Custom Printed Side Gusset Bags for Coffee, Tea and Dried Goods

What is a side gusset bag?

A side gusset bag is made from a single web of film folded into a tube with a seam down the back. A pleat is folded into each side, and the base is sealed flat.

When filled, the pleats open and the bag takes a soft rectangular shape with rounded edges. It is the bag most people picture when they think of a coffee bag.

The top is left open for filling, then folded over a tin tie, heat sealed, or both, as the kraft bags in the photos show. Roasters comparing styles can see it next to the others on our coffee bags for roasters in every style.

Who still uses side gusset bags, and why?

Roasters who want the traditional look. Tea merchants with a heritage brand. Delis and farm shops packing dried fruit and nuts with a label on a plain kraft bag.

The reasons are practical as well as visual. A side gusset bag uses less film per gram of coffee than a stand up pouch, and it packs more tightly in a shipping carton.

Blenders who want a reseal rather than a tin tie usually choose our tea pouches with a zipper.

• Roasted coffee from 125 g to 1 kg, with a valve
• Loose leaf tea and herbal blends
• Dried fruit, nuts and roasted seeds
• Cocoa, hot chocolate flakes and malt drinks
• Flour and baking mixes from small mills
• Pet treats sold in a kraft bag with a label

What size side gusset bag holds 250 g of coffee?

The classic 250 g coffee bag is about 80 mm wide and 250 mm tall with a 50 mm gusset each side. That leaves 60 to 70 mm of empty height at the top to fold over.

For 500 g go to 100 × 310 mm with a 70 mm gusset, and for 1 kg about 150 × 400 mm with a 90 mm gusset. Ground coffee fits a little smaller than whole bean.

Tea is lighter than coffee, so a 250 g tea bag is closer to the 500 g coffee size. Dried fruit is denser and fits the coffee sizes.

Kraft, foil or printed film?

Plain kraft / PET / PE with a label, as in the first photo, is the lowest cost route for a small roaster or deli. The label carries the origin and date, and the bag never changes.

Kraft / foil / PE adds an aluminium layer behind the paper for a longer shelf life; it is the same structure as our paper laminate mylar bags with foil inside. PET / foil / PE in matte black or white gives a modern look while keeping the barrier.

Full colour printed film, like the pink bag in the second photo, suits brands with several origins and a design that changes by blend. Ask for food-contact, high-barrier or compostable film options and the quote will state the structure.

Tin tie, heat seal or both?

A tin tie is a strip with two wires inside, stuck across the back of the bag near the top. The customer folds the top twice and bends the wires to hold it.

A heat seal across the top gives a tamper evident pack and keeps the barrier until first opening. Many roasters use both: a heat seal under the fold and the tin tie for reclosing.

A zipper can be fitted on request, but at that point most buyers move to our flat bottom pouches with a zipper, which carry one more neatly.

Where does the valve go?

Freshly roasted coffee gives off carbon dioxide for days. Without a one-way valve the bag bloats and the seal or the tin tie fold gives way.

On a side gusset bag the valve sits on the front panel, in the top third, where the bag is flat and the customer can see it. It is fitted before the bag reaches you.

If you rest your coffee for two weeks before bagging, the valve is optional. If you bag within a few days, add it. Our guide on how degassing valves work on coffee bags explains the timing.

Printing on a side gusset bag

The front panel is tall and narrow, which suits a vertical logo and stacked text. The gussets take a repeat pattern or a single colour band.

The back carries a centre seam, so keep text 10 mm either side of it. Brew notes, origin and a batch area usually go on the back.

One colour black on kraft is the common choice. Full colour print on white or foil film is available, with a white under-print so colours stay true. Our artwork setup for printed pouches covers the seam allowance.

How do you fill and close a side gusset bag?

Filling is simple, but the fold-over top needs a method so every bag looks the same on the shelf.

1. Open the top and push the gussets out with your fingers so the bag stands.
2. Fill by weight, stopping at least 60 mm from the top.
3. Tap the base on the bench to settle the beans or leaves.
4. Heat seal the top if the bag is sealed, keeping the seal straight across the gussets.
5. Fold the top over twice towards the back, then bend the tin tie ends down.
6. Apply the origin and date label over the fold if you use one.

Mistakes to avoid with side gusset bags

Ordering the bag too short. The fold-over takes 60 to 80 mm of height; if you size to the coffee alone, there is nothing left to fold.

Expecting a plain kraft bag to hold coffee for months. Without a foil layer the aroma fades in weeks. Choose kraft / foil / PE for anything beyond a fortnight.

Leaving the valve off a fresh roast because the bag has a tin tie. The tin tie does not vent gas, and the bag bloats.

Printing the front at the wrong height for the fold. Artwork that sits in the top 70 mm disappears when the bag is folded over.

Ordering printed side gusset bags

Tell us the product, the fill weight, kraft or foil, tin tie or heat seal, valve or not, and the quantity. Prices start from £0.25 per unit and the written quote confirms the figure.

Plain kraft bags with no print are quoted without a proof. Printed bags get a free design proof from our team, and production takes 4–6 business days once you approve it. Start by sending a quote request with your artwork or a photo of your current bag.

Delivery is free and tracked across the UK in 2–3 business days. Should a bag arrive misprinted or crushed, photos within 10 days bring a reprint or refund.