Have you ever left a shop with a pretty designed paper bag and felt good about that bag? Not due to the contents inside, but because the bag itself looked so clean and professional that you did not want to dispose of it? That is what a well-designed paper bag can do.
To a business owner, a paper bag is not merely a bag that one puts his product in. It is a moving advert. All the customers who hold it outside your shop carry your brand name, your logo and your colours out into the street and into offices and markets and into other people and their homes.
To designers, this is one of the most valuable and lucrative skills that you can possess. Virtually all businesses which sell a tangible product require one. Those who have had a bad experience of poor design previously will pay good money to someone who are expert in there design and printing skills.
This manual is to you two. Whether you are a business owner who is attempting to understand the process or a designer who is just starting out, at the end of this you will know just what goes into designing a quality paper bag.
The importance of a Good Paper Bag Design
Consider two stores that are selling one product at the same price. One of them holds you the product in a white bag with a logo badly printed on it. The other hands it over to you in a well-designed bag that is solid and looks premium. What store do you have more trust in? Which of the two would you revisit?
Good packaging design does that. It instills confidence prior to your customer opening the product, and where there is a strong competition in the market, that first impression may make or break a sale.
Step 1 – Begin with the Bag Template
A dieline is something that you must have before you can open any design software.
Do not let that word confuse you. A dieline is simply a flat outline, a plain sketch of the paper bag prior to it being folded and assembled. Imagine it as a blueprint that a tailor makes prior to cutting down cloth. It will tell you just where the side of the bag is, where the bag folds, and where the bag is to be glued.
This is important because if you design without the correct template, your logo might end up right on a fold line. You may find your text being cut off at the sides. The whole design falls apart when the bag is put together.
Request your printer to provide you with the exact template that they use in that bag size before you begin designing. Various templates are used by different printers. Never start before you are sure.
Step 2 – Select the Proper Software and Install it in the Right Way
CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator are the most effective in the designing of paper bags. They both are popular among professional designers and create the type of files printers require.
In establishing your file, there are just a few simple tips you can get right:
- Work with CMYK colour mode. This is the colour system that printers operate with. When you design in RGB (which is used on screens) the colours will appear different when printed.
- Ensure that the photos or images you are using are clear and of high quality. Already blurred images on the computer are even more blurred on the paper.
- Add a small border of color beyond the edge of your design called bleed.. This will avoid occurrence of white edges on the completed bag after cutting.
- Do not place your logo and other important text close to the very edges of the bag because you do not want any important stuff being trimmed off.
One important note. Although Canva is a popular design tool, it is not built to support this type of print work, . Canva files can lead to issues at the press. In the case of paper bags, CorelDraw or Illustrator can be used.
Step 3 – Choose the Front of the Bag design
The most important part of the bag is the front of the bag. It is what the people look at first and what they recall.
Keep it simple and clear. Here is what belongs on the front:
- Your logo, placed prominently where the eye naturally lands
- Your business name, large enough to read easily
- Your brand colours, the same ones you use everywhere else
- A short tagline if you have one, but only if it is truly short and meaningful
- One way to contact you, either your website, phone number, or social media handle
The greatest error most individuals make is putting too much on the front. When everything is competing to capture attention, nothing is outstanding. A blank front with large and bold logo and strong colours will always be more attractive and professional compared to a busy front.
Step 4 — Design the Sides and Back of the Bag
The bag has small sides on the two sides. Apply them to a solid colour within your brand or a simple repeated pattern. Nothing complicated.
The bag has more space on the back. Use it for:
- All your contact information, address, phone number, email, and web site.
- Your social media accounts.
- Brief sentence concerning what your business does.
- A QR code that people can scan to go to your web site or online store.
Ensure that any text on the back is large enough to be easily read. Very tiny text is lost altogether once printed on a bag.
Step 5 – Select the appropriate paper and complete
The material your bag is printed on is important as the design. Here are the most common options and when to use them:
| Option | When to Use It |
|---|---|
| Light art paper (250gsm) | Daily shopping bags of standard retail store |
| Thick art paper (300gsm) | Premium bags quality brand bag |
| Kraft paper | Natural, eco-friendly brands |
| Matte lamination | Gives a premium, sophisticated look |
| Gloss lamination | Makes colours shine and appear vibrant |
| Spot UV | Puts a shiny effect on your logo |
To make your bag feel luxurious and costly, g with a matte lamination. and add a shiny spot effect on just the logo. Customers notice this kind of detail even if they may not be able to describe why.
Step 6 — Check Everything Before Sending to Print
Prior to your file going to the printer, go through this list carefully:
- All text is clear and readable
- Your logo is sharp and not pixelated
- Colours are set to CMYK not RGB
- The bag template is included but marked as a guide only, not to be printed
- A finished sample of the bag has been shown to and approved by the client
Never send a bag to print without showing the client exactly what it will look like first. A single misunderstanding at this point may require a reprint of the entire job. Getting approval in writing before printing protects everyone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the wrong colours for print and being surprised when they look different on the bag
- Forgetting the extra border of colour at the edges and ending up with white lines on the finished bag
- Not designing using the appropriate bag template and everything not fitting when folded.
- Putting text too close to the edges where it gets trimmed off
- Using blurry images that look fine on screen but terrible in print
- Sending to print without client approval first
Final Word
Designing a paper bag is not really that difficult as soon as you know the fundamental steps. Begin with the appropriate template. Properly prepare your file to be printed. Clean and bold the front view. Put the sides and back to good use. Select materials and paper that are in line with the brand. And never print without client’s approval.
Follow these steps everyday and you will have paper bags that business will be proud to make, tkeep customers coming back, and build your reputation as a designer who knows their craft.
You are designing a paper bag at the moment and you have a question? Write it in the comments. I read each and every one of them, and I will get you through it.
Watch the full paper bag design and printing tutorial on YouTube.
You require a professionally designed paper shopping bag in your business? Contact Akpan Unwana