September
2009
 |
In This Issue:
• “It’s in the bag!” – Tips
for Gift and Shopping bag production in China
— Plastic Shopping bags
— Paper shopping bags
— Reusable shopping bags
• Case Study: Albertsons’ bag series
• Meet the Staff: Malcolm Zhu
• Upcoming Events
|
|
|
China Printing News, Tips on China Print Production
& Case Studies |
|
|
“It's
in the bag!”
-Tips for Gift and Shopping Bag Production
in China
(Shopping Bag
Solutions in China)
With the initial purpose of buying more purchases at one
time, invention of the shopping bag as we know it was
first accredited to a Minnesota old-style grocer named
Walter Deubner, who in 1912 patented the paper shopping
bag to help customers carry (and therefore purchase) more.
A century later, plastic, paper, non-woven, woven and
canvas bags are as integral to retail as shoppers themselves.
Here China Printing Solutions International presents a brief introduction to overseas production of shopping bags. |
PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS:
| Key
Benefits: low cost, fast turnaround |
Thickness
range: 0.2mil to 2 mil |
Options
Comparison:
|
Material |
Relative
Cost |
Typical
Usage |
Pros/Cons |
| HDPE
(high-density polyethylene) |
$$ |
T-shirt
bags, handled shopping bags, pharmaceutical bag |
Simple
manufacture; Large quantity produced at low cost;
Disposable |
| LDPE
(low-density polyethylene) |
$$$ |
Trash
bags, supermarket
shopping bags |
Similar
to HDPE, but with higher quality that can be re-used
|
| PP
(Polypropylene) |
$ |
clothing,
gift, wine bags |
Thicker
than PE, normally used in fashion retail shops |
|
PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) |
$$$$ |
Gift
bags, skin care products packaging |
Potentially
containing toxic properties, flexible, stronger
protection |
 Production
tips:
1.
Anti-dumping—Anti-dumping legislation in the
USA AND EU in the past few years has made purchasing plastic
shopping bags overseas more challenging. Manufacturers
are rated and assessed individually for anti-dumping tariffs.
CPS is proud to be able to produce plastic shopping bags
for clients free from anti-dumping tariffs.
2. CACO3—One way to reduce cost in plastic
bags is by adding Calcium Carbonate (CACO3) into the plastic
sheeting mix. As CACO3 costs less than plastic resin,
you will enjoy a parallel cost reduction from 1-3% of
the total cost. Be careful, however—adding CACO3
results in a weaker bag. Always ask your supplier for
details on CACO3 content and associated cost reduction.
China Printing Solutions recommends no more than 10-15%
total CACO3.
3. Color matching—Plastic bags are produced
using gravure printing—a rapid but relatively crude
process. This can result in (relatively) poor color registration,
artwork distortion and dot gain. Keep your artwork simple
line art. Ensure that type is at least 12 points…if
you want your ®’s and ™’s to be
legible, increase their size a bit. Be prepared for small
color shifts.
Environmental Tips:
1. Recycled Material—PE bags can be safely
produced with as much as 50-60% recycled material.
2. Bio-plastic—‘Plastics’ made
from stored carbon found in corn and other starchy vegetables
like Polyactide (PLA) can be used to produce approximations
of plastic bags. These bags are reputed to degrade in
a proper composting environment in as little as a few
months time. Beware, however: PLA bags are much weaker
than PE bags, difficult to print on and unsuitable for
many purposes.
3. Bio-degradeable
The promise of bio-degradeable bags, a rather recent entrant
in the race towards a more sustainable shopping bag solution,
is that by inserting trace amounts of additives like cobalt
and manganese, plastic bags will break down into basic
elements within 2-3 years, (as compared with 100 years
or longer). While that is a potentially very exciting
advance, skepticism exists as to the practical applications
of this solution, as the bags need oxygen and sunlight
to degrade, which are usually not present inside landfills
or compost heaps. To learn more, please
click here!
PAPER
SHOPPING BAGS:
Chinese
production is ideal for paper bags as the folding,
gluing, punching of holes and adding of rivets,
and stringing of ropes are processes requiring
substantial time and labor.
