Tissue paper is a packaging essential. Available in a range of bright colors, pretty patterns, or printed into custom tissue paper, it enhances any packaging look. Tissue paper can transform a simple white gift box into a colorful, elegant package, or a plain shopping bag into an attractive gift bag. But tissue paper can be used for much more than packaging. Retailers and event planners should look to dress up their store or party with inexpensive but attractive tissue paper decorations.

You may have learned how to make these in elementary schools, but here are some refreshers:

Tissue paper pom-poms/ flowers/ snowflakes

1. Choose some color or custom tissue paper and stack eight sheets. Use white for snowflakes, yellow or pink for flowers, or red and green for festive pom poms. Consider using two shades of the same color for subtle elegance.
2. Make half-inch folds, accordion style (folding one way and then the next). Crease each fold.
3. Tie a piece of string or wire over center of folded tissue paper stack. Use a long piece of string if you want to hang the resulting shape from the ceiling.
4. Cut the ends of the tissue into rounded or pointed shapes.
5. Pull the eight layers of tissue paper one by one away from the center in different directions. Do this carefully so as not to rip tissue paper. Arrange pieces so that they form a complete circle. Shake or fluff the resulting ball.
6. Hang or display.

Tissue paper borders

1. Stack several pieces of 20×30 tissue paper. Choose white, red, or green for a seasonal feel. Custom tissue paper also works well.
2. Fold stack in half lengthwise. Clip stack together.
3. Make deep cuts from one edge of the paper to the halfway fold at regular intervals.
4. Tape paper to a table, bowl, or display.

S. Walter Packaging offers a variety of color tissue paper and attractive tissue paper designs. Plus, contact our customer representatives to find out about custom tissue paper options for your store or business. Plus, we offer a great selection of Closeout tissue paper at unbeatable low prices. Visit swalter.com/tissue-paper to browse our online catalog of tissue paper, or talk to one of our representatives about our custom tissue paper.

Gift baskets are a must this holiday season. They make excellent giveaways for raffles or incentive rewards, they’re a great present for friends or business associates, and they allow retailers to package merchandise that might not stand alone as great gifts into a convenient and thoughtful holiday purchase.

We’ve all bought tickets at that holiday party, hoping to win one of the prizes on display. And one of the prizes is invariably a large, tastefully arranged gift basket. A brief search around the internet reveals gift baskets of an astonishing variety: wine bottles, assorted food stuff, spa and beauty products, books, and combinations of varied goods.

It is this variety which should make gift baskets so appealing to a retailer. Consider this: How many people would be comfortable giving a some Italian crackers and a chuck of cheese, or a packet of seeds, or  wooden skewers, as a Christmas present? Few. But such items can fit naturally into a gourmet food gift basket, a home store gift basket, or a grilling-centric gift basket.

Gift baskets allow retailers to combine products that might not stand alone as gifts into themed groups whose combination makes a thoughtful present. These groupings can be ready made, or can be offered as a DIY service to customers. In this way, any store, from fishing supply center to coffee shop, can create an appealing gift program and boost holiday season sales.

Alternatively, gift baskets can be used to combine an array of dissimilar products, linking fruit with wine and crackers, or cooking books with utensils and cookie dough. In this way, as with the themed gift baskets, the baskets encourage large purchases of many items.

In short, gift baskets make good gifts, so selling gift baskets makes good business sense in the gift giving season.

What are your packaging needs for gift baskets?
You have the products with which to fill a gift baskets, but you need the basket to put them in. And that’s not all you need. Here are some gift packaging essentials to creating a gift basket. All are available in the S. Walter Packaging Corp. catalog and online at swalter.com. We have everything but the baskets!

1. A gift basket!
2. An assortment of great goods to put in the basket
3. Crinkle paper shred to line the basket. Consider dressing up your gift basket with colorful tissue paper shred; it helps fill out the package, protects the goods, and makes the basket altogether more “gift-y.”
4. Cello wrap. Seal in the gift basket, holding products securely with cello wrap. Or you could use a shrink wrap system with a dome shrink bag. Or choose . . .
5. Gift basket bags. These sheer, reusable bags complete the gift packaging look in style.

