Get The Latest Packaging
Digest Subscribe

A sachet bag is a small sealed flexible packet — a flat or pillow-shaped pouch made from printed film or a paper laminate and closed on all sides — used for single servings of powder, granules, liquids or creams. We supply custom sachet packaging made to your artwork, with free design and free proofing; quotes come back within 24 hours and physical samples in 1–3 business days. If you need the film printed, sized and finished to your product, this is the page to start from. Flexible packaging orders start at 500 pcs.

What a Sachet Bag Is Used For

A sachet bag is the packaging of a single serving. It is used where a product is sold in small doses rather than in a jar: a sample sachet of a supplement powder, a single-use cream, a drink mix, a granule for a hot drink, or a single dose of a cosmetic.

The format has three advantages a rigid container cannot match. It is light, so freight cost per unit is low. It is flat, so a large number of sachets fit into a small display carton or a counter box. And it is cheap per unit at volume, which makes it the usual choice for sampling or for a travel format.

The trade-off is protection and presentation. A sachet is a thin barrier compared with a jar or a can, so the film has to be chosen for the product inside, and the print has to work on a small, flexible surface. Both are decisions worth making before the artwork rather than after it.

If the product is sold as a multi-serve pack rather than a single dose, a stand up pouch or a printed carton is usually the better format, and a sachet is often used alongside it for a sample.

Custom Sachet Packaging: Flat, Pillow and Stick Formats

Custom sachet packaging comes in three shapes, and each suits a different use.

A flat sachet is the classic four-side-seal packet: a flat, rectangular pouch sealed on all four edges with a fin or a lap seam. It lies flat, stacks neatly and accepts a wide print panel on the front. It is the most common format for a sample or a single dose, and it is the shape most buyers mean by “sachet”.

A pillow sachet — also called a three-side-seal or back-seal pouch — is sealed on three sides with a single seam down the back. It uses less film for the same volume, and it is used for larger single servings such as a granule or a drink mix.

A stick or strip sachet is a long, narrow tube, usually sealed across the top and bottom. It is used for a very small dose of powder or liquid, is easy to tear open, and is often chosen for a product taken in a daily series.

The format follows the dose. Tell us the fill weight or fill volume and how the customer will open the sachet, and we will recommend the shape rather than start from the artwork.

Powder Sachet Bag: Seam, Barrier and Fill Size

A powder sachet bag is the most common request we receive, and the powder changes the specification in three ways.

First, the seam. Fine powder creeps. It finds its way into a seal area that is not fully flat and it prevents a clean weld, so the seal width has to be generous and the film has to run without wrinkles. We ask how fine the powder is, because a micronised powder needs a wider seal than a coarse granule.

Second, the barrier. A powder can be sensitive to moisture, oxygen or aroma, and the film has to reflect that. A basic clear film is fine for a short shelf life in a dry product; a metallised or high-barrier laminate is used where the product will sit for longer or travel through a humid climate. Tell us the shelf-life target and the storage conditions and we will propose a laminate rather than a single film.

Third, the fill size. A sachet that is filled too full will not seal flat, and one that is underfilled looks cheap and can trap air that makes the pack bulge. The reliable approach is to size the sachet from the fill weight and the powder’s bulk density rather than from a finished measurement, so the pack sits flat after sealing.

Materials and Printing for Sachet Bags

Sachet film is chosen for the product first and the print second, because a barrier that does not protect the contents is not worth the ink on it.

PET and PE structures are the workhorses. A PET outer layer gives a printable, glossy surface and strength; a PE inner layer gives the heat seal and the moisture resistance. The combination is the usual base for a powder or granule sachet.

Metallised film adds a barrier against light, oxygen and moisture and gives the pack a silver, reflective look that reads as premium on a counter. It is common for supplement and coffee sachets.

Paper laminates are used where a paper feel and a matte surface suit the brand. They are printable like a label and are often chosen for a natural positioning, though the barrier is lower than a metallised structure.

Transparent film is used where the customer should see the product, and it is usually paired with a printed border or a printed band rather than a full flood.

Print on a sachet is normally flexographic, which handles solid colour and repeat patterns well, or digital for a shorter run. Finishes are limited on film — matte or gloss varnish and a registered matte or gloss lacquer are the practical options. Hot foil and emboss belong to card and carton, not to a flexible film, so a metallic look on a sachet is achieved with metallised film rather than foil.

Minimums and How a Sachet Order Runs

Tell us the sachet size, the format and the film you have in mind and we will confirm the minimum with your quote. Our printed cartons, cards and plastic trays start at 100 pcs and our labels start at 1,000 pcs, and the setup for a sachet run depends on the size, the film and the print method.

The sequence for a first order:

1. Send the fill weight or volume, the product type, and the quantity.
2. We return a quote within 24 hours, with a format, a size and a film recommendation.
3. Free design and proofing. Send artwork and we place it on the dieline and return a proof; if you have only a logo, we propose one to three layouts, normally within two to three days.
4. Physical sample in 1–3 business days, so you can check the size, the seal and the surface.
5. Bulk production after sample approval, behind four quality gates: incoming material, first article, in-process random sampling and final AQL inspection with defects isolated.
6. Delivery by sea, air or express to the regions we serve. Payment by T/T with a 30–50% deposit.

FAQ

What is the difference between a flat sachet and a pillow sachet?
A flat sachet is sealed on all four edges and lies flat. A pillow sachet is sealed on three sides with a single back seam and uses less film for the same volume. Flat sachets suit a sample or a single dose; pillow sachets suit a larger single serving.

Can you print a powder sachet bag in my artwork?
Yes. Sachet film is normally printed flexographically for a longer run or digitally for a short one. Send artwork and we will return a proof on the dieline.

What film should I use for a powder sachet?
It depends on the shelf life and the storage conditions. PET and PE structures suit a dry product with a short shelf life; a metallised or high-barrier laminate suits a longer life or a humid climate. Tell us the product and we will recommend one.

How is a sachet bag sized?
From the fill weight and the product’s bulk density, not from a finished measurement. A sachet filled too full will not seal flat, and an underfilled one bulges with trapped air.

What is the minimum order?
Tell us the size, format and film and we will confirm the minimum with your quote. Our printed cartons, cards and plastic trays start at 100 pcs and labels start at 1,000 pcs.

Can a sachet use hot foil or embossing?
No — those are card and carton processes. On a flexible sachet a metallic look is achieved with metallised film, and the practical finishes are matte or gloss varnish and a registered lacquer.

Start a sachet bag project — send the fill weight, the product type and your target quantity, and you will have a format recommendation and a price within 24 hours. Free design and free proofing included; samples in 1–3 business days.