Direct answer
What a supplier needs before they can quote a poly bag
The useful request is a spec, not a category name. Custom printed poly bags means the size and the artwork are made for your product, not pulled from a stock bag. Say what you pack, how the bag is opened and filled, and whether this is a new item or a bag you already run.
If a field is unknown, write unknown. A guess at the resin or the gauge makes two quotes look comparable when they are not. An unused bag, a photo with dimensions marked, or the current specification is better than a guessed film.
- Product, fill weight or count, and whether it is food
- Bag style and how it is loaded
- Film and gauge, or a sample and the word unknown
- Finished size, including what the length includes
- Seal, lip, closure, and easy-open if you need it
- Artwork or a color count, plus order quantity and reorder rhythm
Film choice: LDPE, LLDPE, co-ex, or a laminate
LDPE, low density polyethylene, is the soft, flexible film buyers often mean by a poly bag. LLDPE, linear low density polyethylene, is in the same family and is often blended with LDPE for toughness. A co-ex is more than one polyethylene layer extruded together. A laminate bonds the polyethylene to another web when the product needs a print surface, stiffness, or a barrier the single film does not provide.
None of those names is a finished spec. Send the resin you know, or send a sample and say the grade is unknown. If the bag is a laminate, name the layers or attach the structure. Do not invent a layer from the way the bag looks.
Gauge and thickness
Gauge is the thickness, and the unit has to travel with the number. Specs say mil, micron, or gauge, and those are not the same unit. A higher number is not automatically a stronger bag. The resin, the product weight, and how the bag is filled and handled all sit next to the thickness.
Copy the number and the unit from the current spec or bag. If you only know how the bag feels, say that and send a sample. Use a converter to translate units, and keep the original unit in the request.
Dimensions: width, gusset, and length
Finished width and finished length are the outside size of the bag. Say whether the length includes the lip, the header, or the seal. A flat bag, a side-gusset bag, and a bottom-gusset bag are not measured the same way. The product inside the bag is what sets the size: fill weight, how full the bag should look, and how it sits on a shelf or in a case.
A gusset is the folded panel that adds volume. Name side or bottom, and send the gusset size plus how you measured it. If the bag is flat, say flat. A drawing or a sample with the measurements marked prevents a quote built to the wrong legend.
Seal and closure
A bottom seal closes the bag across the bottom. A side weld seals the sides and often leaves the bottom as a fold. A lip is extra film above the opening so a person or a machine can grab the bag. Tape, a resealable closure, a wicket, and easy-open are separate features. Name the one you buy today.
PCI can include easy-open. Any other closure has to be named on the spec so it can be confirmed before the quote is treated as final. Keep print out of the seal unless the construction has been approved for ink there.
Printing: colors, sides, and artwork
Count every ink, including white and any coating if the art uses them. Say whether the print is on one side or both, and whether it is surface print on the outside of the film or reverse print buried in a laminate. Coverage matters: a small mark and a full flood of ink are different jobs.
PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses, so one pass can carry up to ten inks. Send the artwork when you have it. If the file is not ready, a color count is enough to start, and the quote is confirmed when the artwork is approved. Standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval.
Quantities and order cadence
Order quantity is what you want made this time. Annual usage, or how often you reorder, is the size of the program. Send both, and label an estimate as an estimate. A single bag count with no reorder rhythm is a harder request to plan.
This page does not state a minimum. Send the quantity you have. The quote comes back after the spec is clear enough to judge the job.
The one-page spec to copy into your RFQ
Copy the rows below into the request. PCI describes its flexible packaging as made in the USA, in Middletown, NY. PCI is SQF certified and GMI certified. SQF is the food-safety certificate. GMI is the print-quality certificate. Ask for the current certificate when the bag holds food, and confirm the site on the certificate is the site that will run the job.
Request a quote
Have a spec, a sample, or a photo of the bag you run now? Send it. A partial spec is enough to start. Email follows the form, or call the number on the quote page.
| Field | What to write | Why it is on the request |
|---|---|---|
| Product | What you pack, and food or not | The film and the documents follow the product |
| Style | Flat, gusset, lip, tape, wicket, resealable, easy-open | The bag is built to how it is loaded |
| Film | LDPE, LLDPE, co-ex, laminate, or unknown plus a sample | A name without a sample is not a structure |
| Gauge | Number and unit | Mil, micron, and gauge are different units |
| Size | Width, length, gusset, and what length includes | The bag and the art are built to that size |
| Color count, side, coverage, file or not ready | Lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval | |
| Quantity | This order, and how often you reorder | The two numbers answer different questions |
Questions buyers ask
What gauge should I choose for a poly bag?
There is no single gauge. It depends on the product, the weight, and how the bag is filled and handled. Send the gauge you use today, with the unit, or send a sample.
Do I need artwork finalized before requesting a quote?
No. A color count and the bag size can start the request. The quote is confirmed when the artwork is approved. PCI's standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval.
What information does a converter need to quote a printed poly bag?
Product, bag style, film or a sample, gauge and unit, finished size, seal and closure, print, order quantity, reorder rhythm, and ship-to location.
What is the difference between a bottom seal and a side weld?
A bottom seal closes the bag across the bottom. A side weld seals the side edges, and the bottom is often a fold. Send the style you have, or a sample, rather than guessing from a photo.
How many colors can be printed on a poly bag?
PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses, so one pass can carry up to ten inks. Count every ink, including white. You do not have to use all ten.
See something that needs correcting? Tell Matt.