Mylar Ziplock Bags.

We match the track to how many times the bag will be opened. A pack that is emptied in two or three uses can take the standard press-to-close profile. A pack that is opened every morning for a month wears a light zipper loose and stops sealing, which throws away whatever the film was chosen for.

For heavy daily use we go to a thicker interlocking profile, or a pull-tab version that is easier to find and grip. The uplift per bag is small next to the cost of a barrier that no longer closes.

BOPP over metallised PET over LLDPE is the workhorse, and it is where we start most quotes. The metallised middle layer gives a strong light and oxygen barrier at a moderate price. Step up to a real aluminium foil laminate when shelf life is long or the contents are sensitive to oxygen, and step down to clear PET and LLDPE only when seeing the product matters more than protecting it.

Kraft over PE gives a paper face for natural positioning. Film gauge runs 0.10 to 0.20 mm, with 0.12 to 0.14 the typical band.

The notch has to sit above the track so the first tear removes the top strip and leaves the zipper whole. Put it below and the customer tears straight through the closure, and the bag never reseals again. It sounds obvious, and we still see dielines that get it wrong.

Above the notch line there is usually a heat seal as well, which gives a true airtight barrier until the bag is first opened. After that the zipper takes over for everyday reclosing.

Gravure print in CMYK plus Pantone spots, on food-standard soy inks, with matte lamination as the finish most brands ask for. Gloss reads louder on a grocery shelf. Soft-touch adds a velvet hand-feel at a noticeable premium. Spot gloss over a matte base lets a logo show as sheen rather than colour.

On a metallised laminate you can also leave areas unprinted so the silver layer shows through as a mirror. A clear window does the same for product visibility, at the cost of light barrier where it sits.

Common sizes run 3 x 5, 4 x 6, 6 x 9 and 8 x 12 inches, measured flat across the outside of the seals. Capacity depends on the density of what goes in, so a 6 x 9 pouch may hold anything from 100 g of one product to 250 g of another.

The quickest route is to send us the fill weight and a sample of the contents. We'll size the bag to it, with enough headspace above the zipper that product does not foul the track.

Yes, custom pouches start at 500 pieces. That minimum applies to any of the laminates, and it applies per size and per design, so three designs is three runs. Pricing tiers begin above 1,000 pieces and keep falling to the top of the range at 100,000.

If you are testing a new line, 500 is a sensible first run: enough to fill a shelf and see how the zipper holds up in customers' hands before you commit further.

Allow 7 to 10 business days for a standard production run once artwork is signed off. Rush service gets the job out in 5 to 7 business days when the schedule allows it. A pre-production sample reaches you in 5 to 7 business days, and its cost is credited back when the bulk order is placed.

We would open and close the sample fifty times before approving it. That is the only real test of whether a zipper track is right for the job.

The standard multi-layer laminates are not kerbside recyclable, but we do offer a mono-material PE structure that is designed for PE recycling streams. It runs on the same zipper and the same print, and the trade-off is a lower barrier than a metallised or foil laminate.

Whether that trade-off works depends on the shelf life you need. For short-dated products it often does. For anything that needs a long, tight barrier, the laminate stays the right call and the honest answer is that it goes in general waste.