A paper carrier bag where the handle is punched directly through the folded top edge — no cord, no glued strip, no separate component. The simplest handled format and the cheapest to produce.
Nothing to break off
Because the handle is part of the bag, there is no joint to fail. Twisted cords pull through their holes when paper is too thin; glued strips lift at the edge when the glue line is starved. A die cut handle has neither failure mode — if the paper tears, the whole bag was under-specified, not the handle.
What the die cut does to the paper
Punching an oval removes material from the top edge, which is also where the bag carries its load. That is why die cut bags are usually specified heavier than the same size in flat handle: the paper around the cut has to take the weight that a glued strip would have spread. On a light bag for bakery or dry goods it is a non-issue. On a dense load, go up a grade.
Where die cut fits
Bakery and patisserie, events and exhibitions, sample bags, bookshops, and any programme where the bag is a carrying device rather than a brand statement. It is also the format most often chosen for short-run event printing, because there is no handle component to hold up the production schedule.
Flat packing and freight
Bags ship and store flat, and because there is no cord or strip standing proud of the top edge, a carton holds more units per cubic metre than the same carton of twisted-handle bags. On container volumes that difference is usually larger than the per-unit price gap between formats.
Paper, printing and the lamination limit
Natural brown or white kraft, 50 to 140 gsm, printed up to six colours. Handled bags in this range are not laminated; the coated option belongs to the SOS paper bag range. Ask for a paper specification sheet per grade before you fix the print artwork, because ink behaves differently on each weight.
Custom range
| Item | Custom range |
|---|---|
| Face width | 80–550 mm |
| Side gusset | 60–280 mm |
| Height | 150–660 mm |
| Paper | Natural (brown) kraft or white kraft |
| Paper weight | 50–140 gsm |
| Style | Flat handle / Twisted handle / Die cut handle |
| Printing | Custom, up to 6 colours |
| Lamination | Not available |
| MOQ | 100,000 pcs per item (same size and same print) |
The paper bag range covers all three handled formats plus SOS and pinch bottom, and the packaging size guide lists the common retail dimensions. For counter service, see packaging for restaurants.
Testing a handle style against a real load? Send the bag size, contents and volume and we will quote flat, twisted and die cut versions of the same bag so you can compare in the hand.