Trade shows provide a unique opportunity to interact with potential clients and customers and mark your place as a leader in your field. Promotional packaging provides a sure-fire way to maximize your presence.

Attracting visitors to your booth is always a challenge. Creating an attractive display is a good start. Adding entertainment or games or free food helps. But the tried-and-true method to maximize your event participation is to give out promotional products — small knick-knacks imprinted with a company logo. Keychains, calculators, pens, and puzzles are among the most popular giveaways.

These promotional giveaways help attract the attention of attendees walking the aisle and bring them to your booth. But there is one item that can attract the attention of prospects even after they leave your display or the convention center: promotional bags. If you want to give away one or more promotional gifts along with some advertorial or informational literature, an imprinted shopping bag or merchandise bag is a great idea. That way, visitors can carry away your gifts and fliers and also fill their bags with promotional giveaways from other booths, even those of their competitors. They become walking billboards for your company, carrying an item proudly displaying your logo and name and eye-catching slogan.

Among the best bags for promotional packaging are die cut plastic merchandise bags. These functional bags have large spaces for printing a company name or logo and comfortable handles. A standard size is just right for carrying fliers or magazine catalogs.

Another popular trade show bag is the paper shopping bag with rope handles. Known as Eurototes, or Eurotote shoppers, these attractive gift bags create an upscale look. They are easily printed, likely to be reused, and are associated with gift giving, making your giveaway seem more like a present than a promotion.

Affordable and attractive paper or plastic bags make great trade show bags. Increasingly though, marketing advisers point to sturdier and longer-lasting reusable bags as ideal giveaways. The most common and cost-smart form of reusable bags are PPNW bags, available in a range of styles, from backpacks to shopping bags. (PPNW stands for Polypropylene Non-Woven, a strong fabric-like material often composed of high-percentage post-consumer plastics, fabrics, and other material.)

These bags usually have a large area suitable for custom printing and will typically be reused. Grocery-style PPNW bags make great trade show bags and can be used as a sole giveaway. Watch conference attendees put competitors promotional items in your bag and carry them around as some free and memorable advertising. Plus, unlike a plastic bag, a PPNW bag is one that visitors may use after many times after they leave the trade show, perhaps making your promotion a part of their daily gym routine or weekly grocery trip. Now that is packaging that carries your brand!

S. Walter carries reusable bags, plastic merchandise bags, Euroshoppers, and many other varieties of promotional bags ideal for use as trade show bags. Check out our online catalog at swalter.com to browse our full selection.

It’s Friday night and you don’t feel like cooking, so you sort through the pile of take-out menus that have been left in your mailbox and order some sandwiches or sushi. Twenty minutes later, you walk or drive around the corner and pick up some piping hot food, bringing it home in sturdy take-out bags emblazoned with the restaurant’s logo.

From the ancient Roman thermopolium to the modern Italian-American pizza joint, carry-out food has been around for almost as long as there have been hungry people. Variably called “take-out,” “carry-out,” “take-away,” or “to go,” food ordered to be eaten off a restaurants premises comes in many different packages. The iconic Chinese noodle pail originated as oyster boxes to hold shucked crustaceans; the brilliantly functional pizza box has been around since pizza delivery became popular in the 1950s; once-ubiquitous styrofoam containers are now being phased due to  environmental concerns. Take-out bags can range from simple SOS sacks or happy face T-shirt bags to take-out or shoppers or soft-loop plastic bags. One thing is certain: attractive carry-out food packaging can improve brand image and boost food sales.

Many bags and boxes more commonly used by retail businesses are also suitable for use as carry-out food packaging. White or natural kraft SOS bags (self-opening style — think a grocery sack or a brown paper wine bag) are sturdy enough to hold several food packages or cartons. Larger items can be put in paper take-out shoppers. With strong paper-twist handles and up to 50% post-consumer paper stock, these carry-out bags are ideal for hot stamping or ink printing with color or black and white logos. They can be used by sit-in places to hold doggy bags and create a lasting impressing of a quality meal.

