Help Center

Sure! You should, especially if it is your first time printing your custom pouches and you want to see a sample before we print the whole run.

We don't consider sending samples of pouch materials as trying before you buy, since the main visual and functional concerns will always be based not just on quality of materials, but also on form and function.

Those are our favorites! We love creating new packaging pouch concepts and can certainly help. The more bespoke the pouch is, usually the fit is also a lot better.

Send us a message detailing what you want to create and we'll do a consultation with our press and Production team, free of charge.

When we refer to a "project" in our conversations with you, we are talking about configurations or specifications of your custom pouches per order or per transaction. We can also say, "custom pouch order" instead of "project."

Your choices matter, and making sure you are 100% sure about your order is the most important commitment that we want to secure. 

All orders always have soft proofs attached. Soft proofs are digital files. These are electronic .PDF files viewed on your monitor to check for layout, spelling, and grammar issues. Our Prepress designers will include a Prepress report to help you understand what changes were made to your file and why. This is always free of charge.

If you need an actual sample print, we can provide what is called a "hard proof." A hard proof is a physical print of your bag utilizing the same inks, printing process, and material or film stock that will be used to make your pouch. This is meant to show you actual quality and thickness. 

Hardproofs can be paid with the order, or separately if you need to double check before ordering the total quantity of your custom pouches. 

Please send us a message if this is your first time to print your pouch or bag artwork and need help sorting specifications and build. We consult for free and want you to be totally sure before ordering.

The MOQ (minimum order quantity) varies by bag style and size:
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No. We do our best to be very transparent with pricing. When you pay for your order using the invoice link from our service team, you can be rest assured that what you're seeing is the final price without any hidden fees.

The total cost at checkout is the only amount you need to pay. With Pouch ME, you get the full deluxe Prepress service for free. Shipping throughout the USA is also free, unless you expressly request for expedited shipping. 

We're an online print packaging company specializing in creating custom pouches and custom bag packaging. Our most utilized types of printing are Rotogravure/ Gravure, Digital. 

Gravure printing is the current Gold Standard for flexible packaging. This process works particularly well for film materials. We guarantee our presses product crisp photographic quality pouch prints, enabling much more sophisticated color nuances. Inks are more hardy against UV, and print in a beautifully eve, solid opaque layer. 

With digital printing, we are able to process your order fast, with lower minimums than standard print processes since no plates are required. There are no plate costs or setup expenses, and we can produce your order swiftly with lower miinimums than conventional print processes.

If you have your own pouch-making and sealing machine, it's often most convenient to use roll stock. As opposed to preformed pouches and bags, roll stock is simply laminated printed film that's wound on a core. 

Roll stock is what you use with FFS (Form, Fill, Seal) pouch- making machinery. This machine "forms" the package and then fills it with your product, and then seals your pouch closed. 

Printed roll stock can be used to forl handy single-serve packets, stick packs, flat pillow pouches, and sachets. 

Talk to us if you are using your own equipment or if you are going to be working with a co-packer and need more specific information. 

Tolerance values give you an idea of the allowable variation of any part of your packaging (size, shape, position) from a base point so it can function properly. Tolerances are denoted by standard deviations, or plus minus values. 

Everything manufactured in the market is prone to some imperfection, and all printing machines have an acceptable wiggle room for variance. While this doesn't sound great, tolerances follor industry standards and are accepted by manufacturers worldwide. 

With regard to packaging, having set industry tolerances allows for quick production and cost-effective pricing, since packaging typically doesn't need very tight tolerances to be able to funciton at its best in the market. 

A bag with a smaller boundary of deviation will obviously cost a lot more to produce. For example, if you don't need such a precise hang hole size, you will be paying a lot more for a pouch add-on that osn't even that important, since pegs for retail display can accomodate a large range (or large deviation) of hang hole sizes. 

What is important here is how strict the tolerances should be. 


SAMPLE TECHINCAL TOLERANCE: Specifically, for degassing valves, these have an allowable positioning tolerance of +/-  1/8 inches based on the artwork file. This means that when you receive your custom bag, you can be certain that the valve is positioned on the area as specified on your file, give or take an eighth of an inch. Because packaging isn't as technical as <cuts here, no end sentence>

Please contact us if you have specific technnical concerns about your custom pouch dimensions. 

For all our custom pouch and bag materials, we guarantee a shelf life of ____ years. 

We currently have a sister company, Inkable Label Co., who specializes in all kinds of custom labels and stickers. We are under the same roof, and work well together to fulfil many custom packaging projects that require more steps for customization. 

We pride ourselves in fulfilling custom pouch orders in just ____ days. 

Shipping time is the length of time a third-party courier (such as FedEx) takes to get your package to your doorstep, or whatever location is specified by you on your order details. 

The order date is different and needs production time (printing) to be added from the time you order and pay for your pouches. 

The moment you approve of your soft proof and give us the go signal for printing is the time production starts working on your artwork file. This covers production and quality control time.

The day your order is ready to ship is not the same as your package's ETA. 

