Video Transcript

I’m Shannon Winans host of “On the Pulse of Packaging.” On this episode we welcome Joe Wieske, product expert at PAC Machinery Bags and Materials Division. Here Joe talks about his role.

I spec out materials and bags for products that run through roll bag automatic bagging systems. We also work with customers providing materials and bags for their existing bagging equipment.

The current customer was looking for a Duplex bag with a logo printed in the white block we are offering an alternative of a white Front film with one colored print logo that gives them a reduced cost because of less printing and a better lead time because we don’t have to run it through our press department. Now an example of a two-color print, white block bag here is an example of a printed white block with printed logo and information.

Here is a duplex bag clear on the back, opaque front with a printed logo. So duplex is a combo bag of a colored material and a clear material. Still gives you the opportunity to see the product in the bag on the clear side but using white film is less expensive than printing an additional white block. It’s a great bag. Unfortunately, it has to run through our press department with two color print. We can offer an alternative of a white front, clear back, imprinting the logo on the white side of the bag in an inline process which is less expensive than printing a two-color print job on a pre-opened bag. Lead time or ship time on a custom poly bag is always an issue for customers. We all know that that product needs to get out the door and if you don’t have bags they can’t get out the door so we offer this inline print versus running through our press department.  Running through the press department with more than one color print, requires an additional 2-3 week lead time. Setting up the press getting the artwork, getting it processed, which is all the same for a one color job. However if we don’t have to run it through our press department, if we can print on the back of our bag machine one color on a white block you’re saving that delivery time. Increasing it from, as an example, today 8 weeks versus 14 weeks okay.

Q- What do the customers like about those products?

The white block and printed logo obviously the customer the end user wants to see their logo advertised they want their branding displayed in the white block. Also thermal print information on the bagger such as UPC codes, date codes, any information that applies to the product in the bag. The white opaque duplex bag can do the exact same thing except having the entire one side of the bag white and not having to print that white block, there there’s no disadvantage from the standpoint of when you have a bag that’s almost covered in a white block you might as well use a white front bag which obviously is about 30% less expensive and customers that uses a clear bag is that because they want to be able to have the customer see what’s inside of the bag  because obviously you want to see the product or they don’t want to go through the expense of having the bag printed with a white block.

Insider tip: anytime you print on a pre-opened bag you should have some contrast. For example, if we took a clear bag and put some black product in it say screws, nuts, bolts and you print a UPC code –  if you don’t have white behind it you don’t have enough contrast to be able to scan it so the advantage obviously is to have either a white block or a white film on the front of the bag where you’re printing variable information.

Insider tip ask us about alternatives to what you’re asking for as a quote request for material whether you want a one two or three or four colored job then let us take a look at it and find the most cost efficient way for us to produce the bag for you. That could be things like we just talked about. White to clear vs printing white block and two color with an additional colored print. Also Mill thicknesses sizing there’s a lot of alternatives to what someone may be using once we start producing poly bags or customers start using them. They’d use the same bags for 10 years or five years or six years. Things change, materials change. You can always come up with an alternative material that may save going from a three mil bag to a two mil bag.

Perfect all right thank you thank you for watching “On the Pulse of Packaging,” I’m Shannon Winans. See all of our episodes in our blog at pacmachinery.com.