Many food service establishments use T-shirt bags, the common plastic bags used in supermarkets, convenience stores, and all other manner of retailers. Their large side gussets allow them to expand to hold large containers or boxes and their strong T-shirt handles make it easy to carry several items. Popular designs on food service T-shirt bags include a happy face and the expression “Thank you.”

For a more stylish plastic take-out bag, restaurants look to the take out soft loop shopper. Again, these sheer or colored bags are ideal for printing on. Take-out shoppers have strong handles, wide bottoms,  and hold a lot of containers, so they are perfect for carry-out food. Another great option is the white take out super wave bag, a perfect carry-out food bag with heavyweight construction and wide bottom gusset (printing not available).

S. Walter Packaging Corp. has all these carry-out food packaging options and more in our catalog. Browse our online store at SWalter.com or contact a packaging specialist today for more information and to plan your restaurant’s packaging program. Let your establishment’s fine taste shine through with carry-out bags and boxes from S. Walter. Our leak-proof bags ensure that your cuisine will arrive at its destination as tastefully prepared as when it left.

Paper shopping bags are a mainstay of many retailers, used to advertise a store and develop brand image. They are also used for individual gift packaging, promotional pieces, or events. This installment in our series of packaging guides considers paper shopping bags and their many uses and forms.

Shopping bags come in many varieties. They are most often made from paper, but may be constructed from low-density polyethylene or other plastic (plastic shopping bags will be considered in a subsequent packaging guide). Even for paper shopping bags there is much choice of materials and finishes, from simple natural kraft paper to high gloss laminated colors. The choices range in price, but choosing the right look for your store can be about style as much as economics.

Paper shopping bags are available in a range of sizes. Their sizes are measured in three dimensions: width x side x height, so a standard 16x6x12 bag (known as Vogue-size), is 16 inches wide by 6 inches at the bottom and 13 inches high. A smaller size, perhaps 8x4x10 shopping bag, is known as Cub-size. Larger, squarer bags (such as 18x7x19 shoppers) are known as Queen-size bags. Most stores will do well to order their chosen style(s) in several sizes to package varied items.

The standard paper shopping bag has a flat bottom (often with a cardboard reinforcement), side gussets (a fold of paper which allows the bag to store flat and expand for use), and comes with two handles attached to the edges of the bag. Some paper shoppers, known as trapezoid shopping bags, taper from the top to bottom, so the top width is greater than the bottom width. Measurements for these bags are given as top width – bottom width x side x height, as in a 20-16x6x12 trapezoid shopper, where the top is 20 inches and the bottom width is 16 inches. (A less-used variety, known as the inverted trapezoid, has a longer bottom than top.)

As a standard, paper shopping bags come with twisted paper handles in white, natural tan, or matching the color of the shopper. Other handles are also available, the most popular alternative being macrame or braided handles. Usually found in combination with laminated paper folded over at the top, a cardboard reinforced bottom, and metal grommets (rings which strengthen the paper at the handle), rope handles are the defining characteristic of Euro-style paper shopping bags. Also known as eurototes, Euro-shoppers signify a more refined packaging look and are common in high-end retailers or for use as gift bags.

More expensive than grocery sacks or T-shirt bags, paper shopping bags were traditionally limited to stores marketing expensive merchandise who wanted to promote their store and brand. Today, clothing and giftware retailers use paper shopping bags as functional packaging and a sure-fire way to establish an upscale image. Fine jewelry and cosmetic retailers use small sizes of paper shoppers as part of their packaging program. Even supermarkets, especially ones in areas that have a large walking trade, choose paper shopping bags over traditional, less expensive SOS grocery bags.

