Custom Printed Stand-Up Pouches

What does a custom printed stand-up pouch specification need to settle?

A complete specification fixes the product's protection needs first, then the structure that meets them, then format, features, size and print. Working in that order avoids the common mistake of choosing a look (for example, a kraft finish with a large window) that cannot deliver the barrier the product needs.

Which products are stand-up pouches used for?

Stand-up pouches suit dry, granular, powdered and some liquid or semi-liquid products that need to stand on a shelf, be reclosed and carry a full-surface printed design. The product's sensitivity to oxygen, moisture, light and aroma loss decides how much barrier the laminate needs.

The table shows directions, not prescriptions. Two coffees from the same roaster can need different structures if one is sold through cafés within weeks and the other through supermarkets with a long shelf life.

Which laminate gives the barrier your product needs?

Most printed pouches are laminates: an outer print film, sometimes a barrier layer, and an inner sealant layer bonded together with adhesive or extrusion lamination. The outer film carries the print and resists heat during sealing; the barrier layer controls oxygen and moisture; the sealant layer forms the seals and is the food-contact surface.

Barrier performance is reported as OTR (oxygen transmission rate, in cc/m²/day) and WVTR (water vapour transmission rate, in g/m²/day). The figures are only comparable when the test conditions match: WVTR measured at 38 °C and 90 % relative humidity is not comparable with WVTR measured at 23 °C and 85 %. Flexing, creasing and the zipper and valve areas also reduce real-pack barrier compared with a flat film sample. The full explanation, with test standards and a worked shelf-life arithmetic example, is in our article on pouch laminate structures and barrier properties.

How are custom printed stand-up pouches printed?

Custom printed stand-up pouches are printed by rotogravure, flexography or digital printing, almost always on the outer film before lamination. Gravure suits long runs and photographic images, flexo suits medium to long runs at lower set-up cost, and digital suits short runs and multiple designs with no printing plates or cylinders.

Flexo for flexible packaging is typically run on central-impression (CI) presses, where the film wraps around one large drum and every colour station prints onto it. That keeps the film stable and gives tight colour-to-colour register on stretchy films. Gravure remains common for long-running coffee, snack and pet-food designs where the cylinder cost is spread over many repeat orders.

Reverse printing is the norm on clear outer films such as PET and BOPP. The design is printed as a mirror image on the inside face of the outer film, then laminated, so the ink sits sandwiched between film and adhesive. The ink is protected from scuffing and does not touch the product, and the outer film gives the gloss. A white ink layer is printed behind colours wherever the pouch should look opaque; leaving the white out creates a window. Surface printing (on the outside face) is used on paper outers and some mono-material films and usually needs an over-varnish for rub resistance.

Finish options include gloss (from the PET or BOPP itself), matt film or matt lacquer, and registered matt/gloss effects where a matt varnish is applied only to selected areas. Metallic effects come either from a metallised layer showing through unprinted areas or from metallic inks. Colour management, Pantone versus CMYK and artwork preparation are covered in our packaging printing methods guide and the packaging artwork guide.

Which pouch format: stand-up, flat-bottom, side-gusset or flat?

The format controls how the pouch stands, how much it holds for a given footprint and how many panels you can print. The stand-up pouch (doypack) with a bottom gusset is the most common choice for fills from small sachet-style packs up to around 1-2 kg; flat-bottom pouches stand squarer and present five printable panels; side-gusset bags are the traditional coffee format; three-side-seal flat pouches are the simplest and cheapest.

A detailed comparison with decision rules is in pouch types: stand-up, flat-bottom, side-gusset and flat.

Features: zippers, valves, notches and windows

Features change how the consumer opens, uses and reseals the pack, and several of them also affect barrier, filling speed and recyclability. A press-to-close zipper and a tear notch above it is the most common combination; coffee needs a one-way degassing valve; retail hanging displays need a hang hole; liquids need a spout.

Each feature has to match the laminate. A mono-PE pouch needs a PE zipper and a PE valve body if it is to stay within PE recycling guidelines; a window is only possible where the structure is transparent; laser scoring needs a suitable outer film. Our guide to pouch zipper options, valves, tear notches and windows covers placement, compatibility and the trade-offs.

Sizing a pouch for fill weight

Size a pouch by volume, not by weight. Measure the bulk density of your product, convert fill weight to volume, add headspace and allowances for the zipper and seals, then confirm with a fill trial using blank or sample pouches. The same 250 g fill can need a very different pouch for roasted beans, ground coffee, granola or protein powder.

Pouch dimensions are usually quoted as width x height x bottom gusset, measured on the flat, empty pouch. Conventions for the gusset figure differ between suppliers (some state the total unfolded gusset, others the depth when opened), so confirm the convention before comparing quotations. The step-by-step method and a worked example are in pouch sizes: how to size a pouch for fill weight and volume.