For most pouch orders, our standard shipping time is _____. If you need more specific information, please talk to us. 

Contact us to check if we can ship to where you are, and if there are any special instructions and additional steps that you need to be aware of. 

Ground shipment is calculated depending on your order's weight and where it should go. 

There is an option for expedited shipment. The cost is determined by the order weight and destination. Each order's local taxes and tariffs are your responsibility. 

*Pouch ME is not liable for late deliveries caused by carriers (FedEx, UPS, etc.) failing to fulfill their delivery deadlines. 

Soft Proofs

These are included in your order and will be sent in .PDF format. Soft proofs are electronic "preview" files that show you the layout of all the art elements on your custom design, positioned on the areas of your pouch, as specified on your design file. This represents how your finished printed pouch will look like. 

These soft proofs are created by our Prepress designers who manually check each art element to see if there is anything that needs to be revised. Soft proofs are sent to you with a report that details if there were changes done to your file and why. 

*Soft proofs are digital files that cannot replace printer's proofs or hard proofs in that these cannot be your gauge for color accuracy.

Since viewing conditions are always different from monitor to monitor (ambient lighting, calibration of screens, and other factors), we recommend ordering a hard proof if you are intent on matching printed colors. 

Flat Proofs

These are printed on the same material that will be used to make your pouch to show you the material quality and thickness. Printing process, as well as inks used, will also be the same as the actual print run. As opposed to the formed proof, flat proofs haven't been constructed into a bag yet.

Flat proofs also specify the dielines of your pouch, as well as the location of added functional pouch features such as the degassing valve, the zipper, and spout.

*Note that 1 to 5 artwork files are free but any additional ones will be $10 each. 

Formed Proofs

These are the closest representation of your actual pouch based on your full specifications. These hard proofs are completely formed pouches, printed and assembled for you to check important in-use factors such as volumetric capacity and pouch add-on functionality, if applicable. 

*We offer you 5 fully printed and formed bags at only $400 for you to test.

Press-ready simply means "print ready." Press-ready artwork is equivalent to a pouch design file that is built to spec and doesn't need any further adjustments so it can be printed. 

If you are printing your custom pouches for the first time, please send us your file and custom pouch specifications so we can double-check that everything is set up correctly and is ready for printing. 

We work best with layered .PDF files, but also accept .AI, .TIFF, .EPS, and .PSD files. 

To make sure the file checking process is quick and revisions are easy to do, please make sure you:

We work best with layered .PDF files, but also accept .AI, .TIFF, .EPS, and .PSD files. 

To make sure the file checking process is quick and revisions are easy to do, please make sure you:

To make sure the entire area of your custom pouch or custom bag is printed correctly, any art elements that need to print from edge to edge need to "bleed" outward, beyond the trim line/where we cut to the final, finished size of your custom prints.

Adding a bleed makes sure we don't get unwanted unprinted areas or slivers at the peripheries of your custom pouches. A bleed guarantees that the entire surface that needs to have full printing, does. 

If you need help setting up the bleed for your custom pouch artwork, simply send us a message and attach your artwork, so we can help set it up correctly for you, free of charge. 

Low-resolution files create low-quality custom pouch prints. 

We want to make sure you are happy with all the choices you make with us, and one of the most crucial choices is to go with design files that will produce the best printed results.  To guarantee you receive crisp prints, your files must be at least 300dpi (native or original resolution, not resampled). Anything lower and we can already tell you it's going to print looking blurry or pixelated. 

If for any reason you still want to move forward using a low-resolution file, for an intended aesthetic or just because, let us know and we will print your file if that is what you really want. 

CMYK (Cyan - Magenta - Yellow - Key/Black) is the color language all traditional printers understand. These correspond to the four colored inks routinely used in the printing process, which is why we need your artwork files to be set up with the CMYK color profile. This is different from RGB (Red - Green - Blue) which is the color language that our digital screens use, and is not readable by our printing machines. To achieve the printed colors you are keen on reproducing, please make sure your files are already built using CMYK. If we receive RGB files, we can convert them to CMYK, but colors won't be as precise. 

Fonts are programmed font files that are built from codes. Since these are very specific, if our library doesn't have your fonts, we will not be able to access them. When opening a file that has missing fonts, we will only see an error message. This prevents us from being able to accomplish Prepress work and proofing your files. 

Creating outlines or outlining text (same as outlining fonts) transforms your text into easily identifiable shapes. Outlines are exactly that —they are bounding lines traced from the shapes of how your fonts appear. Converting text into outlines removes coded font information from your file. This means that the text can't be edited anymore, but it also guarantees that we are able to check and print your text exactly the way you want. 

Metallic effects open cost-effective design capabilities by maximizing the base foil film material of your pouches. Since the base mylar material of a pouch is naturally shiny silver, printing artwork on the silver material delivers an effect similar to using metallic ink.

If you need areas on your pouch to not have that metallic look, we print a layer of solid white ink underneath to cancel the metallic effect. 

Yes, we can. While press-ready artwork is the best type of file to receive, we know everybody can't get to that level right away. We're here to help! 

