Carrier bags

Buy from a massive range of best value carrier bags now, including clear, coloured, biodegradable and printed carriers.

Carrier bags are...

• Polythene bags used to carry items, usually shopping
• Also known as carriers, shopping bags or plastic bags
• Provided (or sold) by retailers everywhere, from charity shops to high-end departments stores and corner shops to supermarkets
• Carried by billions of customers across the planet
• An ergonomic solution to carrying shopping
• Designed to be easy to carry, with convenient carry handles, allowing the shopper to carry more than one bag with each hand
• Available in a wide range of sizes to cater for small or large products
• Available in a range of thicknesses, from lightweight supermarket shopping bags to deluxe glossy luxury carriers
• Available in a range of coloured polythene, either plain or printed
• A great way for a retailer to increase publicity - add your logo to the side of a carrier bag for ready-made mobile advertising!
• An integral part of any retailer’s branding and advertising strategy
• An invaluable aid in carrying shopping from store to home
• Suitable to use and reuse for numerous shopping trips, time after time
• Multi-purpose bags - can be used for many and varied purposes, aside from shopping

Carrier bags - take your pick

Carrier bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with a bag available to suit any retailer. Here are some of the most popular styles of carrier bags used today:

Vest - The best known carrier bag in the UK and beyond, traditionally used by supermarkets, smaller food stores, general stores and market traders. Made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and available in a variety of colours, plain or printed, these bags are lightweight but strong. Handles are attached to each side of the bag make it look like a vest from the front, hence the name. Provided they are not over-filled, these bags are capable of handling regular shopping with ease.

Patch handle - A more glossy and sturdy carrier bag, commonly used by high street stores to impress their customers. Made from thicker polythene than vest carriers to provide extra strength, these rectangular bags have a handle punched out of the top, reinforced by an extra patch of polythene, which gives the bags its name. Available in clear or coloured polythene and the perfect bag on which to print a design or logo to advertise the retailer, hence the popularity with high street retailers.

Varigauge - Similar in appearance to its patch handle cousin, the varigauge carrier bag is rectangular in shape with a handle punched out. However, the clever use of a varied gauge - or thickness - of polythene, which is twice as thick at the top of the bag than it is at the bottom, means that the need to reinforce the handle with a patch is avoided. Available in a variety of colours, these strong bags with extra room thanks to a bottom gusset, are very popular with retailers keen to make a good impression with customers.

Clip close - These strong rectangular bags have an integral white clip attached right across the top of the bag that clip closes shut, giving the bag its name. Made from thick clear polythene with a side gusset, these bags allow retailers to display their products, whilst not compromising on bag strength or quality. The sturdy clip also allows you to hang up the bag - and contents - to really show it off.

Flexiloop - These luxury carriers take their name from the flexiloop handle that is attached - by heat-welding - to the inside of the bag on both sides. Popular with supermarkets who sell them as ‘Bags for life’ - encouraging customers to reuse the bag - flexiloop carriers are made from thicker polythene than regular carriers, which makes them more expensive to produce. Paper versions of the flexiloop carrier bag are popular with boutique shops or fancy high street retailers.

Duffle - A sturdy polythene bag featuring a cord threaded around the top opening and down the sides of the bag. Pull the cord to close the bag tight and loosen to open. Useful for carrying bulky or weighty items and handy to carry, so often used by sportspeople as a kit bag. Also popular with sports shoe retailers.

Drawstring - Less sturdy than the duffle bag, so not suitable for similarly bulky contents, but operate on a similar principle. Drawstring bags feature two strings looped around the opening of the bag, with the ends of the drawstring appearing through separate openings adjacent to each other. When pulled at the same time, the strings tighten together and the bag closes. Typically made from clear polythene, these bags are a popular way of displaying products in a shop.

