Custom Gift Bags

Choosing Between Kraft and SBS Paperboard

A gift bag's material sets the first impression before a buyer even opens it. Kraft paperboard keeps its natural brown fiber texture visible even under print and lamination, which reads as a rustic, boutique-style presentation — a common choice for everyday retail take-home bags and casual gifting. SBS paperboard starts from a smoother, whiter base, so foil stamping and lamination sit on a cleaner surface and the finished bag reads as more polished. Neither option is universally better; the right one usually comes down to how the brand mark and finish should look once printed, not just which material feels heavier in hand.

Sizing a Gift Bag Around What It's Carrying

The bag size should follow what's actually going inside it, not the other way around. A compact bag suits small favor-size items or a single boxed product; a bag with more gusset depth is needed once the contents include multiple components or something bulkier, like a boxed gift set or several smaller items bundled together. When requesting a quote, the most useful information to provide is the approximate size and shape of what the bag needs to hold, plus whether tissue paper or a filler layer is expected to sit on top — that detail changes how much clearance the gusset needs.

Handles, Reinforcement, and Everyday Durability

Handles are reinforced at the top edge where they attach to the bag, since that's the point carrying the full weight of the contents. A twisted paper rope option is knotted through a reinforced eyelet, while a flat ribbon alternative is glued or riveted along a wider contact strip. The right choice depends on how heavy the intended contents are and how the attachment should look against the printed panel. Whether a filler layer like tissue paper is needed inside depends on several things together: the shape and fragility of what's being carried, how loose it would otherwise sit, and how the bag is meant to look when handed over — not a single rule that applies the same way to every order.

Print and Finish Options for Branded Gift Bags

A gift bag's front and back panels are the print surface most buyers care about most. Foil stamping can highlight a logo or a line-art motif with a metallic accent, subject to artwork review for line weight and placement. Matte lamination gives the surface a soft-touch, non-reflective finish, while gloss lamination produces a higher-sheen surface — both change how the printed brand mark reads under retail lighting, not just how the bag feels to the touch. Finish choice and material choice are worth deciding together, since a finish that reads well on SBS paperboard's smoother surface may look different applied to kraft's natural texture.

What to Send for a Gift Bag Quote

Getting an accurate quote starts with sharing the approximate bag size, quantity, and a material preference between kraft and SBS paperboard. Orders start at a minimum of 50 units, and a dieline and digital proof are prepared for review at no extra charge before anything goes to production. Once the proof is approved, production typically begins and runs from 7 business days, with free US shipping included on the standard fulfillment path. Quote requests themselves are usually answered quickly — typically the same business day, always within 24 hours — so there's rarely a long wait just to get pricing and a proof started. For anyone who wants to check paperboard, print, and handle quality before committing to a full run, a sample kit ships for a $19.99 shipping charge, credited toward the first order.