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 From 500 units per design for eligible formats; specialist specifications may require more.. No sales copy — these are the answers we would give you on a call.
All guides
custom printed pouches
Custom Printed Pouches: A Buyer Guide for UK Brands
To order custom printed pouches, start with what you are packing, the fill weight or volume, the filling process and the protection your product needs. Choose the format and material together, then confirm quantity per design and prepare artwork on the approved dieline. The Pouch Works reviews your specification before quoting; eligible standard formats start from 500 units per design, while specialist and spouted minimums are confirmed individually.
Read the guide →spouted pouches UK
Spouted Pouches for Liquids & Refills: The Complete UK Buyer's Guide
A spouted pouch is a flexible printed pack with a fitted spout and resealable cap, used for drinks, sauces, liquid refills, cosmetics and concentrates. Businesses choose them for controlled pouring, compact storage before filling and strong printed branding. Before ordering, you need to confirm the product's compatibility with the pouch material, the filling process and temperature, the spout and cap specification, and the minimum quantity for your chosen construction. This guide explains each decision and how to request an accurate UK quotation.
Read the guide →UK spouted pouch manufacturers
UK Spouted Pouch Manufacturers vs China: What Should You Consider?
Choose between UK and overseas spouted pouch production by comparing a matched specification, the complete delivered cost and the practical work needed to manage the order. UK production can simplify communication and coordination; importing from China can offer a different range of manufacturing capabilities. Neither route is automatically cheaper, faster or more suitable for your product.
Read the guide →custom printed spouted pouches
Custom Printed Spouted Pouches: A Guide to Sizes, Caps and Materials
Specify a spouted pouch from the product and filling process first, then choose its usable capacity, laminate and fitment together. A cap that looks right may not dispense a thick liquid, and a recyclable film may not tolerate your filling temperature. Final dimensions and compatibility must be checked against the full filled pack before production.
Read the guide →spouted pouches vs bottles
Spouted Pouches vs Plastic Bottles: Which Packaging Is Right for Your Product?
Choose a spouted pouch when flexible storage, printed branding and controlled pouring or refilling fit your product. Choose a bottle when rigidity, a pump, precise standing stability or an established filling line is essential. Compare the complete filled system, including secondary packaging, processing and disposal, before deciding either route is better.
Read the guide →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 500 pouches per design for eligible specifications; specialist options may require more, 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. Our standard eligible printed pouch range starts from 500 units per design. Specialist formats, materials, embellishments and spout constructions may require more; some mono-material spouted pouches require 5,000 units. Timelines are confirmed against the specification. It exists because setting up a run costs the same whether you print 500 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 500 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 500-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 500 units per design for eligible specifications; specialist options may require more. 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.