Branded packaging does two jobs at once: it carries the product, and it carries your name. A custom printed plastic bag puts your logo in the customer’s hand and in front of everyone they pass, which is why so many Australian businesses move from plain stock to printed runs. The questions that hold buyers up are almost always the same three: what does it cost, how many do I have to order, and how do I actually get it made?
This guide answers all three in plain terms. Plastpack (formerly Churchill & Coombes) manufactures and prints plastic bags in Australia, extruding the film, printing it and forming the bags in one facility, so the process below is how a real print order comes together rather than a reseller’s version of it.
What are custom printed plastic bags?
Custom printed plastic bags are stock or made-to-measure plastic bags over-printed with your logo, brand colours, artwork or handling text. Almost any bag in a commercial range can be printed. At Plastpack that includes printed poly bags, printed carry bags for retail, printed courier bags for eCommerce dispatch, and printed press seal bags for resealable retail and sample packs.
The printing is done in house with up to six colours, in Pantone or CMYK, so the finish matches your brand rather than approximating it.
What determines the cost of custom printed plastic bags?
Custom printed plastic bags are quoted to your specification rather than sold at a fixed price, because the same logo on two different jobs can be two different pieces of work. The factors that move the price are:
Quantity. Printing has a fixed setup, so the cost per bag drops as the run size rises. Larger runs spread that setup across more bags.
Bag type, size and film. A small poly bag, a gusseted carry bag and a courier satchel are different products in different films and gauges. Size and thickness both feed into the material cost.
Number of print colours and sides. A single-colour logo on one side is the entry point. Each additional colour, and printing on both faces, adds to the setup and the run.
Stock size versus custom size. Printing onto an existing stock size is the most economical path. A fully custom size means tooling the bag to your dimensions first, which sits at a higher commitment.
Artwork and setup. Clean, print-ready artwork keeps setup straightforward. Artwork that needs rework or colour matching adds time.
The practical takeaway is that there is no single price for a printed bag. Tell us the bag, the quantity, the size and how many print colours you need, and we will quote the job. For context on how volume affects packaging spend, our guide on buying plastic bags wholesale is a useful read before you commit to a run.
Minimum order quantities explained
Custom printed plastic bags carry a minimum order quantity, and it is driven by the same setup logic as pricing. Because there is fixed work in preparing a print run, a job has to reach a sensible volume to be worth producing.
Minimums vary by product and by whether you are printing a stock size or commissioning a custom size. Printing onto an existing stock bag generally carries a lower minimum than a fully custom-made bag. As an example, a custom-size press seal bag carries a minimum of 10,000 units, because the bag itself is being made to your dimensions before it is printed. Other products sit at different levels.
Rather than guess, tell us the product and size you have in mind and we will confirm the minimum for that specific bag. If your volume is modest, we can point you to the option that fits, whether that is a stock size with print or a larger committed run.
How to order custom printed plastic bags?
Ordering a printed run is a short, defined process:
- Choose the bag. Decide on the type, whether that is a carry bag, courier satchel, poly bag or press seal bag, and the size and film that suit your product.
- Set the print. Confirm how many colours you want and whether the print runs on one side or both.
- Supply your artwork. Send print-ready artwork. A vector file such as .AI or .EPS, or a high-resolution PDF, gives the cleanest result. We can help with colour matching as part of this step.
- Approve the proof. We prepare a proof so you can check the logo, colours and placement before anything is printed.
- Production and dispatch. Once the proof is signed off, the run is manufactured, quality checked and dispatched Australia-wide.
You can start the process online through our enquiry form or by phone, and browse the full customised printed bags range to see what can be printed.
Lead times and artwork
Custom printed runs take longer than pulling stock off a shelf, because the bag has to be printed, and sometimes made, to your spec. Plan ahead and contact us early, especially if the bags are tied to a launch, season or event, so the lead time works in your favour rather than against it.
On artwork, the cleaner the file, the smoother the setup. Vector artwork holds its edges at any size and is the ideal format for a logo. If you only have a raster file, supply it at the highest resolution you have. Because our film is UV stabilised and we print with UV-resistant inks, the finished colours hold up through storage and handling rather than fading.
Why order custom printing from an Australian manufacturer?
The main advantage of ordering from the maker is that the printing happens at the same facility as the bag manufacturer. There is no handoff between a bag supplier and a separate printer, which is where lead times and colour consistency usually slip. You set the size, film, thickness, seal and print as one order, and the batches stay consistent.
We also hold around 50 tonnes of film on site, so the material for most jobs is already here, and we can produce a sample so you can check the base bag and the print before committing to the full run. For businesses ordering branded packaging in volume, that combination of control, consistency and Australian production is the difference between packaging that works and packaging you have to reorder to fix.
To price and specify a printed run, contact the Plastpack team with your bag type, size, quantity and the number of print colours, and we will quote the job and guide you through artwork.
Frequently asked questions
How much do custom printed plastic bags cost?
There is no single price, because bags are quoted to your specification. Cost depends on the quantity, bag type, size, film, number of print colours and sides, and whether the bag is a stock or custom size. Send us your spec and we will quote the job.
What is the minimum order for custom printed plastic bags?
Minimums vary by product and by whether you print a stock size or a custom size. Printing onto a stock bag generally carries a lower minimum, while a custom-size run is higher; for example, 10,000 units for a custom-size press seal bag. Contact us for the minimum on your product.
How do I order custom printed plastic bags?
Choose the bag type, size and film, confirm your print colours and sides, then supply print-ready artwork. We prepare a proof for your approval, and once it is signed off, the run is manufactured and dispatched Australia-wide.
What artwork do you need for printing?
Print-ready artwork gives the best result, ideally a vector file such as .AI or .EPS, or a high-resolution PDF. Let us know your brand colours in Pantone or CMYK, and we can assist with colour matching as part of the setup.
Can I get a sample before ordering?
Yes. We can produce a sample so you can check the base bag and the print before committing to a full run, which is a sensible step for a first printed order or a new spec.