FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Product Questions
Our most commonly used material is white film, which gives the most vibrant colors in printed artwork.
For a product window, you'll need to use clear film. Clear film can also create translucent color effects in printed artwork.
For a shiny silver interior, you'll need to use metallized film. Metallized film can also create metallic color effects in printed artwork.
Our free sample pack includes all our materials and finishes to help you choose.
These films have the same basic material properties—the only difference is the tinting added to white film to make it opaque.
If you need a window or large unprinted area, use clear film. Otherwise, please use white film.
Mylar® is a specific BoPET material produced by DuPont Teijin Films. However, many people say "Mylar" to refer generally to metallic silver film.
We do offer a metallized film like this, although it's not Mylar® branded.
Recyclable films for our manufacturing process are still being developed, and we believe we'll be able to offer them soon.
We're excited by the packaging industry's progress in this area! Please check back with us periodically.
Compostable films are not currently available for our manufacturing process, so unfortunately we're not able to offer them.
However, the changing market and development of new technologies may make this possible in the future.
When compostable materials do become available, we'll do everything we can to bring them to our customers.
Yes! Windows require our clear film material.
We print a layer of opaque white ink first, then print the artwork on top—any areas without white ink will be clear windows. Your print file must include this white ink layer in addition to the regular artwork.
Our dielines include all the instructions and tools you'll need to create a window in your design.
These features have standard positions on our pouches, which are shown on our dielines:
- Tear notches are placed ⅞" below the top edge of the pouch on all sizes except S1, L13, and L14 (these small sizes have tear notches at ⅝" instead).
- Zippers are placed 1 ½" below the top edge of the pouch on all sizes except S1, L13, and L14 (these small sizes have zippers at 1 ¼" instead).
- Hang holes have their top edge ¼" below the top edge of the pouch on all sizes.
- Euro hang holes (25mm W x 10mm H) are not available on S1, L13, or L14 pouches—these small sizes can only fit round hang holes (5/16" diameter).
Due to our manufacturing process, the position measurements above can all vary up to 1/16" in any direction. This tolerance range is also shown in our dielines.
If you need these features moved, please specify the new positions in your Order Notes before checkout.
No, our zippers are push-to-close style. They do not have a slide.
We currently don't offer child-resistant zippers.
However, they may be available in the future! Please check back with us periodically.
Yes! Zippers (and all other pouch features) are added after printing.
Zippers are visible as a slightly raised line on the outside surface of the pouch, but they don't affect the readability of artwork.
However, if you want to avoid distortion, you can adjust your artwork to avoid the zipper area—our dielines show you where!
Yes! Tear notches are included on all our pouches by default, but we can leave them off.
If you don't want tear notches, select this option when placing your order.
We don't have the equipment to manufacture pouches with degassing valves, pour spouts, or other specialty fitments and features that aren't shown on our website.
We don't have the equipment to manufacture pouches with rounded corners. All our pouches have square corners.
We don't have the equipment to manufacture custom-shaped die-cut pouches. All our pouches are rectangular.
The best way to find the right pouch size is to physically test them with your product.
Our free sample pack includes all our standard sizes to help you choose the best fit.
We strongly recommend using a standard size that will work for your product, even if it's not quite a perfect fit. Our standard sizes have no minimums and a 5-business-day lead time.
We can manufacture custom sizes, but they will have a minimum quantity requirement (typically 5000) and a longer production lead time (typically 5–10 business days).
If you'd really like a custom sized pouch, please contact us at (612) 383-1960 or sales@thepkglab.com to discuss your project.
Yes! All our films are FDA approved for direct food contact.
For more details, you can check out our spec sheets here.
All our pouch films are high-barrier materials, which will help extend the shelf life of your product. However, there are many factors that affect a product's shelf life besides the packaging material.
For a full determination of shelf life, you'll need your product and packaging tested by a certified laboratory. We don't perform this kind of testing.
For more details, you can check out our spec sheets here.
All our pouch films can withstand normal retail/home freezer environments. If your product will be exposed to deep freeze temperatures (below -30°F), we recommend finding an alternative source for your pouches.
For more details, you can check out our spec sheets here.
Your pouches will arrive with the top unsealed and ready to fill. For smaller stand-up pouches, we recommend using a blunt tool to push the sides apart and flatten the gusset before filling.
Your pouches should be heat-sealed at 250–350°F. Please don't rely on a zipper closure alone to secure your product inside the pouch.
There are many types of heat sealers available for sealing your pouches. The simplest and least expensive type is an impulse sealer, which can seal pouches one at a time.
For larger operations, we recommend a continuous band sealer, which seals pouches as they move along a conveyor belt.
Artwork Questions
Yes! We print on a flat web of film, which is folded into pouches later in the production process.
This means your artwork can cover the entire exterior surface of the pouch—including the gusset of stand-up pouches.
Our dielines show the front, back, and gusset panels, and will help you make sure everything's turned the right way after the pouch is folded.
We print digitally in CMYK (no plates!), so there's no limit to the number of colors your artwork can use.
We don't perform a color-matching process. If you have concerns about the appearance of a particular color, we recommend:
- Make sure your file is set up in CMYK color mode, not RGB.
- Make sure all the colors in your file are 4-color process colors.