Are printed pouches recyclable under the PPWR?

Some are designed to be. Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR), all packaging placed on the EU market must reach recyclability grade A, B or C from 1 January 2030, and A or B from 2038. Mixed-polymer laminates such as PET/PE or PET/ALU/PE are unlikely to reach those grades, which is why the industry is moving to mono-PE and mono-PP pouches.

The detailed design-for-recycling criteria that will define each grade are due to be adopted by delegated act in 2028, so no structure can be given a definitive PPWR grade today. What is clear is the direction: a single polyolefin family across film, zipper and valve, with barrier added by thin layers (EVOH, metallisation, AlOx or SiOx coatings) that recycling guidelines tolerate in small proportions.

Recycled content is the second PPWR requirement. From 1 January 2030 at the earliest, contact-sensitive plastic packaging made mainly of materials other than PET (which covers most PE and PP food pouches) must contain at least 10 % recycled plastic, rising to 25 % in 2040. Other plastic packaging, such as many non-food pouches, faces 35 % from 2030 at the earliest. Food-grade recycled polyolefin is still in short supply, so brand owners should plan for this early.

Compostable pouches are a narrower option than they seem. PPWR Article 9 requires compostability only for specific items (tea and coffee bags and pods, fruit stickers, and, where a Member State requires it, very lightweight and lightweight plastic carrier bags); all other packaging, including compostable pouches, must still meet the recyclability requirements. The trade-offs are covered in recyclable mono-material pouches and the PPWR, the regulation itself in our PPWR guide, and claims wording in recyclable vs compostable packaging.

Your obligations depend on your role (manufacturer, importer, distributor or producer for EPR purposes) and on the Member State. A brand owner that has pouches made under its own name or trademark is generally treated as the manufacturer under the PPWR. Confirm your position with the competent authority or your compliance scheme.

Food-contact compliance for printed pouches

For food pouches, the plastic layers fall under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic food-contact materials, alongside the framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 and the good manufacturing practice Regulation (EC) No 2023/2006. In practice, the buyer should expect a Declaration of Compliance (DoC) for the pouch, supported by migration testing appropriate to the food and conditions of use.

Points that matter for laminated pouches:

• Overall migration limit. Regulation 10/2011 sets an overall migration limit of 10 mg/dm² for plastic food-contact materials. Specific migration limits apply to individual substances, and test conditions (food simulant, time, temperature) must reflect the real use, for example ambient storage, hot fill or chilled.
• Inks and set-off. Reverse printing places the ink between layers, away from the food, but substances can still migrate through thin layers or transfer from the printed face to the food side when reels are wound (set-off). Low-migration ink systems and controlled processes under Regulation 2023/2006 address this. EuPIA guidance and the Swiss Ordinance (SR 817.023.21) are common market references, and Germany's Printing Ink Ordinance applies from 1 January 2027.
• Adhesive cure. Laminating adhesives need time to cure before the film is slit and converted. Pouches made from incompletely cured laminates are a known migration risk, which is why converters control cure times and check for residual substances such as primary aromatic amines where aromatic polyurethane adhesives are used.
• Non-plastic layers. Aluminium foil and paper layers are not covered by Regulation 10/2011. For paper, buyers commonly expect a DoC referencing Regulation 1935/2004 and BfR Recommendation XXXVI.

In Great Britain, the assimilated versions of Regulations 1935/2004, 2023/2006 and 10/2011 apply; Northern Ireland follows EU rules under the Windsor Framework. For the US, substances must be authorised under 21 CFR Parts 174 to 178, be GRAS or prior-sanctioned, or be covered by an effective Food Contact Notification. Our food-contact packaging compliance guide explains the documents to request.

UK Plastic Packaging Tax and pouches

Most laminated pouches are plastic packaging for UK Plastic Packaging Tax purposes. From 1 April 2026 the tax is £228.82 per tonne on plastic packaging containing less than 30 % recycled plastic, and UK manufacturers and importers of 10 tonnes or more of plastic packaging a year (filled or unfilled) must register with HMRC.

Under HMRC's guidance, a multi-material item is generally treated as plastic packaging where plastic is the heaviest component by weight, so a kraft paper/PE pouch may fall either side of the line depending on the paper and film weights. The tax is payable by the UK manufacturer or importer, not by an overseas supplier, so UK buyers importing filled or unfilled pouches should check whether they meet the threshold. UK extended producer responsibility (pEPR) applies separately. See our UK packaging regulations guide for both.

