Custom Printed Pouch Service – What Makes It So Special?

We think our service is pretty special, but rather than make bold claims, we want to explain why we think that, as well as share some more information on how to get the best possible results from our service. If you’ve not already seen our Printed Pouches page, just click here. 

For a long time, custom printed pouches were exclusively used by large brands who could order in huge quantities. This was mainly due to the analogue printing methods such as Rotogravure or Flexography, which require cylinders and/or plates to be made, creating extra costs and delays to make the tooling, meaning smaller quantities are much less economical. More recently, digital printing presses have become increasingly popular and are the chosen method for quantities of 10,000 or more. Although it’s still tricky to get custom printed pouches in quantities smaller than that, as both methods of traditional and digital printing have multiple steps needed to get the finished pouch after printing. Printing is done on a thin, tensioned and flat roll, which is then combined with the other layers of the pouch via the lamination process. The laminated roll is then slit and finally converted, where the flat material is folded and sealed into a pouch. It’s a slow and complicated multi-step process that’s still used today and can require a machinery investment of 6 figures or more.

Compared to the ‘conversion method’ mentioned above, our process is pretty simple. We’re taking our pre-converted blank stock pouches and digitally printing on top of them, this is why we can offer such a quick and flexible service of less than 5 days and 100pcs MOQ. Printing on top of something is sometimes referred to as over printing or surface printing. Surface printing a pre-made pouch is not as easy as a flat roll due to the multiple layers and thicknesses for features like the zipper, gusset and optional window. We keep the print away from those areas and use an edge border to ensure consistent print quality.