Grip Seal - A cross between a carrier bag and a grip seal bag, these bags contain an integral grip seal that runs across the width of the bag just below the cut-out handle. Simply squeeze the grip seal between forefinger and thumb to seal the bag shut, providing protection from rain or other external contaminants, then gently pull apart to open and repeat as many times as you wish. With a clear polythene front, a handle for hanging and a glossy finish, these bags are a great way to display your products.

Show off your business with printed carriers

Printed carrier bags are an ideal way for businesses to advertise directly into their local community. Take a plain patch handle carrier and turn it from the smart, sturdy carrier bag it normally is into a walking advert for your business.

Businesses have to provide carrier bags to their customers anyway, so why not pay a little more for them and get something back from the carrier bags once they have left your shop.

By adding your company logo or design to one or both sides of your carrier bags, you not only make your business look more professional and more eye-catching, but you let your customers act as mobile advertisers, when they leave your store and walk around others in the area with your company branding there for all to see.

You can even add a slogan or advertising message to tell your potential customers exactly what they need to know about your store. All this, carried straight out into the heart of your target market and the hundreds or thousands of other potential customers out there.

Not only do printed carriers help attract new customers, but they also reinforce the message to existing customers that you are a professional, reliable and smart retailer. So next time they go to their cupboard or car boot and see your carrier bag, they see your bag, that initial good impression is reinforced and they move that step closer to being a return customer.

So why bother with plain carrier bags? Go one step further and design your own printed carriers, complete with your company branding, to take your business to the next level.

Where to buy carrier bags

Carrier bag manufacturers and suppliers include:

Carrier Bags
Discount Carrier Bags provides customers with an instant quote on a range of printed carrier bags. Get your very own design or logo printed on one or both sides of a quality thick carrier for as little as 4p a bag. Get a quote in 60 seconds, any time of day, 24/7!
www.discountcarrierbags.co.uk

Personalised Carrier Bags
With instant real-time quotes on personalised printed carrier bags, Discount Printed Carrier Bags is the place to go for bespoke carrier bags at terrific discount prices. Get your design printed on strong, smooth, high quality polythene bags in a range of sizes, from just 4p a bag and with free delivery in the UK.
www.discountprintedcarrierbags.co.uk

Printed Carrier Bags
The home of printed carrier bags online - offering high quality 55-micron thick carrier bags printed with your very own design. With a free instant quote, the lowest prices online - starting at just 4p a bag - and free UK delivery, this website is the place to go for printed carriers - the best way to advertise your business.
www.printedcarrierbags.com

Carrier Bag
If you need a carrier bag of any style, size or colour, then Carrier Bags is the website for you. They provide customers with a huge range of polythene carrier bags, from varigauge carriers to vest carriers and with a selection of biodegradable alternatives.
www.carrierbags.co

Buy Carrier Bags
A useful resource for anyone looking to buy carrier bags. Featuring lots of information of different types of carriers - including bespoke printed carrier bags - and where you can buy them, this website will definitely help you find the right carrier bag for you.
www.buy-carrier-bags.co.uk

Printed Carriers
Find out more about printed carrier bags and a range of other plastic carriers at this useful website, including details of each type of bag and the best place to buy discount printed carrier bags online.
www.discountprintedcarrierbags.com

Printed Bags
Printed Bags Direct offers customers information and details on where to buy a wide range of stock carrier bags and bespoke printed carrier bags, so you can find out everything you need in one handy website.
www.printedbagsdirect.co.uk

Carrier Bag Printing
An excellent resource on printed carrier bags and stock carrier bags, with detailed descriptions on a range of carrier bag categories.
www.printedcarrierbags2u.com

Coloured Carrier Bags
Coloured Bags Direct is a website dedicated to printed carrier bags. A division of industry-leading manufacturer Polybags, they offer customers colour printing on a range of polythene carrier bags.
www.colouredbagsdirect.co.uk

Patch Handle Carrier Bags
Are you looking for printed carrier bags, patch handle carrier bags or any other style from a wide range of plastic carriers? This website is the site you need to help you make that all-important decision and find the right carrier bag for you.
www.printedcarrierbagsdirect.co.uk