With China Printing Solutions, up to 5,000 bags
can be assembled per day, at a fraction of the
cost of developed countries. Paper shopping bags,
commonly recognized as of better quality (and
of higher cost) than plastic bags, enjoy the most
flexibility of all bag types in that virtually
all offset printing and finishing technologies
can be called upon in their production. Paper
material, size, finishing, handle material, length
and style can be customized and printing may range
from solid spot colors to full continuous tone
art.
Here we present an organized overview
of paper bag substrate options:
|
Paper
Type |
Relative
Cost |
Pros |
Cons |
| Coated
paper |
$$ |
•
Best for smooth, crisp artwork reproduction
and halftone art
• Easy to match spot colors and metallic
inks. |
•
Can crack or wrinkle easy
• More expensive than Uncoated paper |
| LDPE
(low-density polyethylene) |
$ |
•
Inexpensive
• Can be made of recycled pulp |
•
Not very strong (normally used for small
size bags)
• Hard to match color, does not display
vivid colors |
| Fancy
Paper (textured and specialty papers) |
$$$ |
•
Achieves unique or luxury effect with color,
texture and tone (i.e. for perfume or jewelry
bag) |
•
Expensive.
• Difficult to print on, may require
testing or special printing method |
|
Synthetic Paper (PVC or
PU substrates, aka “Yupo Paper”) |
$$$ |
•
Very strong and durable
• May be waterproof |
•
High cost
• Unnatural ‘plastic’
feel |
|
Rivets:
May be added to reinforce the handle
hole, may be made of plastic or metal and
may be customized in color to match the bag.
Handles: Can be made of nylon,
cotton rope, plastic, twine or twisted paper
to suit design taste.
Finish:
Numerous finishing styles can be applied such
as lamination to prevent scratching, increase
strength and impart water and dirt resistant
properties, and spot UV, embossing or hot
stamping for visual effect. |
|
Production
Tips:
1. Adhesives: Find out how
your bag is being glued. In some cases a coverall adhesive
is brushed on by hand—This produces a more consistent
and durable bond, but may cost more, and may not be suitable
for gluing of thin, uncoated papers which can warp easily.
In other cases a double-sided adhesive may be used in
strips applied to key areas—This is typically cheaper
and preferred by many manufacturers, but rife with pitfalls
as low-grade adhesive may result in bag seams unraveling
over time or with exposure to humidity (this is especially
true if the bag has a plastic lamination). Always insist
on only the best quality and most durable adhesives….it
is well worth the pennies you may pay.
2. Packing: When packing the bags, keep in mind that albeit
lightweight, there will be significant compression force
when bags are tightly stacked together in their shipping
cartons, potentially causing rope knots to create indentations
on the bag surface. For this reason it is critical that
for bags with rope handles, the knots are strung out from
inside the bag so that they cannot dent the bagthe bags
themselves.
3. Reinforcement—if you are planning for your bag
to hold heavy items, it is recommended that you do several
or all of the following: select a heavier paper weight,
laminate, use rivets, insert cardboard reinforcing sleeves
beneath the lip of the bag, and a cardboard bottom tray
in the base of the bag.
|
|
REUSABLE
SHOPPING BAGS:
One of China Printing Solutions’ most popular
items these days are re-usable shopping bags made
of Nonwoven Polypropylene, Woven polypropylene,
Canvas, Jute, or PET plastic. Both fashionable
and affordable, the claim to fame of Reusable
bags are of course, their environmentally friendly
properties by way of reduction of plastic and
paper bag consumption. For those new to the Reusable
bag world, here’s a crash course:
Non-woven (PP non-woven):
PP Nonwoven Fabric is a synthetic material made
from long fibers, bonded together by chemical,
mechanical, heat or solvent treatment (that is—neither
woven nor knitted). While not as strong as woven
fabrics, they have middle range durability and
can be strengthened by double-stitching and reinforcement.
