Custom Zip Lock Bags for Makers and Shops

Choosing Zip Lock Bags by Size

Measure the product, or the amount you want to sell per bag, and allow some room above it for the zip. As a rule, add around 20 mm to the width and 30 mm to the height. Small bags suit beads, fixings and samples; medium bags suit sweets, snacks and craft kits; large bags suit clothing accessories and bigger parts.

If you sell by weight, such as 100 g of sweets or 50 g of loose tea, fill a bag with that amount and check it closes easily before ordering in bulk.

For a range of products, two or three standard sizes usually cover everything and keep ordering simple.

Consider how the bags will be stored or sold. Bags kept in a drawer of small parts can be slightly larger than needed, so they are easy to open with one hand. Bags sold on a peg or in a tray look neater when they are snug, with the contents filling most of the bag and the zip sitting straight across the top.

Printing on Zip Lock Bags

Plain bags suit internal storage, but printing adds branding and information. A logo in one or two colours is the most common choice. Some brands print a product name, a description or care instructions, and others print a white panel so staff can add batch numbers by hand.

Keep artwork simple and leave clear areas so customers can see the product. A band of print across the top or bottom, below the zip, works well and leaves the rest of the bag transparent.

For food such as sweets or snacks, food-contact grade film is available on request, and ingredient or allergen information can be printed or added on a sticker.

For makers who sell at markets, a printed bag with a logo and a web address turns every small purchase into a reminder of where to buy again. Customers who find a bag of beads or seeds months later in a drawer can see straight away who made them. The band-of-print approach is the same one used across our printed bags and pouches range.

Who Uses Zip Lock Bags

Craft sellers use them for beads, buttons, threads and findings. Hardware shops and engineering firms use them for screws, bolts and small parts. Sweet shops and snack makers use them for pick-and-mix and bagged treats. Seed sellers and gardeners use them for seeds and bulbs. Tea and spice merchants use them for samples.

Jewellers use small bags to keep chains and earrings from tangling. Collectors use them for coins, stamps and trading cards, and repair shops use them to keep a customer's parts together.

Schools, clubs and offices use them for kits and spare parts, and pharmacies and clinics use them for small items handed to patients.

Furniture makers and flat-pack brands use zip lock bags to hold the fixings for each product, often with a printed parts list, so customers can check everything is there before assembly begins. Tea and spice merchants who want a flat bag with a foil barrier choose flat mylar bags for small weights in the same sizes.

Storage and Handling Tips

Store bags flat in their packs, away from heat and direct sunlight, which can make film brittle and the zip stiff. Keep sizes in labelled boxes so the right bag is always to hand.

When filling, run a finger along the zip to make sure it is fully closed. A bag that looks closed but is open at one end can spill. For products sold by weight, fill on a scale and close the bag immediately.

For peg display, choose bags with a hang hole above the zip so the bag hangs straight and the contents sit at the bottom.

Sharp items are best placed points down or wrapped in a twist of paper before bagging, which protects the film and the customer's fingers when the bag is opened. The free proof drawn on the bag outline shows exactly where the print band sits relative to the zip.

Fill One Bag With the Real Product Before You Set the Size

Zip lock bags are sized from the fill, so take a handful of the actual product, a 100 g scoop of sweets, 50 beads, a set of fixings, and drop it into a sample bag or a paper sleeve folded to a candidate size. Check that the zip closes with 20 mm of clear film above the contents and that the bag still lies flat enough to label. Pick the film thickness by the sharpest item that goes in, not the average one, and ask for a hang hole only if the bags will be pegged. If the product is food and needs a barrier against light or air, a foil-lined mylar bag with a zip does that job better than clear film.

Artwork is a one or two colour logo in a band below the zip; send it as a vector file. Email the size, film, thickness, print and quantity and a custom quote comes back within one working day, followed by a free design proof. Printed bags are made in 4 to 7 working days once approved and delivered free and tracked on the UK mainland in 2 to 3 days. A pack that arrives misprinted is reprinted or refunded when reported within 10 days.