Coloured Plastic Bags
Coloured Bags offer colour printing of carrier bags to help you advertise your business. Get a free quotation on your own design printed carrier bags, or choose from a wide range of stock carriers.
www.colouredbags.com

Plastic Carrier Bags
This handy website offers a useful resource on plastic carriers and printed carrier bags, including details of the types of bags available - from clip close carriers to patch handle carriers - and where to buy them.
www.printedcarrierbagsdirect.com

Research & Resources

For more information on carrier bags, the wide range of polythene and biodegradable carriers available, their many uses and how to recycle them, please visit:

Goldstork: A free online 'best-of-the-web' directory listing specially selected information on a wide range of plain and printed carrier bags.

PackagingKnowledge: The UK's premier polythene packaging knowledge website, containing loads of useful information and in-depth articles on carrier bags, as read by those in the industry.

PlasticBags.uk.com: List products for free as a manufacturer or, if you're shopper, simply browse a massive selection of carrier bags websites on this unrivalled polythene packaging directory.

Single-use carriers? No such thing!

The carrier bag is often portrayed in the media as the single biggest cause of pollution and litter on the planet.

Most commonly, the high density polythene (HDPE) carrier bag used by supermarkets is singled out as the biggest culprit. These bags, which are subject to a government levy in many countries - meaning customer have to pay a few pence or cents for each bag they use - are often referred to as “single-use carriers”, which is a term that is not only misleading but also irresponsible.

Carrier bags should be reused as often as possible and by calling them “single-use carriers” - including in newspaper articles widely criticising the use of such bags - the implication is there that the bags should be thrown away.

This is giving entirely the wrong message to customers and does not represent the facts. 82% of UK households reuse over half of all carrier bags they use, with 59% reusing all of them (Waste Resources Action Programme report, 2005).

There are so many things you can do with a carrier bag once you’ve used it to carry your shopping home. The most obvious is to take it back to the shop and use it again for its original purpose - to carry shopping! But you can also use carrier bags for wrapping your packed lunch, or as a portable laundry bag when you go on holiday, or wrapping shoes in a suitcase to keep your clothes clean. There are loads of things you can use it for if you put your mind to it, so use your carriers again and again.

Even when your carrier has seen better days and you’re ready to throw it out, you can give it one final hurrah and use it as a rubbish bag before throwing it in the bin. There’s no such thing as a single use carrier bag - at least there shouldn’t be!

Trending results for carrier bags

See part 10 below for information about direct assist arrangements for carriers.

The carrier's waiver notice matters because it confirms that a charge will not be pursued, which removes uncertainty from the paperwork trail and lets the consignment transport on without a dispute hanging above it. In practical terms, the Form IS80C from the Carriers Liaison Section acts as the formal record that the concession has been applied, so records staff, dispatch teams and transport planners can all work from the same position. That cuts down on follow-up queries and avoids wasting time on a charge that has already been set aside. Clear notification also assists retain records tidy for audit or claims checking later.

Printed Carrier Bags

Carrier bags only work well when the material matches the job, because film behaviour determines how they perform on the packing line and in the hand. A higher-density polythene suppliers can feel stiffer and grasp its shape better on the select-face, while a softer low-density film may stretch more and resist tearing in a alternative method. Gauge matters also: also light and bags split or pucker below load, also heavy and they waste material and take up additional storage space. The optimal specifications give enough handle strength and puncture resistance without making the bag awkward to store, occupy or dispatch, and that balance saves trouble later.

Flexiloop carriers cope with weight better than simple punched-handle bags because the lift point is built into a strengthened part rather than a cut edge that can beginning tearing as soon as load comes on. That stronger building spreads the strain more evenly through the film, so awkward or heavier contents are less likely to rip complimentary when cartons are being moved from till to store room or across a receiving area. The bag also retains its shape better, which matters when boxed products sit beside loose items and press unevenly on the sides. Fewer handle failures mean less repacking and a smoother handover at the point of sale.

