Materials · Packaging substrates
The substrates a paper library cannot hold
A carton laminate is mostly board, but the board never touches the drink. A pouch is a stack of films chosen by the barrier the product needs. Neither has a weight in gsm or a shade name, so they live here, with the layer stack, what can be printed on the face, and what happens to it after use.
Carton laminates
6 entriesAseptic brick and gable-top cartons: paperboard with polymer, and sometimes foil, laminated to it. Mostly board by weight, but the board never touches the drink.
Aseptic brick carton laminate
Shelf-stable ambient drinks: oat and nut milks, juice, broth.
Aseptic brick, slanted top
Ambient drinks that want a pour spout and a shelf face at an angle.
Aseptic brick, aluminium-free
Ambient drinks where the carbon figure matters more than the longest possible shelf life.
Gable-top chilled carton
Chilled milk, oat drink and juice.
Kraft-face carton board
Cartons that want the board itself to read as the material, not a printed background.
Plant-based PE screw cap
Closure for gable-top and slanted-top cartons.
Flexible pouch films
8 entriesStand-up pouches, from the kraft-and-foil coffee bag to mono-material film you can drop off at a store. What barrier the pouch needs decides what it is made of, and what happens to it afterwards.
Kraft / PET / aluminium / PE pouch
The classic coffee pouch: kraft face outside, full barrier inside.
Kraft / PLA compostable pouch
Small-batch coffee, tea and dry goods sold through a short supply chain.
Matte BOPP / metallised PET / PE pouch
The matte black (or matte anything) coffee pouch.
Mono-material PE pouch
Brands that need a recyclable claim on the back panel and can live with a softer hand.
Metallised and iridescent film
Pouches where the film itself is the whole idea.
One-way degassing valve
Required for whole-bean coffee. Fresh roast gives off CO₂ for days.
Press-to-close zipper
Reclosure on coffee, snack and dry-goods pouches.
Tin tie
Reclosure with a craft read, usually on kraft-face bags.
Pick what's inside first
- 01
What's inside decides the barrier. Coffee, tea and fatty snacks hate oxygen. Powders hate moisture. Chilled drinks lean on the fridge.
- 02
The barrier decides the build. Foil and metallised cores keep things fresh the longest, and they're also what keeps a pack out of the recycling bin. Single-material films and alu-free cartons recycle more easily, but give up some barrier.
- 03
The finish is the skin over it. Kraft, matte, soft-touch or iridescent sits on the outside. Pick it last.
At a glance
| Material | Best for | Barrier | Prints best with | After use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aseptic brick carton laminate | Shelf-stable drinks that live in a cupboard for months: oat and nut milks, juice, broth, coffee drinks. | High | Flexo | Carton stream |
| Aseptic brick, slanted top | Ambient drinks that get poured more than once. The sloped top pours cleanly and the screw cap recloses. | High | Flexo | Carton stream |
| Aseptic brick, aluminium-free | Ambient drinks where a lower carbon figure and simpler recycling matter more than the longest possible shelf life. | Medium-high | Flexo | Carton stream |
| Gable-top chilled carton | Chilled milk, oat drink and juice sold from the fridge. | Low | Flexo | Carton stream |
| Kraft-face carton board | Cartons where the brown board itself is the look. | Low | Flexo | Carton stream |
| Plant-based PE screw cap | The closure on slanted-top and gable-top cartons. | n/a | Moulded colour | PE recycling |
| Kraft / PET / aluminium / PE pouch | Whole-bean and ground coffee, tea, and anything that goes stale in air. The long-shelf-life pick. | High | Flexo on the kraft face | Not recyclable |
| Kraft / PLA compostable pouch | Small-batch coffee, tea and dry goods sold and used quickly, through a short supply chain. | Medium | Flexo with water-based inks | Industrial compost |
| Matte BOPP / metallised PET / PE pouch | The matte black coffee bag, or any colour flood that wants a soft, glare-free surface. | Medium-high | Reverse-printed flexo | Not recyclable |
| Mono-material PE pouch | Brands that need a recyclable claim on the back panel and can live with a softer hand. | Medium | Flexo, up to 8 colours | PE recycling |
| Metallised and iridescent film | Pouches where the film itself is the whole idea. | Medium-high | Flexo with a white underprint wherever colour must stay true | Not recyclable |
| One-way degassing valve | Whole-bean coffee packed fresh off the roast. | n/a | n/a (a component, and it sits on top of the artwork) | Not recyclable |
| Press-to-close zipper | Reclosing coffee, snack and dry-goods pouches. | n/a | n/a (a component) | PE recycling |
| Tin tie | A craft reclose on kraft bags with a product that moves fast. | Low | n/a (a component) | Not recyclable |
Carton laminate or folding carton?
A folding carton (a tuck box, a mailer) is one sheet of board that's printed, foiled or embossed flat, then cut and glued. A drink carton is a laminate made at the mill: board plus polyethylene, and foil or a polymer barrier for long-life drinks. It's printed on a reel and only becomes a box when it's filled and sealed around the drink. That's why tactile finishes belong on folding cartons and boxes, and why carton minimums are set by the filling line.
Explore boxesWhat a film can and can't take
Can: digital or plate print, soft-touch or matte film, registered spot gloss, one small hot foil mark on the flat web, white underprint on metallised film, clear windows.
Can't: letterpress, deboss or emboss (a soft laminate has nothing to press into), large or multi-colour foil, exact Pantone on a digital pouch (it's simulated with process inks).
Where the craft goes instead: labels, hang tags and belly bands, at runs from 250.
Claims, certified or not at all
We only print a recyclable, compostable or food-contact claim when the film or carton maker has certified that exact structure. Ask for the certificate before the artwork is final.
- Recyclable (How2Recycle in the US; EU design-for-recycling grades from 2030)
- Compostable (EN 13432 / TÜV OK compost INDUSTRIAL or HOME / BPI, and the certificate names which)
- Food contact (the maker's declaration of compliance)
Frequently asked questions
Can you foil stamp or emboss a coffee pouch?
A small one-colour foil mark, yes: it's stamped on the flat film before the bag is formed, away from the zipper, valve and gussets. Letterpress and deboss, no. A pouch is a soft laminate with nothing for a plate to press into, so those go on a label, tag or band.
What's the minimum for custom printed pouches?
Digitally printed pouches start around 500 per design. Plate-printed (rotogravure) pouches make sense from about 10,000 per design. Below 500, a stock bag with a printed or foil label is the cleaner route, and the label is where foil, letterpress and deboss actually work.
Can a small brand get custom printed drink cartons?
Cartons are printed for the filling line that fills them, so the route goes through your co-packer. We design the artwork and prepare the files for your carton maker.
Is a kraft coffee bag recyclable?
Usually not. The kraft is only the outside; inside is plastic and often foil, and household streams can't separate them.
Compostable or recyclable, which should I pick?
Compostable suits short shelf life and customers with access to industrial composting. Recyclable mono-polyethylene suits brands that want a claim most customers can act on. Neither matches foil for shelf life.
Do coffee bags need a degassing valve?
For whole bean packed fresh, yes. Ground coffee degasses faster but still benefits.
Can you match my Pantone on a pouch?
On a digital pouch the spot colour is built from process inks, so it gets close, not exact. Plate-printed runs can use mixed spot inks. A label gives you true Pantone at small runs.
Why does my colour look different on kraft?
Ink is translucent, and kraft is brown, so everything shifts warmer and darker. Print white underneath for light colours, or design with the brown.