This bag style also offers a wide variety of end uses that far exceed the traditional retailer’s need to package purchased goods. Paper shopping bags, especially in smaller sizes, can be used as stand-alone gift bags, replacing a gift box. When constructed of colorful paper, or printed with unique designs, the bag is a quick and creative way to wrap a gift. Retail paper shopping bags can also popular with non-retail businesses to use as a promotional piece, or as a give-away when introducing new products, or when exhibiting at trade shows or industry conventions.

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If you enjoyed this guide to paper shopping bags, you’ll love:
Packaging Guide to Merchandise Bags
Packaging Guide to Grocery Bags (SOS Bags)

We will be adding more packaging guides to different varieties of retail packaging available in at SWalter.com. Bookmark this blog or subscribe to our feed to catch the latest articles.

There are a wide variety of paper and plastic bags available for retail use, with an option to fit any business, from high-end clothing store to neighborhood hardware shop. This was not always the case. When Simon Walter founded his packaging supply company in Philadelphia in 1904 – the company that would become S. Walter Packaging Corp. – choices for retailers were severely limited. Remarkably, the sturdy grocery bag, or SOS bag, is a packaging option from that time that remains as durable in its popularity as in its carrying strength. In this, the second installment of our guide to packaging choices, we examine the uses and options that grocery bags provide.

S.Walter’s original business centered around supplying retailers with kraft paper products. Generally, purchases would be wrapped in this paper and tied up with string (The word kraft is derived from the German for “strong,” kraft paper’s defining characteristic was and remains it’s strength.) To allow customers to carry home more items, and therefore  make larger purchases, inventive retailers developed sturdy SOS bags.

Today SOS bags are still most often constructed of white or natural kraft paper, but may also be made of high density plastic. (SOS is alternatively said to abbreviate “self opening style,” “self opening sacks,” and even “self opening square-bottomed.”) When folded, grocery bags are flat. Folded out, they remain flat on the bottom, with side gussets (a “gusset” is a fold of paper that allows for side expansion), and will remain open and in an upright position without assistance. This provides the end user with an easy-to-load bag capable of holding heavy and/or bulky products.

The bag size will usually determine the possible end-uses of this extremely versatile bag style. In larger sizes, these sturdy SOS bags are used by grocery and hardware stores, discount stores, lumber yards, craft stores, shoe, toy, and sporting goods stores, and potentially any retailer selling bulky or heavy products. In small sizes, the SOS bag may be a carry-out food bag, a lunch bag, and even a gift bag.

The dimensions of SOS and grocery bags are given using width x side gusset x height, so a 7×4½x14 SOS bag has a bottom 7 inches by 4½ inches and is 14-inches tall. This can also be given as 7×4½x14x4½ (the two 4½ measurements referring to the side and the bottom gusset dimensions, usually the same).

More image conscious retailers generally stay away from SOS bags or grocery sacks, choosing stylish options like eurototes or high-gloss shoppers. Grocery bags are considered to be primarily functional packaging, and are rarely used by upscale retailers selling high-end merchandise. That said, small add-ons can make SOS bags an attractive packaging option for a variety of retailers. Using custom labels with store logo or information to close the SOS bag, especially a white kraft paper bag, can transform it into an elegant gift bag. Likewise, printing company logos or info onto the bag adds an element of class to the bag and utilizes an easy advertising opportunity.

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If you enjoyed this packaging guide to grocery bags, check out our packaging guide to merchandise bags. Bookmark this blog or subscribe to our feed as we provide more packaging guides to popular retail products in the weeks to come.

Planning a wedding can be headache. Finding the right venue, photographer, and cake is no easy task, with hundreds of options at all price points. To help generate ideas for the special day, brides turn to leading wedding magazines and websites, such as Martha Stewart Weddings.

Begun in 1994 as part of the Martha Stewart Living empire of television host and media magnate Martha Stewart, the magazine has become a leading resource for brides’ event planning. The Fall 2009 issue of the quarterly publication (there are also occasional special issues) was dedicated to planning a wedding reception. The Reception Issue picked up on an important trend in wedding planning: the DIY wedding.

