Flexible film pouches

A pouch made from printed laminated film, with two side seals and a W-folded bottom gusset that opens into an oval base, so the filled pouch stands on the shelf. It can be closed by heat sealing alone or reclosed with a press-to-close or slider zip, and options include tear notches or laser-scored easy-tear lines, hang holes, a clear window, matte-and-gloss finishes, rounded corners, a kraft-paper outer ply and a one-way degassing valve. Used for pet food and treats, rice, grains and pulses, roasted coffee, nuts and snacks, seeds, powders, liquid refill packs and frozen foods.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

Box-shaped pouch built from a face web plus two separate gusset webs, sealed with eight seals (4 forming the flat base in a '井' pattern, 2 on each side gusset). Gives a genuinely rigid square base, 5 printable panels (front, back, 2 sides, bottom) and the highest fill-weight-to-footprint ratio of any pouch. Requires a dedicated eight-side-seal bag maker — a different, more expensive machine than a stand-up pouch maker.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert · valve-insert

A film bag formed as a tube with one lengthwise back seal (fin or lap), two side gussets folded inward, and straight top and bottom seals — the classic coffee bag shape. It can be closed with a tin-tie, a zip under the top seal or heat sealing, fitted with a one-way degassing valve, or given a block or flat bottom so it stands. Used for roasted coffee beans and ground coffee, loose-leaf tea, pet treats and freeze-dried pet food, snacks, charcoal and BBQ pellets, and seed and powdered agricultural inputs.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · valve-insert · zipper-insert

Any of the above pouch formats fitted with a one-way silicone-oil valve that lets roast CO2 escape without admitting oxygen. Listed separately because it needs a valve applicator station (inline on the bag maker or an offline valve welder) and a leak/pressure test protocol — a distinct capability line item, not a printing variant.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · valve-insert

The simplest film pack: a tube with one lengthwise back seal and a seal across each end, with no gussets. The back seal is either a fin seal, which is stronger, or a lap seal, which is flatter and uses less film; the pack is supplied as pre-made bags or, more often, as printed roll stock that the customer's vertical form-fill-seal machine forms, fills and seals. Used for instant noodles, biscuits and crackers, confectionery, chocolate bars and puffed snacks, sugar, salt and seasoning packs, single-dose detergent, bread, and small seed and fertiliser trial packs.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A flat pouch sealed on three sides, made from one folded web or two webs; the fourth side is the fold or the edge sealed after filling. It has no gusset and does not stand, and options include tear notches or laser-scored easy tear, hang holes, zips, rounded corners, a foil front with a clear back, and double-chamber sachets that keep two components apart until use. Used for condiment and sauce sachets, seed packets, sheet-mask pouches, shampoo and skincare samples, drip-bag coffee, desiccants and oxygen absorbers, medical wipes, and pharmaceutical granules and powders.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

Two separate webs sealed on all four edges. Unlike the three-side-seal there is no fold, so front and back can be entirely different materials or artworks (e.g. printed foil face + clear back). Fully hermetic and dimensionally stable; used where seal integrity matters more than shelf presence.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A very narrow back-seal tube, typically 3-8× longer than wide, run on multi-lane stick machines. Physically a back-seal pillow but commercially and mechanically its own product: it needs narrow-web slitting to tight tolerance and it is bought by a different set of fillers.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A stand-up, shaped or flat pouch with an injection-moulded fitment (spout + cap) welded into a seal — top-centre, corner, or side. Converts a bag into a dispensing package. Needs a spout welding station and 100% leak testing; the fitment is a bought-in part.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A laminate engineered to survive autoclave sterilisation at 121 °C for 30-40 min (standard retort) or 135 °C for 15-20 min (high retort) under counter-pressure. Distinguished from ordinary pouches by the adhesive (two-component retort-grade PU, not standard PU), the sealant (RCPP/retort cast PP, not PE), and validated seal strength after cook. Physically can be flat three-side-seal, stand-up or spouted.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A pouch with a pressure-release feature — an engineered weak seal, a laser-scored vent, or an applied steam valve — that opens at a defined internal pressure so the pack self-vents during microwaving instead of bursting. Enables steam-in-bag cooking.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · valve-insert

A flexible barrier bladder with a welded tap or fitment that sits inside a corrugated outer case. Made from two or four plies of metallised or EVOH film, sealed on a bag maker with a fitment welder. Physically the same asset base as a spouted pouch but at much larger volumes and with an aseptic-grade option.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A high-puncture-resistance pouch built on a biaxially-oriented nylon (BOPA/PA) layer with a thick PE sealant, made for chamber or external vacuum sealing. Distinguished from ordinary pouches by the nylon layer (puncture and flex-crack resistance under vacuum) and by a heavier sealant to seal through product residue.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A cross-linked, oriented multilayer barrier bag (PA/EVOH/PE or PVDC-based) that shrinks 15-25% when dipped in 85-92 °C water after vacuum sealing, wrapping tight to irregular product shapes. Different from a nylon vacuum pouch: it is a co-extruded oriented film, not a dry-laminate, and the shrink step is part of the packing process.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A pouch containing a genuine rolled aluminium foil ply (7-12 µm), giving essentially zero light transmission and near-zero oxygen and moisture transmission. The reference standard for maximum barrier. Distinguished from metallised (vacuum-deposited) film, which has a barrier two to three orders of magnitude worse.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

