Custom Sandwich Bags

About Custom Sandwich Bags

A sandwich bag is handled at a specific moment. The handoff. The customer has waited, the food is ready, and the bag is what they take away and look at while they carry it. That makes the bag a surface that is read at close range and in full, without competing packaging around it, which is unusual. Most packaging competes for attention on a shelf; a sandwich bag has the customer's attention already.

Sizing is the specification that decides whether the bag works. A bag sized for a full sub is far too tall for a half-sandwich, which lets the sandwich slide and reads as an oversized bag. A bag sized for a half-sandwich will not take a full one at all. Because delis and cafés typically sell both, the practical answer is usually two sizes rather than one compromise size: and both can be quoted together from a single artwork set.

Construction follows from the food. Kraft paper suits a sandwich that is dry or lightly dressed and gives a natural, traditional presentation. A lined or grease-resistant construction suits sandwiches with oil, dressing, or melted cheese, where an unlined paper would show a translucent stain by the time the customer opens it. A window shows the sandwich itself, which is a strong selling point for a deli that builds sandwiches worth looking at.

Sizing a Bag to Your Actual Sandwich

Exact dimensions are confirmed with your quote against your actual product measurements, because a size band cannot capture the difference between a ciabatta and a wrap.

The width is the dimension that decides whether the sandwich goes in without being forced. A bag narrow enough for a half-sandwich will not take a full one at all, and forcing a full sandwich into it crushes the bread. The height decides how much of the sandwich sits below the top edge, which matters more than it sounds: a bag far too tall for its contents lets the sandwich slide, and a sliding sandwich arrives rearranged.

Because delis and cafés typically sell more than one format, the practical answer is usually two sizes rather than one compromise, and both can be quoted together from a single artwork set. That is cheaper than it sounds and it removes the daily decision of which bag to reach for.

Construction, Grease and Food Contact

The construction decision is usually about grease rather than aesthetics, and it is the one that shows first when it is wrong. An unlined kraft bag is the right choice for a dry sandwich: a baguette, a cold cut, a wrap without dressing. Where the sandwich has oil, dressing or melted cheese, a lined or grease-resistant construction keeps the bag looking clean through the handoff and the customer's carry. An unlined bag on an oily sandwich develops a visible stain within minutes, and the stain is what the customer sees first.

There is more than one route to grease resistance and the options are not interchangeable, so the construction is specified against what you actually sell rather than applied across the range. Tell us the sandwich, whether it goes in warm, and whether it is dressed, and the specification follows from that.

PFAS is worth naming here, because it has historically appeared in some grease-resistant paper treatments, and it is relevant to certain grease-resistant and food-contact paper packaging requirements. Sandwich packaging is one of the categories where buyers are most often asked about it. If a customer, a contract or your own policy imposes a PFAS requirement, state it on your order so it is designed in. Food-contact suitability, any PFAS position, and ink, coating and adhesive documentation all depend on the exact material and configuration you are quoted, and the documentation for your build is available on request.

• Unlined kraft: for dry sandwiches, baguettes and undressed wraps.
• Lined or grease-resistant: for oily, dressed or warm sandwiches, specified against your product.
• Poly window: shows the sandwich through the bag.
• State any PFAS or food-contact requirement up front so it is designed into the specification.

Why Delis and Cafés Print Their Sandwich Bags

A sandwich is made in front of the customer and handed over in a bag within a couple of minutes. That whole exchange is a brand moment with a very short window, and the bag is the object that carries it out of the door. In a category where a customer chooses between two nearby lunch options on any given day, being the one they remember matters.

The supply argument is practical as well. Delis and cafés go through sandwich bags steadily, and they usually need deli paper, napkins, and labels alongside them. Specifying all of it with one supplier means one artwork set, one delivery, and one reorder: which is why sandwich bags are usually ordered as part of a counter supply package rather than on their own.

How Pricing Works

Custom sandwich bags are quoted per project rather than sold at a list price, because the cost moves with the bag size, the construction, whether a window is used, how much print coverage your artwork uses, and the quantity you run.

Submit your configuration in the configurator and a specialist returns pricing for your exact combination, including what the price covers: bags, printing, delivery, and artwork setup.

Artwork Requirements

Vector artwork gives the cleanest result, because the file scales to the bag without losing edge quality.

• Preferred: AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF, vector formats.
• Acceptable: PNG or JPG at high resolution.
• If you only have your logo, we can prepare the bag layout for you.
• Fine linework on uncoated paper may fill in, we flag this during review.
• A color reference (hex code, Pantone number, or a physical sample) helps us match accurately.

Reordering

Sandwich bags are consumed continuously through service, so they reorder on a short cycle. Because your size, construction, and approved artwork are recorded against your order, reordering is a matter of confirming your previous configuration and quantity. Tell a specialist you are reordering and reference your previous project.