Custom Die-Cut Mylar Bags

Choosing Films and Finishes

The film you choose changes how the bag looks and how well it protects the contents. Metallised film gives a good barrier and a bright silver sheen behind white ink, which makes colours look vivid. A clear front and metallised back lets shoppers see the product through a window while still blocking light from the rear. A full foil laminate gives the strongest barrier for products that must stay crisp or dry for a long time.

On the outside, gloss lamination makes bright artwork look punchy and fun, which suits sweets and children's snacks. Matt lamination feels softer and more grown-up and works well for premium jerky, nuts or speciality teas. You can combine the two with a spot gloss over the character's eyes or the brand name, so those details shine against a matt background. Our film finishes compared guide shows the same character in matt and gloss.

Designing Artwork for a Shaped Pack

Artwork for a die-cut bag starts with the outline. We send you a template showing the cut line, the seal area around the edge, the position of the zip and any hang hole. Keep text and logos inside the safe zone so nothing is lost in the seal or trimmed off at the cut. Bold shapes and large areas of colour tend to read better than fine detail, because the outline already carries much of the message.

Remember the back of the bag too. That is the place for ingredients, allergens, nutritional information, net weight and your barcode. On a narrow shape, the back panel may be smaller than you expect, so check early that the legal information fits at a readable size. If it is tight, a slightly larger outline or a small sticker can solve it. If the product itself is the selling point, see our window mylar bags for a clear panel.

Sizing and Fill Weight

Shaped bags hold less than a rectangular bag of the same overall size, because the outline cuts away corners and the seal area is wider. The easiest way to check fill is to tell us your product and target weight, and we will suggest an outline size that gives enough room without leaving the contents loose. For light, bulky snacks such as puffs or popcorn, a gusseted base adds a lot of volume without making the shape larger.

If you are filling by hand, leave space above the product for the zip and the top heat seal, roughly 30 to 40 mm on most shapes. If you fill on a machine, send us its specification so the bag opening suits the filling head.

It is worth making a few filled samples before a large run. Pour your product into a plain bag of the proposed size, seal it and leave it on a shelf for a day or two. You will see quickly whether the shape still reads clearly once filled, because soft outlines such as animal ears can bulge and lose definition when packed tight. If the product settles and leaves a large empty space at the top, a slightly smaller outline will look fuller and cost less per bag. These small checks save a great deal of frustration once thousands of bags are printed. Standard rectangles for the same fill weights are on our flat mylar bags in standard sizes page.

Draw the Shape Around the Fill, Not the Other Way Round

Shaped pouches fail when the outline is drawn first and the product is squeezed in afterwards. Start with the fill: weigh the portion, pour it into a plain pouch and measure the area it occupies when the pouch lies flat. The shape must enclose that area with a 15 mm seal margin all round, so a strawberry outline for 50 g of sweets is a different size from one for 150 g. Then sketch the outline, or send a vector file, and tell us where the zip or the tear notch should sit; both need a straight edge. Choose the film by the look, matt for a soft character, gloss for a bright one, and the finish for the back, where the ingredients and barcode live. The free proof shows the artwork with the cut line marked. A custom quote comes by email within one working day, minimums are quoted per job, and bags are made in 4 to 7 working days after approval with free tracked delivery across the UK mainland. Bakers who want a simpler shape use our cookie mylar bags for bakers.