A pouch whose barrier comes from a vacuum-deposited aluminium layer (~30-50 nm) on PET or CPP rather than rolled foil. Roughly 90% of the shelf appeal of foil at 40-60% of the cost, with barrier good enough for 6-12 month shelf life. The commercial default for most Chinese food pouches.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

A foil or metallised laminate with a controlled surface resistivity, built for electronics: it blocks moisture (MBB) and, in the shielding grade, forms a Faraday cage around the contents. Sold with desiccant sachets and a humidity indicator card as a system.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

A stand-up or flat pouch fitted with a certified child-resistant closure — a press-and-slide slider, a two-hand-action zipper, or a peel-and-reclose CR label. The closure is a certified component and the finished pouch must be third-party tested; this is a compliance product, not a design variant.

Typical Certified to 16 CFR 1700.20 (US Poison Prevention Packaging Act) or ISO 8317 / EN 862; senior-friendly criteria also apply. Slider CR zippers add 4-8 mm to the header. Common sizes 90 × 150 mm to 200 × 300 mm; fill 1 g - 500 g. Structures: PET/VMPET/PE, MATT-PET/VMPET/PE, opaque white for light block. Requires a defined tear-notch above the CR zipper so the pouch cannot be opened around the closure.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

A flat or gusseted pouch with a die-cut dispensing aperture covered by an applied injection-moulded flip lid or a resealable label. Needs a lid applicator (or label applicator) station plus die-cutting registered to the print — a distinct converting capability.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

Any of the pouch formats above built with a kraft-paper outer ply instead of a plastic film outer, laminated to a barrier and sealant. Bought for its natural, recyclable look. Prints by flexo or gravure but with a different ink and drying setup than film.

Processes roto-print · flexo-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert · valve-insert

A pouch built with a low-temperature-impact-resistant sealant (mLLDPE or a nylon layer) that stays flexible and seal-intact at −18 to −40 °C, and that seals reliably through frost and product dust. Distinct from an ordinary pouch by the sealant grade and by contamination-tolerant seal design.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

A pouch where every ply is polyethylene — typically machine-direction-oriented PE (MDO-PE) as the printable outer, laminated to a PE sealant, so the whole pack is ≥90% PE by weight and passes store-drop-off / CEFLEX recycling protocols. Requires a narrower process window than PET/PE because the outer and sealant are the same polymer family.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert

The polypropylene equivalent of the mono-PE pouch: BOPP outer laminated to a CPP sealant, everything in the PP stream. Higher heat resistance than mono-PE, so it takes hot-fill and even retort with the right grades, and it runs on existing bag makers with far less fuss. For a woven-sack plant this is the most natural sustainable structure because PP is already the house polymer.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert · valve-insert

A pouch built entirely from certified compostable substrates — cellulose film, PLA, PBAT, paper — so the whole pack disintegrates in industrial (or, for some certifications, home) composting. Requires compostable adhesives and inks as well as compostable films; a conventional PU adhesive voids the certification.

Typical Structures: cellulose (NatureFlex-type) / PLA, kraft / PLA, PLA / PBAT, metallised-cellulose / PLA for barrier. Total 90-160 µm. Certifications: EN 13432, ASTM D6400, BPI (US), TÜV OK Compost INDUSTRIAL / HOME, GB/T 38082 and GB/T 19277 (China), AS 4736 (Australia). Disintegration ≥90% in 12 weeks, biodegradation ≥90% in 180 days at 58 °C. Barrier is the limitation: OTR typically 10-100 cc/m²·day, WVTR 5-20 g — real shelf life 3-9 months, not 18.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert · valve-insert

A pouch whose outline is cut to a non-rectangular contour by a rotary die on the bag maker — bottle shapes, character shapes, integral handles, curved shoulders. Distinct product because it needs a custom rotary die per shape plus a matched seal profile, and reject rates run higher.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal

A large-format pouch (usually eight-side-seal or stand-up) with an applied or die-cut carrying handle rated to the filled weight. The handle attachment — welded plastic handle, riveted rope handle, reinforced punch hole, or side-gusset carry slot — is a separate machine station and a load-rated element.

Processes roto-print · lamination · heat-seal · zipper-insert · webbing-attach

Printed and laminated film supplied as slit rolls rather than made-up bags, for customers who form, fill and seal on their own vertical or horizontal form-fill-seal machines. Commercially the highest-value use of a gravure press and laminator because it skips bag making entirely — press hours convert straight to shipped tonnes.

Processes roto-print · lamination

A matched pair of films for thermoform-fill-seal (TFFS) machines: a thick formable bottom web that is heated and drawn into a cavity, plus a thinner top web that seals over it. A distinct roll-stock product because the bottom web must have controlled draw ratio and thickness distribution, not just barrier.

