Stand-up pouch belongs to the category of flexible packaging, commonly known as stand-up pouch. They are mainly used as primary packaging for food, pet food and nutritional supplements. But stand-up pouches are also great for non-food products like clothing, cannabis or pharmaceuticals. During the planning, manufacturing and filling of stand-up packs, there are a few things you must pay attention to. This guide will help you understand all relevant topics to realize your dream package.
1. Plastic or paper stand-up pouch
Stand-up pouches can be made from a variety of materials. The most common material combinations are:
- Composite plastics such as PET/PE
- Kraft paper such as KRAFT/PET/PP
Depending on the material, different properties arise in terms of feel, printed image, food compatibility and recycling. Especially bags made of kraft paper are very popular, offering a very high-quality feel and always conveying a sustainable image. However, in most cases, the combination of paper and plastic material used is not officially recyclable (in Germany).
In order to be able to recycle the stand-up pouches, the materials used must be made of so-called mono-materials (eg PE/EVOH/PE ). It is important that parts such as foil and zipper are made of one and the same material (PE foil + PE zipper). The most common monomeric materials are made from monomeric PE and monomeric PP.
Plastic-free or industrially compostable stand-up pouches are also available, but these do not meet the same high demands as necessary barrier functions such as EVOH barrier. The inner coating of these bags usually consists of an ultra-thin varnish or an organic coating. These bags are also generally significantly less stable and durable.
2. Our range of materials
Our product range includes a wide range of materials for stand up pouches and flat pouches. Here you are sure to find the right material for every requirement:
Recyclable single plastic:
- White PE/EVOH/PE (full PE)
- Transparent PE/EVOH/PE (full PE)
Composite plastics:
- White PET/EVOH/PE
- Transparent PET/EVOH/PE
- silver metal metPET/EVOH/PE
Kraft paper material:
- Kraft Brown/EVOH/PE
- Kraft paper white/EVOH/PE
All of our single and composite plastics are available with a choice of gloss or matt finish.
3. The components of the stand-up pouch
Depending on the application, stand-up pouches can be equipped with various components. In order to choose the right components, you should ask yourself a few questions beforehand:
- Does the pouch stand upright or hang from the POS?
- Will the bag reseal after first opening?
- Do the contents of the bag have to be visible on the POS?
- Is the bag a refill?
- Are aromatic products like coffee or tea filled?
Based on these questions, you can learn whether you need the following components:
- Euro-slot hanger for hanging bags on the POS.
- Zipper resealable bag.
- The viewing window for the first impression of the content.
- Nozzles for refilling containers (nozzle bag/nozzle bag).
- The aroma valve protects the aroma of coffee or tea.
4. Stand up pouches with viewing window
Bags with viewing windows are especially suitable for the optimal display of goods at the point of sale. The viewing window is highly transparent, variable dimensions can be specified and all barrier properties of the material are of course still fully preserved. rlich weiterhin voll erhalten.
For a separate viewing window, a transparent foil needs to be selected. This foil is a requirement for clear/transparent areas. All unprinted areas are automatically created with a viewing window. However, in order for the printed areas of the bag to also not appear slightly transparent, additional opaque ink is usually printed below the printed image. For this we use so-called opaque white, which ensures that the background of the printed area is no longer transparent. For this option you can choose the color “4 Color Euroscale + White” in our calculator. You can print data instructions on our stand-up pouches
Learn how to technically implement these requirements in print data in.
Note that the surface quality of the bag will affect the transparency of the viewing window. Glossy surfaces have high transparency, while matte surfaces are mostly milky white and therefore less transparent.
5. Unique metal effect
To be able to achieve more eye-catching packaging designs, we also offer our standard pouch foils in a silver metallic version. The surface of the foil is double-sided metallic with a special metallic effect. The resulting effect is comparable to hot stamping. However, the advantage is that any desired color can be metalized. The structure of the print data is very similar to that of a stand-up pouch with a viewing window.
All printed areas that are not backed with opaque white (HPI-white) are automatically rendered metallic. All elements (images, text, shapes, etc.) with an opaque white background have no metallic effect.
6. Personalized printing of stand-up pouches
In addition to non-printed bags, stand-up pouches can also be printed individually. Depending on the requirements profile, different techniques can be used to achieve this. The printing process used mainly depends on factors such as quantity, format, and number of varieties.
1) Memory jet printing technology
This process belongs to water-based inkjet printing technology. In this process, the finished stand-up pouch or flat pouch is fed directly into the printer for printing. The printer is relatively small and slow (1 meter long). Also, not all materials can be printed with this technology.
- Possible materials: Materials with paper surface only
- Print area: limited print window, at least 1 cm from the edge of the bag. Also, the bottom flap of the Doypack cannot be printed.
- Quantity: 1-200 pieces
- Delivery time: few days
- Print Quality: Low
- Initial Fee: None
2) Digital printing (eg HP Indigo)
The process is a high-tech digital printing technique that prints the required bag material on a roll. This press is intended for use by professional printers and is relatively large (about 14 meters long).
- Possible materials: paper and plastic foil
- Printing area: Since the material is printed directly before the actual bag is produced, full area printing is possible on the front, back and bottom.
- Quantity: 250 – 100,000 pieces
- Delivery time: 10 -14 working days
- Printing quality: exceptionally high (comparable to offset printing quality)
- Initial Fee: None
3) Flexo printing
The process is an older and very established printing technique in which the required bag material is also printed directly on the roll. Unlike digital printing, flexographic printing incurs some initial cost of the printing plate (single printing plate, comparable to those in offset printing) required.
