Custom Printed Flour and Dried Goods Bags for Mills and Pantry Brands

What is a flour bag made of and why not plain paper?

Plain paper flour bags are cheap, but they let damp in and flour dust out. Within weeks on a shelf the flour cakes and the bag tears at the corners.

A laminated bag keeps the paper look on the outside and adds a film layer inside. That film holds moisture out, stops dust leaking through the seams and lets the bag take a zipper.

The white and kraft bag in the photos is that type: a paper face over PET and PE. The paper laminate mylar bags page covers the construction in more depth.

Who orders printed dried goods bags?

Dried goods bags are used wherever something dry is sold by weight. The brands we print for are a mix of producers and retailers.

Smaller fills of 250 g to 500 g, such as speciality flours and spice refills, usually go in a stand up pouch. The kraft stand up pouches with a zipper page lists those sizes.

• Stone-ground and heritage grain mills selling 1 kg and 1.5 kg bags
• Bakeries retailing their own bread flour and bread mixes
• Oat, muesli and granola brands sold in farm shops
• Rice, lentil and bean importers repacking for retail
• Zero-waste shops pre-packing refills under a house label
• Gluten-free flour blends sold online by the kilo

What size bag holds 1 kg of flour, oats or rice?

Flour is light and fluffy straight after milling, then settles. Rice and lentils are dense and settle little. A 1 kg bag for each is a different size.

The table gives sizes with headspace for the zipper. Fine flour needs more room than the weight suggests, because it traps air as it is poured.

Sizes for every weight between 250 g and 5 kg are in the pouch and bag size guide.

Damp, pantry moths and the barrier layer

Flour and grains spoil in two ways. Moisture gets in and the product cakes or grows mould, and pantry moths lay eggs in anything they can reach.

A PET / PE film inside the kraft blocks moisture far better than paper alone. A metallised layer, as on the silver pouch in the photos, goes further and also blocks light, which matters for wholemeal flours with their oils.

Food-contact films and a compostable paper-based laminate are options on request, confirmed on the quote. The layers are explained in the laminates and barrier films guide.

Zipper or heat seal for a 1.5 kg bag?

Home bakers use a bag of flour over several weeks. A zipper keeps it closed between bakes and stops flour dust spreading through the cupboard.

Trade bags sold to bakeries get emptied into a bin on arrival, so a plain heat seal top is enough and costs less.

The zipper on a 1.5 kg bag needs to be strong, since the bag is lifted by the top. The options are compared on the zipper pouch closures page.

Flat bottom bags for anything over a kilo

Above 1 kg, a stand up pouch with a rounded base leans and looks untidy on a shelf. A flat bottom bag has a square base and side gussets, so it stands like a box.

It also stacks better in a carton and gives you five panels to print. The kraft bag in the photos is this style, with a zipper and a flat top seal.

Dimensions and gusset depths for 1 kg to 5 kg are on the flat bottom pouches for grains page.

Windows for grains and pulses

Flour does not need a window; it all looks the same. Red lentils, black rice, mixed beans and rolled oats do sell better when the customer can see them.

A frosted or clear window low on the front panel shows the product without showing dust on the inside of the bag. Shaped windows are an option on request.

Window sizes and positions are set out on the stand up pouches with window page.

Printing a mill or pantry brand on kraft

Mill and pantry brands tend to print one or two colours on kraft, which looks honest and costs less than full colour. A white under-print lifts a logo so it stays bright on the brown.

Metallised and white films take full colour digital print for brands with photos or illustrations, like the sprouting seedling design on the bag in the photos.

Put the weight, the best before box and the allergen line where a stamp can reach them. Bleed, seal margins and file formats are in the guide to artwork for printed bags.

How do you fill flour bags without dust in the seal?

Flour dust is the enemy of a clean heat seal. Even a thin film of dust in the seal area lets the seal part under the weight of the fill.

Bakery sacks of 5 kg that are not resealed suit a side gusset format with a plain top. See the side gusset bags for flour sacks.

1. Set the empty bag in a holder and fold the top 40 mm outward, past the zipper.
2. Fill with an auger or scoop, keeping the stream in the centre of the bag.
3. Stop at 80 percent of the height and tap the bag to settle the flour.
4. Unfold the top, brush both inside faces of the seal area with a dry brush.
5. Close the zipper, heat seal above it and check the seal by lifting the bag by its top.

Mistakes with flour and grain packaging

Buying a stand up pouch for 2 kg of flour is the most common one. It leans, falls over and the print creases at the base.

Printing the best before date in the artwork is the second. Use a blank box and a stamp, since the whole run is otherwise dated the same.

Choosing clear film for wholemeal flour lets light reach the oils in the bran, which go rancid faster. For a strong barrier on a smaller pouch, the zip lock foil bags for spices and flours are the alternative.

Ordering flour and dried goods bags

Tell us the product, the fill weight, whether you want a zipper and a window, and a rough quantity. Each order is quoted separately, from £0.25 per unit, and confirmed in writing.

You get a free design proof showing the gussets, zipper and any window before printing. After approval, bags take 4–6 business days to make.

Delivery is free and tracked to UK addresses in 2–3 business days. Misprinted or damaged bags reported within 10 days with photos are reprinted or refunded. Start on the flour bag quote page.