Guides
Pouch packaging guides
Everything we get asked before a first order, written out properly: how to size a pouch, how to set artwork up so it prints right, which barrier film your product actually needs, what a run costs and why the minimum is 100 units per design. No sales copy — these are the answers we would give you on a call.
All guides
design your own pouch
Design Your Own Pouch
To design your own pouch, pick the format and size first, then ask us for the matching dieline template and build your artwork on it in CMYK with 3mm bleed and a 5mm safe margin. Send it as a print-ready PDF, AI or EPS. You can order as few as 100 pouches per design, you see a digital proof before anything prints, and the full run takes 2–4 weeks from artwork approval.
Read the guide →pouch artwork setup
Pouch Artwork Setup Guide
Supply pouch artwork as a print-ready PDF, AI or EPS file built on the dieline we send you, in CMYK, with 3mm bleed on every edge, all type converted to outlines and all placed images at 300dpi or better. Keep critical text and logos at least 5mm inside the trim, and leave the seal and gusset areas clear of anything that has to line up precisely.
Read the guide →pouch size guide
Pouch Size Guide: What Size Pouch Do I Need?
The pouch size you need depends on five things: pouch width and height, gusset depth, the density of your product, the shape it settles into, and the headspace you leave for sealing. Weight alone does not set the size — 250g of ground coffee occupies far less space than 250g of granola. As a starting point, 250g of coffee fits a 130 × 225mm pouch with a 70mm gusset, and 1kg of protein powder fits roughly 200 × 320mm with a 100mm gusset.
Read the guide →pouch moq
Minimum Order Quantities Explained
A minimum order quantity is the smallest number of pouches a printer will run for one design. Ours is 100 units per design, across every format and material, with a 2–4 week turnaround from artwork approval. It exists because setting up a run costs the same whether you print 100 pouches or 20,000 — gravure and flexo, which need physical plates or cylinders, start in the thousands.
Read the guide →stand up vs flat pouch
Stand-Up vs Flat Pouch
Choose a stand-up pouch if the pack has to stand on a retail shelf or the product is used over several sittings. Choose a flat pouch if it is a sample, a single serving, or something sold online where posting cost matters. A flat pouch is meaningfully cheaper per unit at the same size and print quality; a stand-up pouch holds more and sells better in person.
Read the guide →compostable pouches
Compostable Pouches, Honestly Explained
A compostable pouch is one whose every layer — film, ink, adhesive and zip — breaks down into water, CO₂ and biomass under defined composting conditions, certified to EN 13432 for industrial composting or TÜV OK Compost HOME for home composting. Most compostable structures give lower oxygen and moisture barrier than conventional laminates, so shelf life is shorter, and only the exact certified structure counts — a pouch is not compostable because one of its layers is.
Read the guide →ppwr
PPWR Explained
PPWR is the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which applies from August 2026 and replaces the old directive with directly binding rules across all member states. For flexible pouches the two provisions that bite hardest are the requirement that all packaging be designed for recycling by 2030, and mandatory recycled-content thresholds for plastic packaging from 2030. UK brands are affected the moment they place packaging on an EU market, regardless of where it was printed.
Read the guide →pouch cost per unit
Pouch Cost Per Unit
There is no single price per pouch, because unit cost is set by size, material structure, fitments and quantity together. The pattern is consistent though: the per-unit figure falls steeply between 100 and 1,000 units, keeps falling more gently to around 5,000, and then flattens out. Digital print means there are no plate or setup charges, so a 100-unit run is genuinely viable rather than priced as a penalty.
Read the guide →pouch barrier film
Barrier Films Explained
A pouch's barrier is its resistance to oxygen, moisture, light and aroma loss, and it is set by the laminate structure rather than by how thick the pouch feels. The two numbers that matter are OTR (oxygen transmission rate) and MVTR (moisture vapour transmission rate) — lower is better on both. Foil and metallised structures give the highest barrier, clear laminates the lowest, and mono-material recyclable films sit in between.
Read the guide →pouch vs box packaging
Pouch vs Box
Choose a pouch when barrier, weight and storage efficiency matter, and a box when you need a rigid structure, flat printable panels or premium unboxing. Pouches protect the product better per gram of packaging, ship lighter and store flat before filling. Boxes present better as a gift and stack more precisely, but usually need an inner bag anyway — which means paying for two components.
Read the guide →digital vs flexo printing pouches
Digital vs Flexo Printing
Digital printing has no plates, so it carries no setup charge and makes short runs and multi-SKU ranges genuinely affordable — which is why our minimum is 100 units per design. Flexographic printing needs a plate or cylinder per colour, and that fixed cost only makes sense at high volume, typically tens of thousands of units per design. Below that, digital is cheaper, faster and more flexible.
Read the guide →child resistant pouches
Child Resistant Pouches
A child resistant pouch uses a specially engineered closure — usually a CR zip needing two simultaneous actions to open — so that young children cannot easily access the contents while adults still can. Child resistance is a property of the tested closure and pouch together, certified to a standard such as ISO 8317, not something added by printing a warning on the pack. Specify it at enquiry stage, because it changes the closure, the seal and the price.
Read the guide →pouch printing prices
How pouch pricing works
The six things that set the cost of a printed pouch run: quantity, size, material, fitments, finish and number of designs.
Read the guide →pouch packaging lead time
Lead times
The full sequence from enquiry to UK delivery, and what makes a job land at the short or long end of the window.
Read the guide →pouch size calculator
Pouch size calculator
Enter your product and fill weight and get a recommended pouch size in width × height × gusset, ready to quote.
Read the guide →
Read enough? Tell us what you are packing and we will specify the pouch and quote it within one business day.
Get My Pouch Quote →Still have questions? Email hello@thepouchworks.com and we'll get back to you within one business day.