Custom Takeaway Bag Boxes

Sizing Custom Takeaway Bag Boxes

Start with your most common order. Measure the containers or boxes it uses, laid out side by side, and add a little space on each side so they slide in easily. The height should be enough for two layers of containers if you often stack them, or just one layer plus drinks if you put drinks in the bag.

Most takeaways use two or three sizes: a small one for single meals, a medium one for two to three meals and a large one for family orders. Bakeries may want a wide, shallow bag for cake boxes and a taller one for loaves and baguettes.

If you also use cup carriers, check the bag is tall enough to hold a carrier with lidded cups upright.

Do a quick audit before you order. For a week, note which bag your staff reach for on each order and how often a second bag is needed. That shows if your sizes match your orders, and often reveals that one slightly larger size would replace two smaller bags on bigger orders, saving money and time.

Remember that bags arrive flat but need space once opened. Keep a stack of each size within reach of the pass, opened and standing, before a busy service starts. The method for measuring a product for its box applies to a bag base in the same way: measure the contents, not the old bag.

Board, Paper and Grease Resistance

Bag boxes are made from kraft or white paper and card. Heavier paper with a card base suits most takeaway use. Folding board hybrids are stiffer and better for heavier orders or when the bag needs to stay square during delivery.

A grease-resistant coating on the inside helps when fried food, pastries or oily dishes go straight into the bag, or when containers leak a little. Food-contact grade board is available on request if food goes into the bag without a container, such as bread rolls or pastries.

For hot food, vent holes in the side panels let steam escape so the bag does not go soggy before it arrives.

Ask for a plain sample bag and pack a real order into it before you commit. Carry it to the car, leave it on the seat for ten minutes and check the base. The board grades here are the same used across our takeaway food packaging range, so a bag and a burger box can match in weight and finish.

Printing on Takeaway Bags

The bag is the first thing a customer sees when their order arrives, and it often sits on a kitchen counter or office desk while they eat. A bold logo on the front and back, your website or social handle on the side and a short line on the fold-over top make sure your name is remembered for the next order.

Kraft with a single dark colour looks natural and suits delis and bakeries. White board with full colour works for brands with bright identities. Some takeaways print their menu or a QR code to their ordering page on the side panel, turning the bag into an advert for the next meal.

Keep the design bold and simple. Bags are seen at a glance from across a room or on a doorstep, so a large logo in one strong colour works better than small detailed artwork. If you have a well-known dish, a line about it on the side of the bag is a friendly reminder for the next order. Burger bars that already run a printed burger box in matching board usually repeat the same logo size on the bag so the two read as one set.

Sealing and Tamper Evidence

Delivery customers like to know their food has not been opened on the way. A printed sticker across the fold-over top seals the bag and shows any tampering. Some bag boxes have a built-in tab that locks the top closed and tears when the bag is opened.

Stickers can also carry the order number or the customer's name, which helps drivers and staff match orders at a busy collection point.

For catering orders delivered to offices, a sticker with the client name and delivery time on the top of each bag makes it easy for reception staff to pass the right order to the right meeting room. Sticker artwork can be proofed on the same free design proof as the bag itself, so the two are approved together.

Pack Your Busiest Order Before You Choose a Base Size

A bag box is sized from the base up, so the first thing to settle is the footprint of your most common order laid out flat: two curry tubs side by side, a pizza box with a dip pot, a sandwich platter and a drink. Measure that layout, add 10 mm each way, and that is the base. Height follows from the tallest container with the fold-over top closed, and if drinks go in with a four-cup carrier that stands upright, the carrier sets the height instead. Pick the paper bag with a card base for everyday orders and the folding board bag box where family orders get heavy.

Send the base, height, board and print colours by email with a rough weekly count and a custom quote comes back within one working day, followed by a free design proof that shows the front, back and gusset panels flat. Bags are made in 4 to 7 working days after you approve it and reach any UK mainland address free and tracked in 2 to 3 more. Minimums are quoted per job, so a single-site deli can start with one size, and a bundle that arrives torn or misprinted is reprinted or refunded when reported within 10 days.