How to Make Garment Carry Plastic Bags

A Professional Analysis of the Production Process and Techniques for Garment Carry Plastic Bags

Abstract: Garment carry plastic bags are not just carriers for product transportation but also a frontline for brand image and marketing communication. A high-quality plastic bag, from design to delivery, involves a complex chain of processes and rigorous quality control. This article systematically analyzes the entire process of garment carry plastic bags, from conceptualization to finished product delivery, providing a professional and detailed technical guide for clothing brands, procurement personnel, and industry practitioners.

Chapter 1: Pre-Production Planning and Design—Laying the Brand Foundation

Thorough planning and design before production are essential to ensure the final product meets expectations.

1.1 Defining Functional Positioning and Requirements

First, clarify the specific purpose of the plastic bag:

Load-bearing capacity: Estimate the maximum weight of the garments to be carried (e.g., the significant difference between a down jacket and ten T-shirts). This directly determines the thickness of the plastic (unit: centi-micron, 1 centi-micron = 0.01 mm).

Dimensions: Determine the bag’s width, height, and side thickness based on common garment sizes (e.g., hanger length, folded volume).

Usage scenario: Is it for premium packaging in high-end retail stores or protective packaging for e-commerce shipping? This determines its appearance, texture, and cost control.

1.2 Core Design Elements

Design is the silent ambassador of the brand and must be approached with professionalism and precision.

Material Selection:

PE (Polyethylene): The most commonly used material, soft to the touch, good flexibility, environmentally friendly, and recyclable. It is categorized into:

HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene): High rigidity, crisp feel, high transparency, suitable for vest bags.

LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene): Soft, good flexibility, slightly lower transparency.

LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene): Combines strength and flexibility, currently the mainstream choice.

OPP (Oriented Polypropylene): Extremely high transparency, vibrant printing colors, but lower flexibility, prone to tearing, often used for gift packaging.

Composite Film: To achieve special effects (e.g., matte, laser), PE and OPP materials are laminated together, resulting in higher costs.

Thickness (Grammage):

Conventional garment bag thickness ranges from 1.5 to 6 centi-microns. Single summer garments typically use 1.5–2.5 centi-microns; winter heavy garments or sets may require 4–6 centi-microns or thicker.

Professional advice: Conduct load-bearing tests to determine the optimal thickness, balancing cost and durability.

Handle Design:

Vest Bags: Most economical, relatively lower load-bearing capacity.

Punched Handles: Holes are punched directly at the top of the bag, and plastic cords are threaded through as handles. Moderate cost, widely used.

Heat-Sealed Handles (Loop Handles): An additional plastic strap is heat-sealed onto the bag to form a sturdy loop handle. This is the most mainstream and professional method for garment bags, offering strong load-bearing capacity, comfortable grip, and a neat appearance.

Wooden Stick/String Handles: Used for high-end gift bags, created by embedding wooden sticks or threading ribbons/cotton cords through the bag opening to enhance.

Printing Techniques:

Offset Printing: Suitable for paper, not for plastic.

Gravure Printing (Cylinder Printing): The most mainstream printing method for plastic packaging. Offers rich colors, detailed layers, fast printing speeds, and suitability for long runs. Requires engraving plates, which incurs higher setup costs.

Flexographic Printing: More environmentally friendly (uses water-based inks), suitable for medium to short runs, but color saturation is slightly inferior to gravure printing.

Design File Specifications: Provide vector files (AI or CDR format), use CMYK color mode, and include bleed areas (typically 3mm). Pay special attention to the precision of lines and text to avoid blurry printing.

Chapter 2: Production Process—Each Step of Precision Manufacturing

Once the design is confirmed, the core production phase begins.

2.1 Film Blowing

PE plastic pellets are fed into a film blowing machine, where they undergo heating, extrusion, and inflation to form tubular plastic film of predetermined width and thickness. This step is critical for controlling material uniformity and thickness.

2.2 Printing

Using a gravure printing machine, high-speed printing is performed on the tubular material. Each color corresponds to a printing cylinder, and precise registration reproduces the design. After printing, the ink is dried to ensure adhesion.

2.3 Lamination and Curing (If Applicable)

For composite film materials, different material films are bonded using adhesives at this stage. They then enter a curing room where the adhesive fully sets under controlled temperature, forming a solid composite.

2.4 Bag Making

This is the core process of transforming printed tubular material into finished bags.

Cutting: Precise cutting based on the preset bag height.

Folding and Heat-Sealing Handles: Using a bag-making machine, handle straps are precisely placed on both sides of the bag and heat-sealed. Temperature, pressure, and time control in this step are crucial, directly affecting handle strength.

Bottom Sealing: The bottom of the bag is heat-sealed to form a complete container.

Punching and Edge Cutting: Holes are punched for handles, and the bag opening is trimmed to ensure smooth edges without burrs.

2.5 Quality Inspection and Packaging

Online Quality Check: Operators periodically sample bags at the end of the production line to check for issues like printing errors, sealing defects, or dimensional inaccuracies.

Offline Full Inspection: Finished bags undergo load-bearing tests, drop tests, and seal strength tests to ensure physical performance meets standards.

Counting and Packaging: Bags are typically bundled in sets of 100 or 500, sealed in packaging bags, and labeled with specifications, quantities, and production batches for easy storage and transportation.

Chapter 3: Quality Control and Industry Standards

Professional production must adhere to strict quality standards.

3.1 Key Quality Indicators

Dimensional Tolerance: Length, width, and handle position errors must be controlled within ±1–2 mm.

Thickness Uniformity: Thickness should be consistent across the bag; significant deviations can create weak points under load.

Printing Quality: No color discrepancies, misregistration, ink spots, or scratches.

Seal Strength: The sealed areas between handles and the bag body, as well as the bottom seal, must withstand repeated lifting under specified weights.

Odor Control: Use raw materials and inks compliant with food-grade or environmental standards to ensure no irritating odors.

3.2 Environmental Considerations and Regulations

With growing global environmental awareness, brands must focus on:

Recyclability: Clearly inform consumers that the bag is made of PE and can be recycled through plastic film recycling channels.

Thickness Reduction: Optimize processes to reduce bag thickness while maintaining functionality, minimizing plastic use at the source.

Use of Eco-Friendly Inks: Prefer water-based or soy-based inks.

Regulatory Compliance: Ensure products meet the legal requirements of the sales region, such as restrictions on heavy metal content.

Chapter 4: Efficient Collaboration with Suppliers

Effective communication between brands and bag manufacturers is crucial for project success.

Provide Detailed Technical Packages: Include design source files, dimension diagrams, material requirements, thickness, quantity, delivery dates, etc.

Request Samples: Before mass production, always ask suppliers for physical samples to confirm handle, color, dimensions, and all other details.

Define Acceptance Criteria: Clearly specify AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) standards in contracts to avoid disputes.

Factory Audits and Mid-Production Inspections: For critical orders, arrange factory audits or mid-production inspections to ensure controlled processes.

Conclusion

Producing what seems like a simple garment carry plastic bag is actually a systematic project integrating materials science, printing technology, mechanical engineering, and brand aesthetics. From precise pre-production planning to strict control over each production step, and finally, rigorous quality inspection, every phase reflects professionalism and meticulousness. For clothing brands, a deep understanding of this process not only helps control costs and quality effectively but also elevates a small packaging bag into a powerful tool for conveying brand value and enhancing consumer experience.