Custom Paper Bag Specs Factories Need: Handle, GSM, Print, Quantity
A custom paper bag quote stalls when the brief is only a logo on a brown bag. Factories price handle, GSM, print and quantity as four different costs. Missing one of them produces a number you cannot use.
This site’s bag category is Paper Bags. Apparel programs that pair bags with mailers are on Clothing Packaging. Process and sampling sit on Custom Packaging. The matching two-structure note is How Apparel Brands Combine Mailer Boxes and Paper Bags.
Handle
Twisted paper, flat paper, ribbon or rope: each handle has a different punch, reinforcement and labor. Say the handle type and whether it must take a named weight. A shopping bag that carries a bottle is not the same spec as a tissue-stuffed fashion bag.
Reinforcement patches hide under the fold. If you want an unpatched look, say so — the GSM and the handle then have to do more work. Do not assume a thin kraft can take a wine bottle because a photo looked sturdy.
GSM and size
Send width × height × gusset and the paper GSM you want, or send a sample bag. “Thick kraft” is not a GSM. If the bag must stand open on a counter, say so — that can change the bottom card.
If the bag must hold a gift box, send the boxed L × W × H, not only the product. A bag sized to a bottle will not take the rigid box around that bottle.
One-color on kraft and full CMYK on coated paper are different quotes. Foil on a bag is possible on some structures and not on others. Mark the print area away from the fold and the handle patch.
If the bag must match a mailer or a gift box, send both dielines and the same Pantone. Matching “by eye” from two photos is how programs drift. Print cost drivers are the same family as custom box printing and foil.

Quantity and packing
Quantity drives plate and setup. Packing — how many bags per carton, and whether they ship flat — belongs on the same email. If the bag ships with a mailer box as one program, say that so freight is not quoted twice in isolation.
Trial quantities are confirmed on quote. Do not copy another brand’s MOQ into the brief. A reprint on an approved bag can be shorter than a new handle and a new size.

What a first bag sample should prove
The handle attachment, the bottom square, and the print position. A pretty face with a tearing handle is a fail. If staff will stuff tissue in-store, test that motion. If the bag is e-commerce void fill around a mailer, say so — that is a different crease pattern than a retail carry.
Send the same sample path as boxes when the bag is new: unprinted or lightly marked first if the size is unproven, then print. A logo on an untested gusset is how you reprint a handle patch. Keep one approved bag in the file with the PO code written on the bottom card.
If the bag is part of a gift-with-purchase, say the gift box size. A tote that looks right empty can still fail when a rigid lid is dropped in at the till.
Why Choose Jiayi Packaging
Bags and boxes in one program need one plant conversation. Jiayi Packaging lists paper bags next to mailer boxes and gift boxes, and runs sampling in Shenzhen. Factory background and certificate names are on Factory.
A bag brief that includes handle, GSM, print and quantity gets a number you can compare. A logo on a napkin sketch gets questions.
FAQ: custom paper bag specifications
Can I order a trial quantity?
Ask on the quote. Do not copy another brand’s MOQ into the brief.
Do I need a sample?
For a new handle or a new size, yes. For a reprint on an approved bag, send the last PO code.
Can the bag match the mailer print?
Yes, if you send both dielines and the same Pantone.
Is ribbon handle always more expensive?
Often, because of labor and the punch. Confirm on quote for that size and quantity.
A practical next step
Send size, GSM, handle type, print colors and quantity. Use Get a Quote.
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