The DIY trend, where couples take it upon themselves to construct key features of a wedding — forgoing a wedding planner, making handmade invitations, even sewing a wedding dress — predates the current economic downtown. It enables brides to customize and take control of the event, reduce carbon footprint, and control costs. As wedding prices continue to rise while couples face decreased financial resources, the latter factor becomes increasingly important.

Martha Stewart Weddings: The Reception Issue explored the DIY opportunities of a punch tool kit. Using card stock or wall paper, a 1/8-inch hole punch, and leaf and flower punches, the magazine transformed such items as stationary, cup cakes, a flower-girl crown, escort cards, and boutonnieres. One ingenious piece suggested printing out a favorite poem or piece of text (wedding vows, perhaps?) and making little flowers and leaves from the words, arranged in a faux bouquet.

Among the DIY items were wedding favor boxes. Wedding favor boxes are small presents left on reception chairs or tables that say to guests “your presence here today is appreciated.” Martha Stewart Weddings used standard white jewelry boxes from S.Walter Packaging to create unique wedding treats.Vintage wall paper, metallic craft paper, and pages from books, punched into leaf and flower shapes transformed our already-elegant jewelry boxes into one-of-a-kind gift holders. The magazine quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said “the greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” Using S. Walter jewelry boxes, Martha Stewart Weddings showed how you can give each guest a piece of your own handiwork.

The magazine picks out small 3x2x1 white jewelry boxes from the S. Walter catalog, but there are a variety of colors, sizes, and styles available with which to craft your own wedding favor boxes. Be a little inventive with how you decorate the box or what you put in it — that is the essence of the DIY wedding. Small colorful shoppers, like high-gloss color eurototes, can also make great wedding favor carriers. And these ideas aren’t just for weddings. Promotional events and jewelry boutiques can also benefit from sprucing up these elegant boxes and bags. Explore SWalter.com now for more great DIY wedding ideas.

These days, shopping bags are much more than just a carrier, they are a status symbol and fashion accessory, a way for women to say, “I shopped there.” They are carried along the avenue or through the mall, but they are also reused to carry such things as lunches or extras that won’t fit into a purse. Women love to collect shopping bags in varied wonderful colors and sizes, piling them proudly in a walk-in closet or in a bedroom corner, then unfolding them as a fashionable and reusable bag. The popular size 8x4x10 Shopping Bags can be used to impress colleagues in the lunch room, while larger 16x6x12 Shopping Bags carry larger size items, a beach towel, some picnic food, or a change of clothes for the gym.

All the best neighborhood stores sell ladies merchandise in colorful shopping bags. Shopping bags made with recycled material and printed with logos from clothing stores are walking advertisements from local boutique stores, pet stores, flower stores, grocery stores and spas. Women don’t just throw away shopping bags, because they know they will use them in the future to carry some other item. Some ladies just like to collect shopping bags and never reuse them. Just go into any one of your lady friend’s homes and you are sure to find a stash of colorful shopping bags just waiting to be discovered and reused.

Inside or outside the house, these branded shopping bags connect women with the store in which they were obtained. A female shopper is more likely to choose an item from a store whose bag she has cherished and reused, or has seen every day next to her shoe collection, or has seen a friend carry to the beach. Shopping bags do more than carry a retail item, they carry a brand.

Whether they are made from paper or plastic, merchandise bags are a great packaging option for retailers small or large.

A mainstay at card shops, news stands, and book stores, merchandise bags are suitable for any retailer selling small items — beauty products, souvenirs, or jewelry, for example. They also make a great add-on for a larger packaging program, with customized plastic merchandise bags and matching larger plastic shoppers. Customized plastic merchandise bags are also popularly used as promotional giveaways, stocked with knick-knacks, postcards, and other small promotions.

