Luxury Paper Gift Bags · MOQ 500 pcs
Uncoated kraft with a single-colour print and a flat tape, twisted paper or die-cut handle. Published factory numbers put the basic carrier at $0.10–0.22 a piece at 500 pcs, and that is a commodity: constant demand, many factories, and buyers comparing on unit price alone.
Overview
This is uncoated kraft paper, folded into a carrier with a side and bottom gusset, a flat or twisted-paper handle glued over the top edge, and a single-colour print. There is no lamination, no reinforcement tape and no board insert unless you ask for them, which is exactly why it is cheap: the whole bag is paper, glue and one ink pass. It prints bold flat colour well and it takes a one-colour mark cleanly, but brown kraft absorbs ink, so a light or bright brand colour reads muted and normally needs a white underprint as an extra pass.
It is the right choice for takeaway, grocery, pharmacy and give-away volumes where the bag is a way of getting the purchase out of the shop and nothing more. Be candid about the commercial position: basic kraft at $0.10–0.22 at 500 pcs is the most competitive corner of the paper bag market, factories are numerous, and a supplier who leads with it is competing on cents. The trade-offs are real — no moisture resistance, no structure, a die-cut or flat tape handle that limits the load, and no room for a premium in the price. Where it earns its keep is as the everyday tier of a two-tier programme, with a laminated gift bag carrying the seasonal peak.
Specification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Paper | Uncoated kraft, typically 100–150gsm depending on load |
| Size | Cut to order — takeaway formats from 180×80×220mm upward |
| Handle | Flat paper tape, twisted paper, or die-cut slots |
| Reinforcement | None as standard; a turned-over top edge on twisted and tape handles |
| One or two flat colours by flexo or offset; white underprint for light colours | |
| Packing | Folded flat in bulk, packed by the hundred |
| MOQ | 500 pcs per design and size; smaller runs against the closest factory that takes them |
| Lead time | 15–20 days after sample approval, before transit |
| Price basis | Indicative $0.10 – 0.22 per piece at 500 pcs, ex-works |
Variants
On a commodity bag the handle and the number of print passes are the only two variables that move the unit price.
A folded paper strip glued over the top edge. The everyday retail workhorse: cheap, flat to ship, and adequate for a light purchase.
A twisted paper cord handle that carries more than flat tape and looks slightly more finished. Costs a little more and is worth it on grocery loads.
Punched through the paper itself: the cheapest and flattest handle, and the weakest under load. Suits light retail only.
A white base pass so a light brand colour reads correctly on brown kraft. An extra print pass, so an extra line in the quote.
Materials
Kraft is a material family rather than one specification. The grade and the handle decide both the price and whether the bag survives the purchase it is carrying.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Uncoated kraft, 100–120gsm | The cheapest carrier and the base of the $0.10–0.22 band. Fine for a light takeaway item, too thin for anything with weight or corners. |
| Uncoated kraft, 130–150gsm | More body, a stronger base and a better hand-feel, and it takes a twisted handle without the top edge deforming. Still a commodity, still priced by the cent. |
| White or bleached kraft | A lighter, cleaner surface that shows a brand colour far more faithfully than brown kraft, at a small premium. Useful when the print matters but the budget does not reach laminated art paper. |
| Printed kraft, mid-weight | The step up, at $0.43–0.73 at 500 pcs from published factory schedules: heavier stock, a stronger handle and a bag that survives a real purchase. This is the sensible everyday tier for retail. |
| Laminated art paper instead | If the bag has to look like the product it carries, kraft is the wrong material. Laminated art paper holds colour, stands up in a rack and is where the margin in this category actually is. |
Best for
Flat demand all year, minimal handling and the bag is usually discarded quickly. A one-colour kraft carrier is exactly proportionate to that job.
Where the volume is high, the margin on the product is thin, and the bag is a cost line rather than a marketing asset.
Light purchases with a printed logo or a store name. Flat tape handles and one colour are the norm, and buyers compare on unit price.
The cheapest printed bag available for a bulk distribution, with the caveat that it will not survive a second use.
Plain kraft for the everyday purchase, a laminated and foiled gift bag for the seasonal one — the same brand at two price points, which is how this bag is best used commercially.
Sizing
Kraft carriers are sized from the product with a little slack, and the gusset is what decides whether the bag sits flat or holds a box. Keep the paper grade in step with the load: a thin kraft bag with a deep gusset will bow as soon as it is filled.
| Dimension | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Small takeaway | Roughly 180×80×220mm for a single item, a sandwich box or a coffee accessory. |
| Standard retail | About 240×110×300mm is the general-purpose carrier size and takes a folded garment or a couple of boxed items. |
| Gusset depth versus capacity | The gusset decides how much the bag holds. 80mm is a flat carrier; 110–150mm takes a box; below 60mm the bag is effectively a sleeve. |
| Handle and load | Die-cut handles suit light purchases only; flat tape is the everyday workhorse; twisted paper carries more. Match the handle to the load rather than to the artwork. |
| Top edge | A turned-over top edge stiffens the handle area. On anything above a light load, ask for it — it is the cheapest reliability upgrade on a kraft bag. |
| Oversize and freight | Paper bags are bulky for their weight, so a large kraft format costs more in carton volume than in paper. Ask for folded dimensions and packed volume with the quote. |
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FAQ
Kraft is the cheapest and most competitive bag we quote. Here is where it stops being the right answer.
Keep looking
A paper carrier whose handle is die-cut through the top of the bag rather than made from tape, rope or ribbon. It is the flattest and cheapest paper bag to ship, and the right answer for light retail purchases where the bag has to exist and not much more.
Printed art paper with a lamination film bonded over the print, giving full colour, a protective surface and a hand-feel that kraft cannot match. It is the mid-tier build between a commodity kraft carrier and a foiled ribbon-handle gift bag, and the point where a paper bag starts to work as retail presentation.
Printed art paper with a matte, soft-touch or gloss lamination, a reinforced top edge and a foil or spot UV brand mark, finished with a ribbon handle. This is the build that looks like the product it carries rather than a way of carrying it home, and the one we would lead a paper bag programme with.
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