When you order branded bags for the first time, the question of printing comes up early: a supplier asks how many colours you need, or your designer asks whether a gradient will work. The print method for paper bags decides what your artwork can look like, how the price behaves at volume and how consistent repeat orders will be. Three methods come up in conversations about bags: flexography, offset and screen printing. This guide explains each of them, why most branded bags are printed by flexo, and what that means for your design.
How flexographic printing works
Flexography, or flexo, prints from flexible relief plates. Each colour in the design has its own plate. The raised areas of the plate pick up a thin, even layer of ink and transfer it onto the paper as it runs through the press from a roll.
Three features make flexo a natural fit for bags:
- It prints on paper in rolls. The printed roll then goes to the bag-making machine, which forms, glues and attaches handles. There is no step where printed sheets have to be cut and assembled by hand.
- It works with absorbent, textured paper. Kraft paper is not as smooth as the coated stock used for brochures, and flexo inks are made for this kind of surface.
- It is built for volume. Once the plates are made and the colours are set, the press runs fast and the cost per bag falls as the quantity grows.
Offset and screen printing: the market context
You may see bags described as “offset printed” or “screen printed”. It is useful to know what these terms mean, even though Vita Group does not offer either of them.
Offset
Offset printing transfers ink from a plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper, usually in sheets. It reproduces fine detail and photographs well on smooth coated paper, which is why it is used for magazines and catalogues. For bags, it typically means printed sheets that are then made up into bags, often with a lot of manual work.
Screen printing
Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil, often onto bags that are already made. It suits very short runs, but each colour is a separate pass and the process is slow for large quantities.
Neither method is part of our production: Vita Group prints by flexography only.
Why branded bags are usually printed by flexo
For a shop, café chain or fashion brand that uses tens of thousands of bags, the choice is mostly made by the numbers. Flexo prints from the roll ahead of bag making, so the cost per unit stays reasonable at volume. A repeat order of the same artwork uses existing plates and approved colours, so the bag looks the same from one run to the next.
| Method | Typical use on the market | Strengths | Offered by Vita Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flexography | Branded bags in volume, kraft and bleached kraft | Solid colours, logos, patterns, printing inside, low unit cost at volume | Yes, our only print method |
| Offset | Small runs of luxury bags on coated stock | Fine detail and photographic images on smooth paper | No |
| Screen printing | Very short runs, often on finished bags | Thick ink layer, simple designs | No |
What flexo does well
Flexo is at its best with designs built from clear shapes and flat colours. That covers most of what a branded bag needs to do.
- Solid Pantone colours. Each brand colour is mixed as its own ink, so a logo in your corporate red or green prints as a clean, even area.
- Logos and text. Clear marks and readable type reproduce reliably across the whole run.
- Patterns and repeats. All-over patterns, stripes, geometric designs and illustrations made of flat colour areas work very well.
- Large solid fills. A bag printed in one strong colour from edge to edge is possible.
- Printing inside the bag. A pattern or a short message on the inside surface adds a second layer to the design.
Where flexo has limits
- No smooth gradients. A soft transition from one colour to another does not reproduce evenly on bag paper. It tends to break into visible steps or spots. Replace gradients with solid colour areas or a pattern.
- No photographic images. Photographs need very fine tonal detail and a smooth surface. On kraft and bleached kraft paper they lose quality, so we do not print them.
- Fine lines depend on the paper. Very thin lines and small type may print well on one paper and fill in or break up on another. Our prepress team will tell you what is realistic for the paper you have chosen.
- The paper changes the colour. The same ink looks different on natural brown kraft and on bleached kraft. This is a property of the paper, not of the press, and it is worth considering when you choose the stock. Our guide to choosing paper for branded bags explains the options.
How Vita Group prints
Our production in Krasnaya Pakhra, Moscow, runs four flexographic presses: one 8-colour press and three 6-colour presses. That means a design can use up to eight colours.
We work with both Pantone and CMYK, but about 95% of our orders are printed in Pantone. For a bag, where the aim is an exact, consistent brand colour, a mixed spot colour is usually the more reliable choice.
So that your brief starts from the right place: we do not offer offset, screen printing, lamination, foil stamping or embossing. If a design depends on any of these, adapt it to solid colours early.
Choosing a print method for paper bags: a checklist
A short set of questions will tell you whether flexo suits your bag:
- Is the design built from logos, type, flat colours and patterns? Flexo is the right method.
- Does it rely on photographs or soft colour transitions? Rework it into solid areas before ordering.
- How many colours does it use? Up to eight fits our presses.
- Is the quantity in the tens of thousands? Our minimum for custom-printed bags starts from 30,000 units, and flexo is designed for runs of this size.
- Do you plan to reorder the same bag? Flexo plates make repeat runs consistent.
If you are ready to compare constructions and sizes, our product catalogue shows the full range.
The bottom line
For branded paper bags in volume, flexography is the standard print method: it prints from the roll, handles kraft paper well and keeps the cost per bag reasonable. It is strong on solid Pantone colours, logos, patterns and printing inside, and it does not reproduce smooth gradients or photographs. Offset and screen printing exist on the market for small luxury or very short runs, but they are not part of our offer. Design for flexo from the start, and the artwork approval stage will be short.
Have a design and want to know how it will print? Send us your artwork and brief, and our team will check it for flexographic printing.