How a printed pouch is made

Understanding the production route helps buyers read quotations and anticipate where time and cost sit. A typical converting sequence for a laminated, printed pouch runs as follows:

1. Prepress and repro: artwork is separated, trapped and adapted to the print process; distortion is applied for the film's stretch; gravure cylinders are engraved or flexo plates are made (digital skips this step).
2. Printing: the outer film (for example PET or BOPP) is reverse printed on a gravure, CI flexo or digital press.
3. Lamination: the printed film is bonded to the barrier and sealant layers with solventless or solvent-based adhesive, or by extrusion lamination. Three-layer structures are usually laminated in two passes.
4. Curing: adhesive laminates are stored under controlled conditions until the adhesive reaches full cure, typically a matter of days depending on the adhesive system.
5. Slitting: the wide laminate is slit into reels of the pouch-making width.
6. Pouch making: the pouch machine folds, inserts the gusset, applies the zipper, punches hang holes and tear notches, inserts valves and seals and cuts each pouch.
7. Quality checks: typically seal strength, laminate bond strength, dimensions, print and colour against the approved standard, and leak or drop tests where relevant.

Our general packaging quality control and sampling guide explains how to agree checks and acceptance criteria with a supplier.

Pre-made pouches or roll stock?

Choose pre-made pouches if you fill by hand or on a pre-made pouch filler; choose printed roll stock if you run a form-fill-seal (FFS) line that makes the pack from a reel. Roll stock is cheaper per pack at volume because pouch making happens on your line, but it needs compatible equipment and a registered print repeat with eye marks for the machine's sensors.

Many growing brands start with pre-made stand-up pouches and move high-volume SKUs to roll stock later. If you are already on an FFS line, the specification adds reel width, core diameter, maximum reel diameter, unwind direction and print position relative to the eye mark.

Ordering custom printed pouches from Türkiye

Pouches made in Türkiye from industrial materials circulate within the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, so plastic pouches (HS 3923) enter the EU without customs duty when accompanied by an A.TR movement certificate; import VAT is still payable in the destination country. For the UK, the UK-Türkiye trade agreement applies, and preferential treatment depends on meeting its origin rules. For the US, tariff rates on goods from Türkiye have changed repeatedly since 2025, so they must be checked with a customs broker or on hts.usitc.gov at the time of order. The full picture is in our guide to sourcing packaging from Türkiye.

Minimum quantities for printed pouches depend on print method, structure, format and the number of designs. Digital printing allows much lower quantities per design than gravure, where cylinder cost has to be spread over the run. MOQ, cost, lead time and RFQ preparation are covered in the procurement guides: packaging MOQ, packaging cost drivers, packaging lead times and the packaging RFQ guide.

What are pouches called in German, Dutch, UK and US specifications?

The same pouch goes by different names in each market, which causes confusion in RFQs and translated specifications.

• Germany and Austria: Standbodenbeutel (stand-up pouch), also simply "Doypack"; Flachbodenbeutel or Blockbodenbeutel (flat-bottom pouch); Seitenfaltenbeutel (side-gusset bag); Druckverschluss or Zip-Verschluss (zipper); Aromaschutzventil (degassing valve).
• Netherlands and Flanders: stazak (stand-up pouch), blokbodemzak (flat-bottom), zak met zijvouw (side-gusset).
• UK: stand-up pouch or doypack; "box pouch" for flat-bottom; "bespoke" is often used for a custom size or structure.
• US: stand-up pouch; "flat-bottom bag" or "box bottom bag"; thickness sometimes quoted in mil (1 mil = 25.4 µm) and sizes in inches and ounces.

Related packaging

If your range includes rigid retail packaging, compare with custom printed folding cartons, which are often used as a pouch alternative for dry goods or as an outer carton for pouches. For carrier, mailing and other film bags, see custom printed plastic bags.

What to send for a pouch quotation

A quotation is only as accurate as the brief. Send the following and we can propose a structure and confirm the specification at technical review:

• Product: what goes in, fill weight, and bulk density if known (or a sample).
• Protection: target shelf life, storage conditions, sensitivity to oxygen, moisture, light or aroma loss; whether the product is hot-filled, frozen, nitrogen-flushed or freshly roasted.
• Markets: where the pouch will be sold (EU, UK, US) and any recyclability or recycled-content targets.
• Format and size: preferred format, target dimensions or a reference pouch you already use.
• Features: zipper type, valve, tear notch or laser score, hang hole, window, rounded corners, spout.
• Finish: gloss, matt or registered matt/gloss; metallic effects.
• Print: number of designs and colours, artwork status, colour standards.
• Supply form: pre-made pouches or roll stock (with your FFS machine details).
• Quantities: per design and annual estimate.
• Documents needed: food-contact Declaration of Compliance, migration test reports, material composition data for EPR reporting.

Send your brief through our contact page, or use the packaging RFQ guide to prepare a complete specification.

Packaging sets by industry

• Packaging for Coffee Shops and Café Chains: the full coffee shop packaging set and how this product fits into it

Related reading

• All custom printed flexible packaging
• How Flexible Pouches Are Made: Printing, Lamination and Pouch Making