Sweet Bags and Foil Gift Bags

What is in the sweet and gift bag range?

Sweet bags are the tall clear or printed bags that pick and mix, fudge and jelly sweets are sold in. They have a flat base or a block bottom, and they close with a twist tie, a ribbon or a heat seal.

Foil gift bags are made of metallised film in silver, gold or a colour. They gather at the top and tie with a bow, and they hide what is inside until it is opened.

Both are sized to the product and printed with your design or left plain.

Who buys sweet bags and gift bags in the UK?

Sweet shops, fudge makers and market traders buy sweet bags by the thousand. Party and wedding favour businesses buy small ones, 60 to 80 mm wide, for a handful of sweets per guest.

Foil gift bags go to gift shops, hamper companies, florists and anyone selling a bottle or jar as a present. A chocolate maker uses both: a sweet bag for the product and a foil bag for the gift version.

Corporate gifting and event companies buy printed versions of each, with a logo on the bag rather than a sticker. The clear sweet bags with a twist tie are the higher volume of the two.

• Traditional sweet shops and pick and mix counters
• Fudge, brittle and toffee makers
• Wedding and party favour businesses
• Gift shops, hamper and subscription box companies
• Chocolatiers selling gift versions of a product
• Event and corporate gifting companies

What size sweet bag holds 100 g, 250 g or 500 g?

Sweet bags are tall and narrow because they are tied at the top. Allow a third of the height for the gather and the tie. A bag holding 150 g of jelly beans ends up more than twice as tall as the sweets inside it.

Sizes are width by height in millimetres. A block bottom adds a base of width by depth so the bag stands at the till.

Jelly sweets and fudge weigh about 0.7 g per ml. Popcorn and marshmallows are far lighter and need a bigger bag for the same weight.

Clear, printed or foil: which film suits sweets?

Clear film sells sweets by showing them. A thin clear PET / PE or BOPP film, 40 to 60 microns, is enough for a bag that is sold and eaten within weeks.

Printed film adds the brand without hiding the sweets. A printed band at the base, or a logo repeated across the film, leaves most of the bag clear.

Metallised film is for gifts. It hides the contents and catches the light. Fudge and chocolate that must last months are better in a foil laminate with a zipper, which the foil mylar bag range covers. Higher barrier, compostable or food-contact films can be quoted as options on request.

How does a foil gift bag work?

A foil gift bag is a flat or block bottom bag of metallised film, taller than the gift inside. The gift goes in, the top is gathered and a ribbon, bow or twist tie closes it.

Silver and gold are standard. Red, blue and green are used for Valentine's, birthdays and corporate colours. A matte finish looks softer than the mirror-bright gloss in the photo.

A printed logo or a repeating pattern is possible on the foil, with a white under-print beneath any colour. The foil gift bags with a gathered top are sized to a wine bottle, a jam jar, a candle or a box of chocolates.

• Bottle: 120 × 400 mm with a 90 mm base
• Jam jar or candle: 150 × 300 mm with a 100 mm base
• Box of chocolates: 220 × 350 mm with a 60 mm base
• Small favour: 80 × 160 mm, flat

Which closures work on sweet and gift bags?

The twist tie is the sweet shop standard. It is quick, reusable and lets the customer open and close the bag. Ribbon is the gift version and comes in any colour.

A heat seal across the top makes a tamper-evident pack for online sales and events. A block bottom bag can also take a press-to-close zipper if the sweets are eaten over several days.

Hang holes are rare on these bags, because they stand or sit in a basket. If you want a hanging sweet bag, a flat printed pouch with a hang hole is the better format.

Ties come in plain silver and gold, in paper-covered wire for a traditional look, or in satin ribbon cut to length. Tell us the colour and we pack them with the bags.

• Twist tie: quick, reusable, the sweet shop standard
• Ribbon: gifts, weddings and favours
• Heat seal: online orders and tamper evidence
• Zipper: block bottom bags eaten over several days

How are sweet bags and foil bags printed?

Print on clear film works best as a band, a logo or a pattern that leaves the sweets visible. Solid white blocks print behind text so it can be read against bright sweets.

Print on foil needs a white under-print, otherwise colours go dark. A one colour logo in black or white is the most common gift bag print.

Full colour digital suits short seasonal runs: Easter, Halloween, Valentine's and wedding dates. A gloss finish is usual on clear film and matte or gloss on foil.

What sells sweet bags at a market stall or online?

At a stall, height and colour sell. A tall clear bag with a printed band at the base and a bright twist tie stands out on a trestle table. Keep the sweets visible.

Online, the bag must survive the post. A heat sealed sweet bag inside a mailer is safer than a tied one, and a foil gift bag adds the unwrapping moment that gets photographed.

Wedding favours are a market of their own. Small bags in 60 to 80 mm widths, tied with ribbon in the wedding colours, with a printed name and date.

What goes wrong with sweet bag orders?

The usual error is a bag too short for the tie. A bag sized to the sweets alone has no room to gather. Add a third of the height.

The second is clear film for sweets that go sticky in the heat. Fudge, toffee and chocolate in a window at a summer market need a thicker film and sometimes a foil laminate.

• No height allowed for the gather and tie
• Thin clear film for sticky or oily sweets
• Full colour print across the whole bag that hides the sweets
• Gift bags sized to the gift with no room for the ribbon
• Colour printed straight onto foil without white under-print

Which small bags suit seasonal sweets and favours?

Halloween treat bags, Easter egg bags and Valentine's favour bags are all sweet bags with a different print. Order the seasonal print on the same size as your everyday bag so one twist tie and one base fit both.

For a sealed treat bag with a zipper, the Halloween mylar bags with a zipper in the foil range are the alternative to a tied clear bag.

Favour bags are the smallest: 60 × 150 mm holds 30 to 40 g of sweets, enough for one guest. Easter bags tend to be wider, because a hollow egg or a cluster of mini eggs needs room, so 100 × 220 mm is a better start.

Valentine's bags are usually a heart-printed clear bag with red or pink ribbon, 80 × 200 mm, holding 50 g to 80 g of hearts or truffles.

How do you order sweet bags and foil gift bags?

Send the sweet or gift, its weight or size, the quantity and whether you want a twist tie, ribbon or heat seal. Attach a logo if the bag is to be printed.

Unit prices begin at £0.25 and come to you in writing, with the quantity quoted per order. Our designers prepare a free proof that shows how much of the bag stays clear.

Production takes 4 to 6 business days from your approval. Free tracked UK delivery follows in 2 to 3 business days. Send photos within 10 days of any misprint or damage and we reprint or refund.

1. Choose a sweet bag or a foil gift bag.
2. Give the fill weight, or the size of the gift inside.
3. Pick clear, printed or metallised film.
4. Choose the closure: twist tie, ribbon or heat seal.
5. Approve the free proof.
6. Receive the bags flat, with ties packed alongside.