Learning Kraft Paper Bag Constructions and Styles From 4 Aspects

In this article, we are going to learn about every paper bag construction. It may be helpful to your business or save much unnecessary cost.

Why Study Paper Bag Construction

Whatever groceries, stores, or restaurants, paper bags are necessary for packaging items for customers. That means they are one crucial part of your business; it matters to the operating cost and the user experience. In the previous article, we’ve talked about paper bag materials and printing technologies. And the construction of the paper bag also influences a lot.

Satisfy the Needs

The function of paper bags is for packaging goods. But the goods come in different weights; if the weights exceed the load ability, the bags will break, and the goods will scatter the ground. That will leave a bad impression on your customers.

Different constructions greatly influence the load capacity of paper bags, even though they look simple. For kraft paper shopping bags, the bottom and the handles are easy to tear by overload. Thus, you need to be clear about the maximum weight of the product you sell, then purchase the packaging bags with the proper size and load capacity.

Save Cost Much As You Can

Of course, every time you choose the most solid kraft paper bags, then you will never meet the tearing problem. But they will lead to a high cost. If your business is big, that will be a petty much cost. The kraft paper in the same specification can get better load capacity by different constructions. On the contrary, an unreasonable design may need more paper to make a bag with the same load capacity. In this case, not only the purchase expenses but also the transport and storage costs will increase.

Realize Creativities

An experienced merchant will order specially customized packaging bags for the products when running a promotion. Under a clear demand for the load capacity and budget, a customized kraft paper bag will leave a deep impression on your customers. Such as some creative bags will show different patterns in open and folded states. And these effects need to take construction as a factor when designing the bags.

We will now learn the paper bags construction from the opening, bottom, wall, and handles and have simple cognize their different styles.

Top Styles

Serrated Edge

Such as the brown paper bags used by the groceries and bakeries; their top openings are usually serrated style. This is because, during the paper bag production, a serrated blade got a higher efficiency and more durability. For customers, there are 3 advantages: 

1. easier to prepare;
2. looks not monotonous anymore;
3. not easy to cut the fingers;

Due to this bag type typically without handles, the sales clerk will fold the opening most of the time, making it easier to carry and seal.

Folded Edge

The folded edge is often seen on the white and black cardboard shopping bags. Because the bags’ walls are thicker and are typically cut straight and very keen. For preventing finger-cut, the edge will take a folded design. And there’s one more advantage that can fix the handles’ knots, making them not easy to fall.

Resealable Opening

For the processed food, like coffee beans, teas, hers, they usually use paper bags for packaging too. The difference is, most of these bags have a water and grease proofing film liner, and a plastic zipper on the top for sealing. Every time you take the items out, you can reseal the bag easily.

Tin Tie Opening

The Tin Tie design opening is also for sealing. Unlike a zipper, Tin Tie uses a widget with metal wire to fix the opening after the fold. Compare with the resealable paper bag, the airtightness of Tin Tie bags is poorer. It is typically used in bakeries for packaging bread because they don’t need long time storage.

Bottom Style

The bottom of the kraft paper bag is essential to its load capacity. Typical bottom constructions are:

Flat Bottom

A well-known flat bottom paper bag is the SOS bag(Self-Opening Sack.) Charles Stilwell invented this design in 1883. The flat bottom can help the paper bag keeps open and stand up without manual intervention. And most paper shopping bags with handles also have flat bottoms, so the goods can be stored more steady.

A square flat bottom increases the bag’s storage space. Under a carried state, the weight focuses on the bottom. A larger area of thrust surface can disperse it and improve the tear-resistance performance. And due to the kraft bag is made from a single piece of paper, so the bottom is usually closed in 2 ways:

1. Like the often-seen SOS bag, its bottom is closed in a folded way, then fix by dispensing. Typically, they have no handles, so you must hold them with arms; that disperse the weight. But once you fold their opening and carry it as handles, the bottom may tear because it can’t suffer the weight, especially when you got a scare jump.
2. The paper shopping bag needs to consider that there may be a higher weight during use, and it gets handles, so the weight will focus on the bottom. So, its base also closed in a snapped way and fix by dispensing. The shatter case is hard to see.

Pinch Bottom

The pinch bottom paper bags are typically for food packaging; most pharmacy bags and air sickness bags are pinch bottom styles too. They are thinner and smaller, suitable for holding by one hand, and no need to stand up. And the opening of the pinch bottom kraft paper bag is usually dropped structure and easy to prepare. Most of the time, they are used in packing hot dogs, fried chips, pancakes, etc.

U-shaped Bottom

The often-seen paper teas and herbs packaging bags are U-shaped bottom designs, and most will have a resealable zipper. It combines the advantages of flat and pinch bottoms; it can stand up without help and is easy to prepare and resealing.

Wall

Single Layer

The daily use, no matter for food packaging or shopping paper bags, most are made from a single piece of paper. Some for food ones are with a food-grade PP film-coated.

Multiwall

The multiwall paper bag is also called an industrial sack, usually used in packaging fodder, chemical fertilizer, dry powder, and cement. Due to the load capacity being relatively high, they are typically made from multiple pieces of paper to enhance performance.

Handle Styles

Twisted Rope Handles

Twisted rope handles are the standard accessories of paper shopping bags, they are made from twisted paper or nylon. There are 3 ways to connect the twisted rope handles to the bag’s body:

1. gluing on the top directly, and use an extra piece of paper for fixing;
2. slotting holes on the top and fixing by the handles’ knots;
3. combine 1 and 2;

Die-cut Handles

Die-cut handles refer to the big hole cut directly on the top and taken as handles. Some types also will be enhanced by pasted a PVC sheet, making it more comfortable on carrying.

Others

The others handle styles are primary as the same as twisted rope. The difference is the materials, such as silk ribbon handles, and non-twisted strip-type paper handles, etc.