Custom print
Custom Poly Mailers
A custom poly mailer is a manufacturing order, not a purchase. You are commissioning a run of film to your size, your colour and your artwork, and everything that follows depends on decisions made before anything is printed.
Most of the friction in a first order comes from those decisions being made in the wrong sequence — artwork approved before the size is settled, colour chosen from a screen, coverage picked without knowing what it does to price. This page puts them in the order that works.
It is written for the buyer who has decided to print. If you are still weighing whether printing is worth it at your volume, the case for staying on plain stock is worth reading first.
From$0.30per unit, indicative — your quotation is priced against your own specification
Price custom poly mailers
A short brief is enough to start. We come back with a written specification and a price.
The order sequence that avoids rework
Each step depends on the one before it. Doing them out of order is what causes a second proof round.
Settle the size on a sample
Pack a real order into a physical sample before artwork exists. A size change after artwork is approved means redrawing the file.
Choose the base colour and finish
The base narrows your ink options and the finish changes how the colour reads. Both come before design, not after.
Decide coverage and sides
Logo only, partial or full coverage; one side or two. This is the decision that moves the price most.
Prepare artwork to specification
Vector where possible, correct colour mode, bleed allowance, fonts outlined. The file requirements are set out in full on the artwork page.
Approve a proof
We return a proof showing placement, scale and colour on your chosen base. Nothing runs until you approve it in writing.
Production and checks
The run is produced against the approved proof and checked through the run, not only at the end.
What actually changes the price
Buyers usually assume colour count drives cost. It matters, but three other things matter more.
Quantity
Setup is a fixed cost spread across the run, so the per-unit price falls sharply as volume rises. This is the single biggest lever.
Coverage
A logo uses a fraction of the ink of a full-bleed design. Coverage moves cost more than the number of colours in the artwork.
Sides printed
A second side adds a production stage. It is worth it when the reverse carries returns or disposal information; less so for decoration alone.
Colour matching
A stock base with stock inks is cheaper than a matched brand colour, which needs a reference and a proof round of its own.
Interior printing
Printing inside the bag is a separate operation. It creates a strong unboxing moment and is priced accordingly.
Designing for a bag that will be handled
A mailer is not a flat sheet, and it is not seen flat.
By the time a customer sees your artwork, the bag has been packed, folded at the flap, sealed, labelled, stacked and carried. Designs that ignore that arrive looking wrong even when they printed perfectly.
Keep important elements away from the flap, which folds over and disappears. Keep them away from the side welds, which pinch. Leave a deliberate clear zone for the shipping label rather than hoping it lands somewhere kind.
And design for the packed shape, not the flat one. Artwork that runs edge to edge on a flat bag distorts across a full parcel, so a centred mark with breathing room around it survives packing better than a tight full-bleed composition.
The specification we quote against
These are your decisions. The final specification, including everything not listed here, is confirmed in writing on your quotation.
| Option | Choices | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Size |
| Custom dimensions are quoted against your packed product measurements. |
| Base colour |
| The base determines which ink colours will read; check the colour pages for contrast guidance. |
| Print coverage |
| The largest single influence on cost after quantity. |
| Sides |
| Interior print is a separate operation and is quoted separately. |
| Finish |
| Finish changes how printed colour reads as much as the ink does. |
| Closure |
| Decide this before artwork, because the closure affects the usable print area. |
| Film weight |
| Chosen against what you ship rather than against the print. |
Options shown are the choices we can quote against. The exact specification for your order — including film weight, closure and print method — is confirmed in writing on your quotation.
Seeing it before you commit
A digital proof shows placement and scale reliably; it shows colour approximately, because a screen is backlit and film is not. Where colour accuracy is commercially important, ask for a physical check rather than approving on a monitor. You can also assemble the whole specification visually first, choosing size, colour, finish and print coverage and positioning your own artwork, using the mailer configuration tool and submitting the result with your quote request.
Quality control on a printed run
Printed runs are checked against your approved proof rather than against the original file, because the proof is what you signed off. We check colour and registration at the start, through and at the end of the run.
Seals are checked along both welds, adhesive release is checked on samples pulled from the run, and counts are verified by carton before dispatch. Where a run cannot meet the approved proof, we stop and speak to you rather than shipping something approximate.
Questions about custom poly mailers
What file format should I send for custom printing?
Vector artwork is the reliable choice — AI, EPS, PDF or SVG with fonts outlined. High-resolution PNG or JPG can work for photographic elements. The full file requirements, including bleed and colour mode, are set out on the artwork guidelines page.
Can I print on both sides of a poly mailer?
Yes. The reverse is where returns instructions, disposal wording and care information usually belong. It adds a production stage, so it affects both price and scheduling, and we confirm the effect on your specific run when quoting.
How close can artwork go to the edge?
Artwork intended to run to the edge needs a bleed allowance, because film moves fractionally on press. Without it you get an uneven white sliver on one side across part of the run. We flag this at proof stage if the file does not allow for it.
Will my brand colour print exactly?
We quote a match against a reference you supply and proof it before running. Film is not paper, and some colours cannot be reached on some films. Where that is the case we tell you before you order rather than delivering an approximation.
Can I order a small first run to test the design?
Smaller runs are quoted, though the per-unit price is higher because setup is spread across fewer units. Many brands run blank stock while proofing a first design, then commit to volume once the artwork is settled.
Start a custom printed order
Send your artwork, size and quantity. We will come back with a written specification, a price and a proof before anything is scheduled.