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Display bags

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What can display bags be used for?

Display bags have a wide range of uses. For items like greeting cards they extend shelf-life by preventing moisture from penetrating the card and protect the card from the grease on fingerprints or ambient heat. For food items they help keep perishables fresh and hygienically protected, and for other items they are simply a great way to showcase and package your product. Polypropylene is also exceptionally clear allowing your product or design to be displayed clearly with an extra shine. Display Bags come in a huge range of sizes and can be used for everything from photo covers, poster and art-print covers, packages for shirts and clothes, flower sleeves to food bags and are particularly good wrappers for presenting sweets, cakes and biscuits.

Common sizes and uses for Display bags

Imperial (W x L)Metric (W x L)Uses
3 x 5"76 x 127mmtrading cards
4 x 6"101 x 152mmphotographs
4 1/8 x 9 1/2"104 x 241mmgreeting cards
(eg Birthday cards
/ Christmas cards)
5 x 7"127 x 178mmphotographs
5 1/4" x 8"133 x 203mmgreeting cards
6 x 5"152 x 127mmCD's
6 x 8"152 x 203mmgreeting cards
6 x 9"152 x 228mmDVD's
7 x 7"178 x 178mmcookies / biscuits
8 x 10"203 x 254mmportraits
9 x 12"228 x 305mmt-shirts
10 x 13"254 x 330mmartwork
12 x 16"305 x 406mmclothing - dresses or shirts
12 x 18"305 x 457mmcalendars
16 x 20"406 x 508mmsmall posters
28 x 36"711 x 914mmart prints

Manufacturers and suppliers of Display bags:

Display bags are normally formed from Cellophane, Polypropylene or BOPP (Bi-axially Oriented Polypropylene). The materials give you a different look and feel and have some characteristics that may be important to tie up with the product you are displaying.

Main differences between Cellophane and Polypropylene?

  • Polypropylene is a plastic polymer but it is more eco-friendly to manufacture than cellophane
  • Cellophane is paper-like and is a natural 100% biodegradable material, it is made from organic pulp (e.g. wood/cotton) not from plastic
  • Polypropylene bags are more rigid and have superb clarity, with a more lustrous shine
  • Cellophane film is transparent but the film is thin and creases easily

Why use Polypropylene to package your greeting cards:

  • Clean and safe (it can even be used for food packaging)
  • Excellent clarity, crisp and clear to showcase your product
  • 100% waterproof, so protects from vapours and residual moisture
  • Withstands high temperatures, so protects from warping

What is Cellophane?

Cellophane is a transparent paperlike product that has high clarity, is heat sealable and is able to resist moisture, oil, and grease, and keep its contents fresh. Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of processed cellulose.
Cellulose fibres from wood, cotton or hemp are dissolved in alkali to make a solution called viscose, which is then extruded through a slit into an acid bath to reconvert the viscose into cellulose. The use of Viscose is becoming less common because of the polluting effects of carbon disulfide and other by-products of the process. However the fact that cellophane is 100% biodegradable has meant it is returning in popularity as a food wrapping.

What is Polypropylene?

Polypropylene (also know as PP or Poly-Prop) is a plastic polymer that is stronger and more rigid than polyethylene (the material traditionally used to make so-called polythene bags). Polypropylene protects absorbent materials such as card and paper from vapour and moisture because it is itself non-porous.
Polypropylene is commonly used in industry and for packing consumer goods because of its versatility; it can be used not only as a structural plastic, but also as a fibre and as a packaging material that can even be used for packaging food.

Greetings cards

What type of greetings cards can card bags can they be used for? These materials are totally suitable for packaging all types of greeting cards. This includes: birthday cards, Christmas cards (Xmas cards), Mother's day cards, Valentine's day cards, big cards, medium-sized cards, small cards, teeny-weeny cards even playing cards. However, please note these are not suitable under any circumstances for April Fool's day cards - no, they are really ;)

Eco friendly display bags

Protection of the environment is a pressing issue and although plastic packaging often experiences a bad press, it is actually one of the most efficient forms of packaging having both a very low carbon footprint and the ability to be recycled. Polypropylene (used for display bags) contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms so is totally non-toxic for disposal. Polypropylene is also 100% recyclable. Card bags can alternatively be made from Cellophane which is actually an organic material that is 100% biodegradable but involves a toxic manufacturing process.

The following sites specialise in environmentally-friendly packaging:

You might also be interested in the following environmentally-friendly packaging sites:

Alternative packaging

There are many types of packaging all for specific uses. To obtain information about other types of polythene bags or polythene film, visit:

Research and resources

For more detailed information about card and display bags such as how they are made and the options and sizes availabe (hopefully they are all listed here but feel free to search!) please check these websites:

  • PlasticBags.uk.com: plastic packaging directory where users and businesses can easely add their packaging product listings for free. Find useful websites about polypropylene bags and retail bags at PlasticBags.uk.com

  • Goldstork: interesting directory where best of the web links are put into specific categories to help you find exactly what your looking for. On Goldstork you will also find selected information and links to great websites specialised in greeting card bags.

  • PackagingKnowledge: with articles and news regarding the flexible polythene packaging industry including this article on presentation and retail display bags.

More on Card Bags

News

Forests grown from old greeting cards

Two of Britain's biggest high street names, the Post Office and Boots, provided collection points on their premises for people to get rid of their cards throughout January and February. The money raised through the recycling effort funded tree-planting projects.

Man denies stealing child's birthday cards in Carlisle burglary

A man, 31, is said to have stolen a child’s birthday cards and cash from one address, a grandmother’s handbag and scratch cards from another, and laptops and bags from a third home.
He denies all of the charges.
"My footprints won’t be at the burglary because I haven’t done no burglary."
A forensic scientist specialising in footprint analysis said that footprints from trainers found at each of the robberies were compared to shoes seized from him.
Defence solicitor admitted he was the man shown in the shop but said he did not handle the scratch cards. The trial continues.

Saying thanks

Local students helped Canadian veterans in two very different ways Monday. Those from Susanna Moodie Elementary School raked leaves in Memorial Park on Station Street in preparation for the Belleville Veterans Council Remembrance Day service this Wednesday. At Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School on Sidney Street, staff and students made Christmas cards for Canadian Forces personnel overseas. Susanna Moodie resource teacher Beth Power said the raking is intended "to give a little bit back to the veterans." This is the program's fourth year.

More news on polythene bags.