Simply send us your artwork at ________________. One of our certified Prepress designers will check your file for you and report any issues. If you need help with layout revisions, we can do these for you, free of charge. 

For logo design and other branding elements, we highly recommend that you partner with a strategic creative designer who specializes in print branding. Getting your brand set up and finalizing your brand color palette, fonts and imagery is an entirely different step. 

We can help you build out your design on a pouch template and can also recommend how to set up your design elements, but we do not currently accept design work from scratch. 

If you need help finalizing your design and layout, we can certainly help. Simply email us your draft/working file so we can check the status of your design. 

Dry Products:

For 1 ounce (30 grams) consider a 3 x 5 x 2 Stand Up Pouch

For 2 ounces (60 grams) consider a 4 x 6.5 x 2.25 Stand Up Pouch

For 4 ounces (140 grams) consider a 5 x 8 x 3 Stand Up Pouch

For 8 ounces (250 grams) consider a 6 x 9.5 x 3.25 Stand Up Pouch

For 12 ounces (375 grams) consider a 7 x 11 x 3.5 Stand Up Pouch

For 16 ounces (500 grams) consider a 8.5 x 11.5 x .3.5 Stand Up Pouch

For 5 pounds (2276 grams) consder a 9.25 x 14  x  4 Stand Up Pouch

Liquid/Wet Products:

For 3 ounces consider a 3 x 5 x 2 Stand Up Pouch

For 5 ounces consider a 4 x 6.5 x 2.25 Stand Up Pouch

For 16 ounces consider a 5 x 8 x 3 Stand Up Pouch

For 24 ounces consider a 6 x 9.5 x 3.25 Stand Up Pouch

For 32 ounces consider a 7 x 11 x 3.5 Stand Up Pouch

For 48 ounces consider a 8.5 x 11.5 x 3.5 Stand Up Pouch

For 144 ounces consider a 9.25 x 14 x 4 Stand Up Pouch

Solid products, liquid products, ground and whole products—these all behave differently inside a pouch. Some mold to the walls of your pouch, some products can be compressed, and some contents need a biggert allowance so the keep their best quality for the end consumer.

We know that every product is different and has different physical and chemical qualities. 
Because of this, we recommend you to do a free consultation with us so we can give you the best fit you deserve.

To start, you must be aware that when talking about listed pouch sizes, these are the outer dimensions of the finished pouch from edge-to-edge.

To know what pouch size is best for the amount of product you need to package, make a more accurate estimation for the best fit by looking at the "fillable" dimensions of the pouch. By looking at the inner dimensions, you can deduct the non-fillable areas such as where the zipper starts, and up to where the edges are heat sealed, and so on. 

Go to our main resource for bag sizing to get more helpful information before you decide on your final bag size. If you have a hrd time making sense of everything, we're always here to help. 

Stand-up pouches have a bottom gusset which makes them an excellent choice for bulkier items that need to stand up on a store shelf. These types of pouches can include a reclosable zipper and a hang hole to hang on a retailer's peg hook for better display. 

Flat bottom pouches, the custom bags that haveside gussets and sit with a flat bottom on the shelf, are great for bigger volumes and are the pouches that have the most shelf stability. 

Flat pouches or pillow pouches are exactly what they sound like: they lay flat and don't have a bottom gusset. They might be an excellent alternative for items that are small or thin. You can add functional details like a hang hold and a resealable zipper. These are great for smaller product portions, such as for sampling campaigns or for products that are intended to be used per single serve.

Sure, we can add clear windows on your pouches for you. Adding a see through part creates an interesting visual where your actual products can also be part of your pouch design and presentation. See-through windows can be added to stand up pouches and lay flat/flat pouches. 

If you want additional windows, make sure your design shows where the window should be correctly positioned. Make the shape and size of the window to scale on your current pouch or bag design. Choosing to add Gloss laminate develops extremely clear pouch windows; choosing Matte creates a frosted glass effect.

Creating custom pouches with see through pouch windows:

We take a clear pouch base material and print a layer of white ink on areas where we want the bag to be opaque and have solid printing. Once we've completed the white ink layer, we print your artwork on top of that white layer. Anything that hasn't been passed over with white ink and colored ink will create space for the clear window. 

The rate of oxygen and/or moisture allowed to enter through the material during a 24-hour period is referred to as the barrier. All of the materials used in our pouches are regarded as high barrier. 

OTR (oxygen transfer rate) ranges from .06 to .065 for high barrier materials. OTR (oxygen transfer rate ) of low barrier material is 645.20.

If you need help finalizing your custom pouch or custom bag  packaging material specifications, simply send us a message. 

Making sure you seal your pouches properly is one of the most important steps to keep your products secure. You'll want to use heat-sealing equipment to seal your pouches effectively. 

There are many different sorts of sealers, but an impulse sealer is one of the most common and affordable. You can get one from a variety of outlets, including Amazon.com and Uline.com.

Extensive testing is required to determine the shelf life of your product, which should be performed by a competent testing firm. At this time, Inkable Label Co. does not provide shelf-life testing.