The printed artwork gets most of the attention when a brand designs a pouch. The features are what the consumer actually touches. A zipper that clogs with powder, a tear notch that will not start, or a package a child can open are the things that generate complaints, returns and in some categories regulatory problems.
This is a walk through every feature we build into a pouch, what it is for, and which products should have it.
Tear notch
A tear notch is a small cut in the side seal, just above the zipper, that gives the consumer a starting point. Without it, the top of a laminated pouch is hard to open by hand. With it, the film tears straight across.
Every resealable pouch should have one. The zipper is useless if the consumer has to fight the top seal with scissors before reaching it. Single-use formats like stick packs rely on the tear notch as the only opening.
Standard resealable zipper
The standard zipper is a press-to-close track sealed inside the pouch below the tear notch. The consumer tears off the top, opens the zipper, and closes it again after each use.
This is the closure for anything opened more than once: dry pet food, treats, snacks, coffee, granola, gummies, protein powder in larger sizes. Pet brands in particular lean on stand up pouches with resealable closures because a bag of treats is opened dozens of times before it is empty, and the zipper keeps the contents fresh and the smell contained between uses.
Powder resistant zipper
Fine powders find their way into a standard zipper track and keep it from closing. The result is a pouch that looks sealed and is not.
A powder resistant zipper is built so that closing the zipper pushes the product out of the track and back into the pouch. It is the correct choice for protein powders, greens blends, drink mixes, flour based products, spice blends and anything else with a fine particle size. If your product leaves dust on the inside of a standard pouch, specify this zipper.
Child resistant zipper
A child resistant zipper requires a deliberate action that a young child cannot easily perform, such as pressing a tab while sliding, or lifting an inner flap before the zipper can be reached. To an adult it is a small extra step. To a child it is a locked door.
Cannabis and CBD packaging is the main category here. Custom printed pouches with child resistant zippers are a safe, convenient and cost-effective way to sell loose flower, gummies, mints and pre-rolls, and a child resistant pouch is an easily stored package that cannot be tampered with by the wrong hands. Some household chemical products and supplements also use the closure for the same reason.
If your product falls under child resistant packaging requirements in your state, confirm the current rules with your regulatory advisor before finalizing the pouch, since requirements vary by jurisdiction and product type.
Clear or translucent window
A window is an area of the pouch left unprinted so the consumer can see the product. On a clear film pouch, the window is simply the portion of the design left open. On a white or metallized pouch, the window is a defined shape where the opaque film gives way to clear.
Windows sell products that look good: granola, nuts, candies, dried fruit, treats, loose flower. They are less useful on powders, which cake against the film, and on products where the brand would rather control the presentation with full coverage printing. A matte finish paired with a clear glossy window is a popular combination because the contrast frames the product.
Hang holes
A hang hole is a die cut at the top of the pouch, above the zipper and seal, that lets the package hang from a peg. It is standard on lay flat pouches sold from clip strips and hooks, and it is available on stand up pouches that need to work in both shelf and peg displays. A pouch that will only ever stand on a shelf does not need one.
Handles
Larger pouches, especially the large flexible pouches used for dry pet food, benefit from a handle near the top. The consumer carries the bag by the handle instead of hugging it, and the handle doubles as a hang point in some displays.
Venting valves
Freshly roasted coffee releases carbon dioxide for days after packaging. A sealed pouch without a valve swells. A one way degassing valve lets the gas out without letting oxygen in. For coffee brands, pre-printed coffee bags with venting valves are available, as are zippered pouches for coffee.
Rounded corners
A pouch with square corners has four sharp points that catch on shipping cases and on other packages. Rounded corners are a special finishing option that softens the edge. It is a small detail that reads as a more finished package on the shelf.
Putting a feature list together
For most products, the feature set is straightforward once the product and the display are known.
A dry pet food or treat pouch: stand up gusset, tear notch, standard resealable zipper, handle on larger sizes, optional window.
A protein or drink mix pouch: stand up gusset, tear notch, powder resistant zipper, high barrier material, no window.
A cannabis or CBD pouch: stand up or lay flat, tear notch, child resistant zipper, window or full coverage print depending on the product.
A coffee pouch: stand up gusset, venting valve, zipper, high barrier material.
A single-serve snack or sample: lay flat with hang hole, or a stick pack or sachet with a tear notch and no zipper.
Where K. Sidrane fits in
Every pouch we print and convert at our Farmingdale, New York flexible packaging facility is built to order, with tear notches, standard, powder resistant or child resistant zippers, windows, hang holes, handles and rounded corners specified per product. The Pouch Studio quote form walks through these choices in order so nothing gets missed.
If you are speccing a new pouch and are not sure which features it needs, reach us at orders@ksidrane.com, at 631-393-6974, or through the quote request form.