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Blog Articles for PrintIndustry.comI was curious recently as to how plastic and paper bags are printed, since they are everywhere you look. I assumed that the options would be flexography and screen printing, but since I wasn’t sure, I did some research. I found the answer interesting, so I wanted to share my findings with you.
Long Print Runs of Plastic Bags
For the most part, I found that plastic bags were printed in different ways depending on the size of the press run. One vendor put the cut-off at 3,000 copies. For the longer runs, the more economical technique involved a large web-press. A roll of plastic (composed of two sheets, one atop the other) is held in tension by the press as the plastic sheet travels through a number of inking units. Further research revealed that flexography, not offset lithography, was the appropriate commercial printing method.
Flexography is a process in which the raised image area of rubber printing plates deposits ink on the substrate. (This is unlike offset lithography, which uses flat, or planographic, plates.) The flexo plates are affixed to the press rollers with adhesive, and as the rollers turn and the plates strike the ribbon of sheet plastic traveling through the web press, the plates print the graphic designs on the plastic. This process allows for printing of a number of colors, but it does not allow for as tight register of the colors as does offset lithography.
Once the ribbon of sheet plastic has traveled through the press and has been rewound at the delivery end of the equipment, a post-printing step can be done in which the bags are cut off the single sheet of plastic (i.e., cut at the top and bottom) and fused with heat (at the top, bottom, and sides), creating a plastic bag.
Short Print Runs of Plastic Bags
I also found a video from Asia showing thicker plastic bags being placed one at a time in a platen press, a letterpress in which a round “platen” (pressure plate) comes down onto the bed of the equipment to press the inked plate (with raised image areas) against the plastic bags. In the video it was clear that the process was slow and manual, in direct contrast to the web flexo press. The video also showed that one color was being printed at a time.
Screen Printing on Plastic Bags
Unlike the web of uncut plastic used on the flexo presses, videos of the screen printing option showed the custom screen printing operator placing an individual bag around a wide, flat support structure not unlike an ironing board (also called a “platen”). This kept the bags stable as the operator lowered the metal screen onto the bag and dragged the squeegie and ink across the screen. Like the platen letterpress from Asia, this seemed to be a labor intensive process (i.e., only good for short runs of the bags, printed with only a few colors).
Inkjet Imprinting on Plastic Bags
I also learned about the use of inkjet printers with plastic bags, although this technology seemed to be more appropriate for imprinting tracking numbers than for printing graphic images.
Ink Colors for Printing Plastic Bags
In my research I found that most printers would produce bags within a limited palette of “standard” colors (for instance, one or two distinct blues instead of all possible PMS blues). For an additional fee, however, they would mix a PMS color.
Printing on Paper Grocery Bags
I found videos showing brown paper grocery bags composed of a single, thick sheet of Kraft stock being printed on custom screen printing equipment. Operators were printing the bags by hand one at a time, laying the open bags over a “platen” (the flat, ironing board-like structure), and then lowering the screen and applying ink through the screen with a squeegie.
Printing on Luxury Department Store Paper Bags
I found that high-end department store bags (like Tiffany bags) were printed in two different ways. One video showed an automated screen press turning a pre-made high-end department store bag over to allow the ink screen and squeegie access to either side of the paper bag. This was for a simple design screen printed in one color.
For more complex design work, I learned through my research that the bags are initially offset printed on flat press sheets and then die cut, folded, and converted into laminated bags with the exterior paper stock folded over the edges of the bags and pasted into their interior. These often have specialized rope or fabric handles affixed to the bags through die cut holes. As with other offset press work, various coatings, hot-stamp foils, and embossing effects can be used. In some cases an additional layer of paper covers the interior of the bags. These are high-end, specialized works of art in themselves produced by highly skilled commercial printing establishments.
Printing on plastic bags has become more popular than ever because of marketing campaigns. One of the important applications of plastic bags besides the packaging is the promotional purpose through brand printing on the bags. It is suggested that those of you who have reusable plastic bags should consider adding a creative touch to them to make them stand out.
It is no matter whether you have a small business and are trying to build a brand , or you have a certain flow of clients and want them to remember your brand, printing on plastic bags will help spread the word! In this post, we will show you some methods of printing in general and how the printing process is made in Hanpak.
This is for printing large quantities for commercial purposes and is used in Hanpak’s factory. The printing is done on a large scale, so this method is time and cost-effective. With this printing method, your design is impressed on a printing cylinder. An uncut roll of plastic passes between rollers with an adhesive.
When the design is fully imprinted and dried on the material, the plastic film goes through the rollers again to be separated into freshly designed individual plastic bags.
This method is ideal to create labels and plastic coverings of day-to-day products, allowing the usage of multiple colors as opposed to screen printing.
Screen printing is the ideal choice for shorter runs of plastic bag printing. It can even be done at home, with no need for heavy-duty equipment. The only issue with this process is that it is a little labor-intensive but it is worth it. In screen printing, individual plastic bags, which are different from uncut plastic rolls in flexography. And usually, one color is used for the design.
The plastic bags are placed on a flat surface, and it is crucial to ensure that the bag is stable and secure. A metal screen is lowered onto the bags and apply ink on them by dragging a squeegee along the length of the screen. Once the design is printed, it is placed on a surface to dry.
The interesting thing about this method is that it can be done at home. So, if you are looking to advertise your brand on bags or try it as a hobby, it is unnecessary to start doing this on a commercial scale.
The printing method of heat press is often used on plastic bags with thicker material, which allows them to tolerate a certain amount of heat. Using a heat press is reasonably straightforward, but there are a few points to keep in mind while choosing to use a heat press machine. You need to choose the right machine and the right temperature when printing.
The heat press uses a machine to print designs onto the material using heat and pressure. It is commonly used on fabrics.
– After the order confirmation, we will start to make pre-production samples for you to check. In this stage, we will ask you to provide us with the artwork for the printing (often in the AI or PDF format)
– We will make an artwork copy and send you to confirm the final artwork. We will inform you if there are any issues with the color Pantone or artwork structures in this stage.
– After the artwork is confirmed, we will order the printing plate, which is a carved mold and cannot be changed. This takes around 7-10 days depending on the complication of your artwork.
– The whole process until the final printed samples takes around 15-20 days.