The classic paper merchandise bag is constructed of tan-colored natural kraft paper. Usually made at least in part of recycled post-consumer fibers, natural kraft paper merchandise bags provide an earth-friendly and inexpensive way to package light retail purchases. For a classier look, go with the simple elegance of white merchandise bags, suitable for more upscale stores and more suited to custom printing or labels. Boutiques and art stores may consider using random print merchandise bags, which come in delightful and colorful printed designs on recycled paper. Each case of random print merchandise bags will contain slightly different paper prints, perfect and affordable idiosyncratic packaging for a unique independent retailer.

Choosing plastic merchandise bags yields many advantages too. Kraft paper bags may look the most earth-friendly choice, but recently manufacturers have been praising the environmental benefits of their plastic counterparts. They are reused more often (also a plus if the bags feature a business logo or name), weigh less so use less energy to transport and take up less landfill space; they are also often made of post-consumer recycled material, using little water and generating little pollution in their manufacture. More than that, plastic merchandise bags come in an array of bright, attractive colors, look great with custom printing, and are surprisingly close in price to paper.  They provide an inexpensive way to boost your brand and attract attention to your store. For added pizazz, look to super gloss merchandise bags, made of shiny and eye-catching low-density plastic.

One benefit of using merchandise bags as part of your retail packaging program is the range of sizes in which they come. Small merchandise bags may measure just 5×7^1/2“, ideal for postcards or mini-books, whereas large merchandise bags could easily hold vinyl records or large art supplies.

Merchandise bag dimensions are measured width by height, so a 12×15 merchandise bag is twelve inches wide (measured along bottom), fifteen inches long (measured along side from bottom to opening). On paper merchandise bags, the top of the bag, where the front and the back come together, often has zig-zagged, or “serrated” edges. These merchandise bags are sometimes called S.E. bags (serrated-edge bags). To ease opening, the front and back are often slightly different lengths. In this case, the height is measured along the shorter front side.

Usually flat, a merchandise bag may have an extra fold of paper or plastic on the side for easy expansion. This fold is known as a gusset. Bags sold as merchandise bags will not have a gusset on the bottom; a bag with gussets on the sides and bottom is commonly known as a “grocery bag,” “shopping bag,” or “SOS bag” (self-opening style bag). Dimensions for merchandise bags with side gussets are given as width x gusset x height, as in a14x3x21 random print merchandise bag. The gusset dimension is the maximum expansion size, so a 12x3x15 bag is holds roughly the same as a 15×18 bag.

S.Walter offers a large selection of plastic and paper merchandise bags, in multiple sizes and colors, all at competitive wholesale prices. Plus, our easy-to-use Bag Builder makes it simple to customize your bags, making an affordable and convenient packaging option even better.

Standing out from your competitors is more important than ever in these tough economic times. With shrinking budgets and outlets for advertising, customized bags provide an important means of communicating with customers.

Personalizing your packaging with a logo or company name publicizes that logo and name as customers carry and reuse their shopping bags. It’s an easy way to engender customer loyalty and create a positive brand image. A custom bag becomes more than post-sale packaging, it is sale-generating advertising.

We’ve all seen iconic images of chic shoppers carrying armfuls of bags from designer stores. but you don’t have to be Fifth Avenue store to reap the benefits of customized bags. With modern printing methods, its easy to print clearly and boldly on a variety of bag types, from bright frosted plastic shopping bags to simple natural kraft paper merchandise bags. You can use the logo you made for your storefront or website and place it on the bag or bags of your choosing, with an order of as little as a few hundred bags. Don’t have a logo? Use a contemporary font to personalize bags with your company name.

The ability to print just a few customized bags provides an opportunity to accent your special event, promotion, or private occasion. Customized bags make great give-away carriers for trade show booths, containers for conference info packages, or even keepsakes for weddings or parties.

S.Walter Packaging now makes it easier than ever to embark upon your own custom bag program with a new online Bag Builder. In a couple simple steps you can explore, visualize, and create the ideal customized packaging. Choose from our top bag styles, sizes, and colors; select ink or hot stamp printing; and quickly upload text or images to get a fast low-price quote for your custom bags. Check out the Bag Builder today and watch as custom bags carry your brand further.