“To help people acquire custom bags. ” That is our mission statement. It is posted in large print on our wall in the manufacturing area. The mission statement drives our service thoughts and actions. Different products require different sizes, constructions, prints and materials. Many times, seeing an actual sample or a similar sample is needed to ensure the bag will fit the end use. We can offer a wide range of sampling options to help make sure the package will meet the need.
- Hand-Made custom bag samples are made at no charge. We can hand-make most non printed custom samples for sizing and construction. We stock a wide range of materials in a variety of widths that allow us to accommodate most custom sample requests. The hand-made samples are not made for seal strength and appearance nor for exact sizing. The hand-made polybag samples are meant for general size and appearance. We often make 5 to 10 custom samples a day. Custom hand-made bag samples generally ship within 1 to 2 days provided the request is for 1 or 2 samples.
- Samples of items we have done in the past are available at no charge. Retains from jobs previously run are a great way to see a machine made bag in the construction, print style, size and/or end use desired. Sample packs of similar items can ship within 1 to 2 days.
- Machine-made non printed bag samples. When actual machine-made non-printed samples are needed, we can oft times accommodate the request. Potential limitations in not being able to produce machine-made samples include the need for non-stock material and the number of samples needed. Machine-made samples can carry a small fee depending on the request and timing. Most machine made samples can be made within 7-10 days as long as the material is not custom.
- Printed machine-made samples. This is the hardest request to fulfill. Making a few sample printed bags requires the same steps as making an actual full production run of printed bags. Proofs have to be approved, plates made, print press setup and press run-time, machine setup and bag machine run-time. Since the same steps have to occur whether we run a few polybag samples or a volume run, printed machine-made samples carry a high cost ($500 minimum plus plates) and a long lead-time (3 weeks minimum). We send a custom dimensionalized pdf proof of all custom printed bags prior to running. Once the proof is approved, the production process starts. If the proof is not enough, some potential options to avoid the cost of actual printed samples yet still get a really good feel for the final look of the package are as follows:
- a combination of 1, 2 and/or 3 above
- we can take a video of the print when it is first running
- you are welcome to come here when we run to approve the print before the volume run
- run a smaller amount than the order calls for to make sure the bag works before running the larger quantity. Every situation is different and this option is handled on a case by case basis.
We want to help in anyway we can. Our goal is to take what the client has in their mind as the ideal package and create it prior to a volume run to the best of our ability through sampling options above. All sampling is done upon client request.
Thanks for reading!