Woven (PP/ Cotton/nylon/ linen/ canvas):
Woven bags may be made of Cotton, linen and canvas
for a very natural, durable and high end feeling
(at a cost to match), or of PolyPropylene cut
into strips and then woven together in a fine
mesh.
|
Here below is the chart for the comparison of the most
commonly used printing methods for bags:
|
Printing
Type |
Application
Details |
Compatible
Bag Material |
Pros |
Cons |
| Screen
printing |
Thick,
opaque ink applied directly to the bag through
a mesh screen and masking template. |
PP
non-woven material, PET material |
•
Low minimum quantity
• Thick, opaque printing effect |
•
Only spot color line art (no gradients or halftones)
• Relatively slow production time |
| Gravure
printing |
Art
printed on a film, then laminated to bag surface |
PP-non
woven bag,
PP woven bag |
•
Can print halftones or line art |
•
Must be used with a lamination which has less
of a natural feeling |
| Heat
transfer printing |
Art
printed on a very thin and transparent film, the
laminated to the material. |
Woven
bags with cotton, linen, canvas, jute material |
•
Rich, Vibrant printing effect.
• Natural surface feeling |
•
High cost
• Low speed |
Production
Tips:
1. For Nonwove bags,
you can save a bit of money using black or white bag substrate.
But ask for quotations often, as market price for PP nonwove
material fluctuates regularly in China.
2. Want your grocery or trade show bag to last long and
not snap under heavy weight? Ask for Double stitching!
3. For screen printing, you’ll need a white under
layer for printing color on dark bags. Gradient artwork
can sometimes be simulated for screen printed artwork.
If you require assistance in creating effective artwork
for reusable bags, please
ask us!
Environmental Tips:
1. When sourcing PP nonwoven bags
in China, view with great suspicion claims that the bags
are “recycled.” The word commonly used for
“recycled,” environmentally friendly”
and “recycleable” are pretty much the same
in the Chinese language and are widely misunderstood or
misrepresented. While it is technically possible to produce
PP Nonwove bags with a small amount of recycled material,
quality and production limitations are such that it is
rarely if ever done in China at the moment.
2. PET bags and PP Woven bags CAN be made from up to 100%
recycled material (in China, PET material primarily comes
from recycled plastic soft drink bottles! However, this
can run up cost to be 20-30% higher than PP nonwove bags.
|
 |
|
Case Study:
Reusable
Fashion Shopping Totes Program
Client: Albertson’s
Supermarkets
Project Name: Reusable Fashion Shopping
Totes
Description: Albertson’s wished to implement
an ongoing program of reusable shopping bags With a
fresh and fashionable appeal that they could resell
to their customers to support their green initiatives
and practices. Our USA parent company Ivie & Associates,
developed a series of Unique bag designs along with
an integrated campaign of weekly ads and materials for
in-store display racks. Over 1 million reusable bags
were designed, produced and shipped to Albertsons stores
for a coordinated kick off.
Key Challenges: Working with a range
of colors and designs and a short time frame required
a concerted effort of fabric sample making and design
print testing. Once the bags were produced, the range
of designs needed to be packaged, paletted and labeled
so that once the shipment arrived the US distribution
center, pallets could be easily shipped off to individual
stores for campaign launch.
|
|
 |
Meet
the Staff:
Malcolm Zhu
I DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (China Market)
Malcolm, formerly national VP of Marketing and Advertising
at Lotus Supercenters, has extensive hands-on experience
and know-how from years of experience developing and
executing China-wide marketing communications.
From loyalty cards to signage to myriad regional and
national promotional campaigns, Malcolm's market insight
and hands-on experience ensure that solutions provided
to clients have the best combination of global best
practice and local efficacy.
Malcolm also has 2 years learning and working experience
in France with MBA degree obtained. He speaks fluent
English, Mandarin and French. In the spare time, Malcolm
loves gym and sports a lot, which keeps his body fit
as always.
Malcolm can be reached at Malcolm.zhu(at)ivieinc.com.
|
|
 |
Upcoming
Events
Sep-Oct,
2009
September
22-24:
China Paper / China Forest 2009
(Beijing)
Oct. 1-8:
The Chinese National Holiday
October 14-18:
Frankfurt Book show
For more information: please
click here!
October 13-15:
ASIAN HIGH SECURITY PRINTING CONFERENCE
(Beijing)
October-November:
CPS Founder and General Manager
Aaron Brent Landis business trip to US
IN
THE NEXT ISSUE:
Shipping
Solutions in China |
|
|
|
|
| USA
TOLL FREE: |
US-CHINA
DIRECT: |
EUROPE
(UK): |
AUSTRALIA |
| +1.877.CPS.3933 |
+1.314.266.0741 |
+44.(0)20.7193.0741 |
+61.(0)3.9018.5729 |
|
|
| |
|