A vest carrier has to do above grasp armour panels in position, because poor fit fast turns a protective layer into a burden on the wearer. When the cut is gross or the adjustment points are clumsy, movement becomes restricted and fatigue rises amid a long shift or patrol. The better carriers spread the load across the shoulders and torso, retain the panels where they should sit, and enable enough freedom for bending, reaching, and climbing. Stitching, webbing quality, and closure design all affect how well the carrier stands up to daily handling. A sensible specification makes the gear easier to wear for longer and reduces the chance of people leaving it altered badly or fitted loosely.

Patch handle carriers remain normal because the strengthened grip solves a proper handling problem without adding much bag weight. The patch spreads strain across a thicker area around the die-cut handle, so the stress does not sit on two thin points that can tear when loads are lifted, paused, then lifted again. Failures normally display up at the hand opening before they appear in the side seals, particularly when the bag is full, awkwardly packed, or carried at an angle. That makes this format proper for busy shopping use, where a small earn in strength can save a lot of nuisance damage. The proper patch building gives the bag a more forgiving feel in hand and a better chance of surviving rough treatment.

Coloured carrier bags work optimal when the tint is matched to the method the film behaves in use, not only to the message it is meant to send. A bag that sees transparent and distinctive on the shelf still has to survive handle welding, loading, and the rough treatment that comes with repeated picking and carrying. If the pigment load is also heavy, the film can lose stretch and split more easily; if it is also light, the visual control becomes weak and stock acquires mixed with plain bags. Good converter control retains gauge even and the masterbatch stable, so pallet density and hand feel stay predictable. That sort of balance retains the bag doing its job instead of becoming another item that fails on the shop floor.

Plain carrier bags see simple, nevertheless the proper job is to transport products without splitting, stretching also far or wasting material. A bag that is also thin can nick at the handle and fail as soon as a heavy item shifts, while one that is also heavy on gauge adds resin use, raises pallet weight and takes up more room in storage. The practical balance sits in film quality, handle design and easy stacking at the select face, because a bag that nests badly can slow dispatch and cause muddled stock rotation. That means the normal-looking bag on the counter is often the result of hard selections about strength, handling and transport efficiency.

Printed Carrier Bags to Create Brand Awareness

Printed carrier bags have to do above display a design because the bag itself still has to transport through sealing, folding and handling without failing. A light gauge can see fine on the roll and then split at the handle or seam once it is loaded, which fast turns a tidy purchase into a complaint at the till. Carry bag film also requirements the proper surface behaviour, since a film that is also slippery can block in stacks and cause trouble on packing lines. A sound specification retains print quality, seal strength and line performance in balance, and that is what makes the finished bag feel well manufactured rather than makeshift.

Poly Carriers Industries (M) Sdn Bhd

Poly carriers are often lost first on paper, not on the shop floor. Light packs can slip through receiving, put-away and despatch without anyone noticing an errour until the counts no longer tie up, particularly when several fast-moving lines share the same storage space. Secondary packing can conceal a shortfall, and a pallet that sees perfect may still be missing cases or bundles. Tight batch control, matched paperwork and normal cycle counts bring those gaps into view before they turn into a proper loss. Good stock records do not stop all mistake, nevertheless they make stock drift far easier to grasp.

polythene suppliers carriers need to be judged on how they behave after the checkout, not only on how they see on the shelf. A tidy stop and superb print may assist sell the bag, nevertheless the proper test comes when cartons are loaded, stacked and shifted through the warehouse. Film gauge has to be light enough to retain the carrier efficient, yet firm enough to resist split handles and weak seams when consignments are broken down for dispatch. If the gauge is pushed also low, handling damage rises fast. A sensible specification retains performance proper without adding unnecessary weight, and that makes packing and transport easier to manage.