Processes roto-print · lamination

Printed film supplied as roll stock or as pre-die-cut lids, heat-sealed onto rigid cups, trays and tubs. Its defining property is a controlled peel force at the seal interface — engineered to open cleanly by hand without tearing and without leaving fibre.

Processes roto-print · lamination · coating

Narrow printed film for candy wrapping — either twist film with high dead-fold (it holds a twist without springing back) or flow-wrap film for pillow-wrapped confectionery. Dead-fold is the defining, non-obvious property and it rules out most standard films.

Processes roto-print · lamination · coating

A printed film tube slipped over a container and shrunk with steam or hot air to conform to its contours, giving 360° decoration including compound curves. Reverse-printed by rotogravure on the inside of the film (so the print is protected by the film itself), then solvent-seamed into a lay-flat tube, slit and rewound. A pure gravure-press product with a seaming machine bolted on — the natural label entry point for a converter that already owns a roto press.

Processes roto-print

A narrow shrink tube applied over a closure and neck, shrunk to lock the cap and show tampering. Made on the same gravure + seaming line as a shrink sleeve but slit to a narrow width and perforated for opening — sold to a different buyer (usually the filler, not the brand's design team) and often plain rather than printed.

Processes roto-print

A pre-printed, die-cut polypropylene label that a robot places into an injection or blow mould before the shot; the molten resin fuses it into the container wall so label and container become one PP part. A print-and-die-cut product with no adhesive and no application step at the brand — sold to the moulder, not the brand owner.

Processes roto-print · flexo-print

Printed face stock coated with adhesive on a release liner, die-cut into labels and rewound. Included in this family because it is printed and die-cut on the same gravure or flexo line, sold to the same buyers, and is the default label format a converter is asked for alongside pouches and sleeves.

Processes roto-print · flexo-print · screen-print · coating

Two closely-related non-adhesive label formats. Wrap-around: a printed OPP or PET film cut from a reel, wrapped around a cylindrical container and closed with two hot-melt glue lines (leading edge tacked, trailing edge lapped). Stretch sleeve: a thick LDPE tube stretched open, dropped over the container and released so it grips by elastic recovery — no heat, no glue, no shrink tunnel.

Processes roto-print · flexo-print

A co-extruded polyethylene envelope with a permanent hot-melt self-seal strip, used as the outer shipping pack for e-commerce parcels. Printed flexo (or gravure for brand work), made on a bag machine with an adhesive-tape applicator. Made in enormous volume in China and a natural high-tonnage sideline for a plant with print and bag-making capacity.

Processes flexo-print · roto-print · heat-seal · coating

The same envelope format built from certified compostable resin (PBAT + PLA + starch blends) rather than PE. A distinct product because the resin runs differently on the blown-film line and the bag machine (lower melt strength, lower seal temperature, shorter shelf life) and because the sale is entirely driven by certification.

Typical Resin: PBAT/PLA blend, typically 60-80% PBAT with 15-30% PLA and optional starch. Thickness 60-100 µm (thicker than PE for the same strength — PBAT is weaker). Certifications: EN 13432, ASTM D6400, GB/T 38082 (China's express-mailer-specific degradable standard), TÜV OK Compost, BPI. Disintegration ≥90% in 12 weeks; biodegradation ≥90% in 180 days. Shelf life 12-18 months in dry storage — the film degrades on the shelf, which must be stated. Tensile ~15-20 MPa, noticeably lower than PE.

Processes flexo-print · heat-seal · coating

A cushioned shipping envelope: an air-bubble film inner laminated to an outer web (pearlised CPE film, kraft paper, or aluminised film), converted on a bag machine with a self-seal adhesive strip. The bubble film itself is co-extruded and formed on a bubble-forming line; the converter typically buys bubble film and laminates + converts.

Processes flexo-print · lamination · heat-seal · coating

A co-extruded nylon/PE film with integral one-way air valves formed by a pattern-printed heat-seal-resist, so a row of independent air columns can be inflated at the packing station and each column seals itself. Included here because the valve pattern is applied by gravure printing of a heat-resist ink — literally a gravure press job — and it is converted on heat-seal equipment.

Processes roto-print · heat-seal

A clear, high-gloss BOPP or OPP bag with a lip carrying a self-adhesive strip, used to bag apparel, printed matter and retail goods. Enormous volume in China. Made from a single-ply film on a bag machine with a tape applicator; printed flexo or gravure with brand marks and mandatory suffocation warnings.

Processes flexo-print · roto-print · heat-seal · coating

A small PE pouch with a pressure-sensitive adhesive back and a peelable or slit opening, stuck to the outside of a carton or pallet to carry the packing list, invoice or waybill. Printed 'PACKING LIST ENCLOSED' or 'DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED' by flexo. Simple, high-volume, and sold to the same logistics buyers as poly mailers.

Processes flexo-print · heat-seal · coating