Continuing our journey towards the discovery of Swedbrand’s world and its products, this month we will talk about Hand Made Paper Bags.

First of all, we need to make a distinction between Hand Made and Machine Made Paper Bags. The last ones are entirely produced by machines, they have fixed sizes and it is not possible to change them during the procedure since factories usually produce around half million paper bags in a row all together. Their prices are usually very affordable.

Hand Made Paper Bags are not entirely produced by machines. All Hand Made Paper Bags are indeed glued and completed manually. The production process is much longer and more expensive than the one needed for Machine Made Paper Bags (one worker can finish only 200 bags in one day), but the result is unique paper bags, tailor-made to customers’ needs.

Choosing Handmade Paper Bags for your brand, you have the possibility to select among different types of paper, print colours and finishing processes.

The different kinds of paper you can choose among can range from Art Paper to White Card, from Kraft Paper to Grey Board.

Art Paper and White Card are both often used for Hand Made Paper Bags. The first one is whiter than the second one, less rigid and allows for a high level of print quality. White Card has a rougher surface and is often used for foldable boxes as well.

Kraft Paper is stronger than Art Paper and White Card and helps make a great environmental impression. It is commonly used for paper bags without lamination.

Grey Board is commonly used for reinforcing the top and bottom of Hand Made Paper Bags, as well as for the base of rigid boxes.

The Finishing processes include:

- Lamination
- Varnish
- Final Touches
- Handles
- Lamination is a thin plastic film, which is applied to paper to increase the paper’s strength and durability. It protects paper from humidity and is commonly also used for decorative reasons.

There are 4 types of lamination: Scratch Proof Lamination, Glossy Lamination, Matt Lamination and Soft Touch Lamination.

Varnish is a transparent layer of oil applied to protect the ink on the paper. It makes the product more durable and long lasting, resists tearing, and provides a degree of protection against water or grease. Varnish can be either Matt or Glossy.

Final Touches include: Hot Foil, UV/ Spot Varnish, Embossing, De-bossing.

Handles come in many different forms and materials. There are also different ways to fix the handles, which influence the price. The bigger they are, the more expensive.

We hope you enjoyed this brief introduction about Hand Made Paper Bags and we are looking forward to your feedback. Don’t miss our next blog post about Machine Made Paper Bags!

Read more Swedbrand blog posts at swedbrand-group.com/blog, or visit our website at swedbrand-group.com.