural kraft
- White SBS
- E and B flute
- Wrapped grayboard
- Food-grade board
- Recycled content
Chosen from what goes in the box and how far it travels. Our notes on recyclable and compostable stocks say which claims each board can carry.
Finishes
- Matte
- Gloss
- Soft-touch
- Foil
- Emboss
- Spot UV
- Kraft
- Textured
Each one is a decision about light on a shelf — the specialty finishes range shows them on real boxes.
Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, fonts outlined
- 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area
- CMYK; a spot color where a match must hold
- Proof on the dieline before press
Files not set up that way are fine — see the guide to preparing print files.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Pouches
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a film 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 pouches? 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.
What size pouch do I need?
Send the product and the fill weight. Density decides it — the same size holds very different amounts of different products.
Are your pouches recyclable?
Standard laminates are not. Mono-material structures are, at a higher cost and slightly lower barrier. We quote both.
Do I need a valve?
Only for coffee roasted within the last few days. On anything else it is a deliberate hole in your barrier.
Why does my pouch fall over?
It is filled too close to the top seal. A stand-up pouch needs headspace to stand.
What is the minimum order?
100 pouches, any shape.
Digital or rotogravure?
Digital below a few thousand, because it needs no cylinders. Rotogravure above, with better solids.
What size pouch do I need?
Send the product and the fill weight. Density decides it — the same size holds very different amounts of different products.
Are your pouches recyclable?
Standard laminates are not. Mono-material structures are, at a higher cost and slightly lower barrier. We quote both.
Do I need a valve?
Only for coffee roasted within the last few days. On anything else it is a deliberate hole in your barrier.
Why does my pouch fall over?
It is filled too close to the top seal. A stand-up pouch needs headspace to stand.
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