- Possible Materials: paper and plastic foil
- Printing area: Since the material is printed directly before the actual bag is produced, full surface printing is possible on the front, back and bottom.
- Quantity: 100.000 – ∞ pieces
- Lead time: 6 – 12 weeks
- Print Quality: High Quality
- Initial Cost: Print Edition/Cliches
With us, your stand-up pouch MOQ can be as low as 250 pcs with a lead time of 10-14 working days. Furthermore, any number of printed patterns/variety can be produced at a small surcharge. We rely on HP Indigo’s proven digital printing technology.
7. Production of stand-up pouches
Producing stand-up pouches requires a lot of machinery. The manufacturing process can be broken down into three main parts – the printing of the bag, the lamination of the various materials and the actual production of the final desired bag. We explain each process in detail below.
1) Printing process
Stand-up pouches are basically printed roll by roll. This means that rolls of unprinted material are clamped at the front of the machine, printed in-process, and rewound into rolls at the back end.
Stand-up pouches made of foil consist of two separate foils, one of which is printed in a printing process (printed foil thicknesses of 12 and 25 µm). A second, unprinted foil layer is then added during lamination. The advantage is that the printed image is then enclosed between two layers of material. This protects the print from external influences and scratches.
Paper stand-up pouches also consist of two separate components. Barrier foil on the inside and kraft paper (brown or white) on the outside. During the printing process, this material is already formed into its final composition on a roll and printed directly on the surface of the paper. Printer ink adheres optimally to the rough surface of untreated paper.
2) Lamination of foils
Lamination, also known as the joining of two foils, is a key process for more complex material combinations. In this process, very thin printing foils and thicker laminating foils are joined at high speed. A food-safe special adhesive ensures perfect bonding of the foils. A lot of experience is required here, as the results are highly dependent on speed, adhesive thickness and web tension. Mistakes may result in wrinkling or other material defects.
As an alternative to using an adhesive lamination process, heat lamination can also be used – also known as thermal lamination. Thermal lamination is especially suitable for stand-up pouches, the contents of which must be heat-treated after filling (autoclave/autoclave)
3) Production of stand-up pouches
After the printing and laminating process is complete, the finished rolls await further processing on the Doypack machine. The machine has the following tasks:
- The front, back and bottom of the bag are combined.
- Zipper insert.
- Welding of edges and bottom folds.
- Punch holes for euros and tear off labels.
- Separate the individual bags from the web.
8. Security barrier brings high security
Since most stand-up pouches are used in direct contact with food or pet food, the pouch material must meet many different requirements. The main concern is the protection and durability of the content. Content must be protected from:
- ultraviolet radiation
- Humidity/Water Vapor
- oxygen
Depending on the content, the flexible packaging market uses non- barrier materials, low- barrier materials, or materials with extremely high barriers. Barrier layers used for this purpose are divided into organic barrier layers and inorganic barrier layers. Each barrier must be of sufficient thickness to ensure adequate protection of the contents.
- Inorganic barriers: such as aluminum foil, silicon oxide (SiOx), etc.
- Organic barriers: such as polyamide (PA), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), etc.
Industry standard barrier film thicknesses are between 2-8 µm. The EVOH barrier is one of the most effective oxygen, aroma and water vapor barriers.
For all of our materials we use a 5 µm EVOH barrier. All of our materials are therefore ideal for direct food contact and pet food. Of course, at the same time these materials are also very suitable for non-food products such as protective masks, clothing, or plant seeds.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stand-up bag?
Stand-up pouches are tightly sealable bags that are ideal for food storage due to their stability and barrier properties. Most stand-up pouches are made of metal foil with a barrier coating. The most common type of barrier coating is EVOH. EVOH is a plastic with a very good barrier effect on oxygen, aroma and water vapor.
What is the price of the stand-up bag?
The price of each stand-up pouch is between EUR 0.10 and EUR 1.00. Unprinted Stand up pouches are cheaper than printed Stand up pouches. The price also depends on quantity, size, printing and required components (zippers, euro holes, etc.).
What is the minimum print quantity for printing stand-up pouches?
The minimum printing quantity is usually thousands of bags. Thanks to digital printing, we can already offer you Doypacks from 250 pieces.
Are stand-up pouches suitable for food?
Most stand up pouches are great for stuffing food. This requires barriers such as EVOH. This barrier protects the contents from UV radiation, oxygen and water vapor. It also ensures that the aroma of the contents is preserved.
What is flexible packaging?
Flexible packaging is thin, easily formable packaging. They are usually made of foil or plastic and are used in a variety of products. Examples of this are so-called flow packs/flexible packs, such as pouches or stick packs.
What is the synonym of Stand up pouches?
There are many other common terms for stand-up pouches, such as stand-up pouches, sachets, or sachets.
Is the zipper open or closed when delivered?
For hygienic reasons and so that the inside of the pouch cannot be contaminated under any circumstances during transport, our stand-up pouches are always transported with the zipper closed. On express request, we can also provide the service of opening zippers.
How is the stand-up pouch welded?
Welding stand-up pouches require a sealer. Commercially available manual sealers or semi-automatic sealers can be used for this purpose. The semi-automatic sealer seals approx. 20 bags per minute, we can provide.
For a good sealing effect, sealing temperature and sealing time is important. We recommend a temperature of 180-200 degrees Celsius and a sealing time of 0.5-1.0 seconds.