- If you have a Pantone® Color Bridge Coated swatchbook, review your colors to see how they'll translate into 4-color process.
No, we print digitally in 4-color process (CMYK). Any Pantone® colors in your file will be converted to CMYK by our press.
It's calibrated to be as accurate as possible, but some Pantone colors simply can't be well-approximated in CMYK.
To get the best idea of how your Pantone® colors will convert, please use the Color Bridge Coated swatchbook.
Yes, you can get black pouches by printing black artwork on any of our films.
After a lot of testing, we've found our press's truest black is simply 100% black (no cyan, magenta, or yellow).
Rich blacks (100% black plus some cyan, magenta, and/or yellow) tend to have a brownish tint to them, so we don't recommend using them.
We don't have the equipment to print spot varnish. Our pouches can be only a single finish (gloss or matte).
This will happen if the uploaded file is in RGB color mode—our site will automatically convert it to CMYK color mode for our press, which may noticeably change its appearance.
If the colors you see aren’t what you expected, we recommend converting your original file to CMYK in Illustrator, then adjusting the colors yourself if needed.
The best way to create a print-ready art file is using Adobe Illustrator, and saving your work as a high-resolution PDF file. For more information, please download a dieline.
No, you'll need to upload a PDF artwork file with your order, with the same dimensions as your pouch/film.
For information on how to set up your artwork, download a dieline.
We can't review files for orders that haven't been submitted yet. Once we have an order, our in-house graphics team will review the uploaded file.
If there's an issue with your file or if we have questions about the artwork, we'll reach out to you before producing your order.
Yes, for a fee. If you can't revise them yourself, we offer a file setup service for $125 per file. We will email an invoice with a link to pay online.
Yes! Our Design for Me service is for folks who don’t have access to a designer. We'll work with you to create a professional, custom pouch for your product.
No, our website will only allow PDF uploads for artwork.
If you have questions about creating a high-resolution PDF file, please download a dieline for the pouch size you're ordering—it'll have instructions to create a PDF print file.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
Each pouch design you're ordering needs its own item in your cart, which will allow you to upload a separate 1-page PDF artwork file for each of them.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
No, we can only print from a 1-page PDF file. Our dielines show how to place the front and back panel designs on a single page.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
Live (editable) text won't display correctly if we don't have the font file. To fix this, you need to outline all the text in your file. Outlined text no longer needs a font file, but it also can't be edited! Make sure to keep a version with live text.
To quickly outline all text in Illustrator, use Select → Object → All Text Objects, then use Type → Create Outlines.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
Images in your artwork file can be linked, which means they're not actually stored inside the artwork file—the art is pointing at a separate image file. If we don't have a copy of this image file, the link is "missing", and the image won't display correctly.
To fix this, images should be embedded so they're stored inside the artwork file. To embed images in Illustrator, use Window → Links. Our dielines contain detailed instructions.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
Please don't send us files for missing fonts/links. We don't have a prepress department, and therefore can't receive any files other than PDF artwork files.
Please make sure to outline your text and embed your images before uploading.
For more information on file specifications, please visit our Artwork Specifications page.
Once your order is placed you will receive a proof email. Please review your proof carefully. You will have the option to “ACCEPT” or “REJECT” this proof.
If you do nothing, in 12 hours your order will automatically move into production.
Our production moves fast! As a result we can't provide physical proofs, due to the cost and logistics that would require.
However, since we have no required minimum order quantity, you can place an order for just one pouch. And that pouch won't be a hand-made prototype; it'll be produced just like any other order.
Order Process Questions
Just one! We have no minimum order quantity on our standard pouch sizes.
Custom-size pouches will have a minimum order quantity (typically 5000).
Yes, but only for pouches with the same size and specifications (material, finish, zipper, and hang hole). You'll need to add separate items to your cart so you can upload each print file.
Yes! We have no minimum order quantity for our standard sizes, so you can order a small sample run if you'd like—even a single pouch.
Our standard production lead time is 5 business days. However, we offer expedited options—as little as 1 business day!
Please note: This does not include shipping transit time, which can add anywhere from 1–7 days depending on your shipping service selection and location.
FedEx Ground (included with your order) usually takes 1–7 days, depending on your location. We also offer FedEx's expedited services (Express Saver, 2-Day, or Overnight).
All orders ship from the Minneapolis metro area.
Most likely. But you'll need to submit your artwork file on our dieline, not one from another company.
We recommend finding the closest standard size to your current pouch. If the size is not the same, you'll need to adjust the artwork accordingly.
If you'd really like to match an existing pouch that's not one of our standard sizes, please contact us at (612) 383-1960 or sales@thepkglab.com to discuss your project.
Pricing for all our standard stand-up and lay-flat pouches, as well as our rollstock film, is available on their respective order pages. The price will update automatically as you choose or change your options.
If you're interested in pricing for a custom size, please contact us at sales@thepkglab.com.
No, the pricing you see on our website is your total cost.
Please note: Our pricing includes FedEx Ground shipping. Any expedited shipping service will incur additional costs.
No. We print on a flat web of film, which is folded into pouches later in the production process through several additional manufacturing steps.
Yes! Our entire manufacturing process happens at our facility in the Minneapolis metro area.