Pricing
How custom pouch pricing works
Custom printed pouches are quoted per job rather than sold from a price list. The cost of a run is set by six things: quantity, pouch size, material structure, fitments such as zips and spouts, finish, and how many separate designs you are printing. Our minimum is 100 units per design, there are no plate or setup charges on digital print, and a full quote comes back within one business day.
| Minimum order quantity | 100 units per design |
|---|---|
| Turnaround | 2–4 weeks from artwork approval |
| Quote turnaround | Within one business day |
| Print method | Digital — no plate or cylinder charges |
| Published price list | No — every job is quoted to its own spec |
| Setup or origination fee | None on digital runs |
| Where we print | United Kingdom |
The six things that move the price
Quantity
The single biggest lever. Setup work — preflight, dieline, colour calibration, web registration, line changeover — costs the same at 100 pouches as at 10,000, so it is spread across however many units you order. Moving from 100 to 1,000 typically cuts the unit price sharply; from 1,000 to 5,000 the curve flattens and material cost starts to dominate.
Pouch size
Price follows the area of film used, not the fill weight. A 250g coffee bag and a 1kg bag are the same job to set up and very different amounts of laminate. Gussets count: the base of a stand-up pouch is material you pay for even though it is not visible on the shelf.
Material structure
A clear PE film is the cheapest structure. Kraft with a barrier liner sits in the middle. Metallised foil and high-barrier laminates cost more per square metre but buy you shelf life. Recyclable mono-material structures generally price above their conventional equivalents today.
Options and fitments
Zips, one-way degassing valves, spouts, tear notches, hang holes and round corners each add either a component cost or a converting step. A spout is the most significant of these because it needs an insertion pass.
Finish
Gloss and matte lamination are close in cost. Soft-touch, spot varnish and metallic foiling add a pass and therefore add to both price and lead time.
Number of designs
Each design is its own job with its own 100 units per design minimum. Four flavours at 100 each is four setups, not one — which is fine, and often the right call at launch, but it prices differently to 400 of a single design.
Where the money actually goes
On a small run, most of what you pay is not film. It is the work that happens before the press moves: checking that your artwork will hold up at print size, producing a dieline for your exact dimensions, matching colour, registering the web, and setting the converting line for your size, zip position and seal pattern. That block of work is fixed. It is why 100 pouches has a higher unit price than 1,000, and why the second order of the same design is cheaper than the first.
On a large run, the balance flips. Setup becomes a rounding error and you are effectively buying laminate, so material choice and pouch dimensions become the levers worth arguing about. If you are trying to take cost out of a repeat order, look at the structure and the size before you look at anything else.
One thing that is not a lever: print coverage. Digital print does not charge by ink coverage, so a full-bleed dark design costs the same as a sparse one. Print what the brand needs.
Getting a useful quote first time
The fastest quotes are the ones with a fill weight or volume attached. If you tell us “250g of whole bean coffee, resealable, foil barrier, 1,000 units” we can price it immediately. If you tell us “a medium pouch” we have to come back and ask.
You do not need finished artwork to get a price. Spec and quantity are enough — artwork only becomes relevant once you are ready to schedule production.
Pricing — common questions
How much do custom printed pouches cost in the UK?
There is no single figure, because unit price moves with quantity, size, material and options. What we can be specific about is the process: send a spec and you get a firm price within one business day, with no setup or origination charge on digital runs.
What is the minimum order for printed pouches?
100 units per design, across every format and material we print. Finishing options change the price, not the minimum.
Why don't you publish a price list?
Because a published table would be wrong for almost every job. Two 500-unit orders can differ by more than double depending on size, barrier and fitments. A quote against your actual spec is more useful than a number you would have to caveat.
Are there setup or plate charges?
No. We print digitally, so there are no engraved cylinders or printing plates to pay for. That is the main reason a 100-unit run is viable at all.
Does ordering more bring the price down?
Yes, steeply at first. The jump from 100 to 1,000 units per design usually gives the largest per-unit saving, because fixed setup is spread further. Beyond a few thousand the savings come from material buying rather than setup.
How long does a quote take?
One business day for a standard spec. Unusual sizes, child-resistant closures or bespoke structures may take longer, and we will say so when we acknowledge the enquiry.
Related
Still have questions? Email hello@thepouchworks.com and we'll get back to you within one business day.