Flexible Packaging
Draw stand-up pouches, flat pouches, side-gusset bags and pillow bags in Print CAD with seal, window, zipper, valve and tear notch line styles.
Print CAD can draw flexible packaging: pouches, bags and sachets made from film rather than board. A store sells them the same way it sells folding cartons. The customer sees the pouch in 3D, in the chosen film, finish and window, and the print-ready PDF carries a separate spot plate for each line type.
Supported shapes:
- Stand-up pouches (doypacks), with a rounded bottom gusset
- Flat pouches
- Side-gusset bags
- Pillow and chip bags, with fin seals
Both the desktop app and the web version of Print CAD support flexibles.
How a Pouch Is Drawn
You draw a pouch flat, the way it looks before it is sealed.
- Draw the front and back panels side by side. For a gusseted bag, draw the gusset panels between them.
- Outline the whole shape in Cut lines.
- Draw Crease lines where the film folds.
- Draw each heat-seal band in the Seal style (side, bottom and top seals, and fin seals).
- Add any Window, Zipper, Valve and Tear Notch lines where those features sit.
PrintNow works out the 3D shape from the line styles. Creases are folds. Seal bands are where the film is bonded. Windows, zippers and valves sit where their lines are drawn. Curved seals, such as a stand-up pouch's rounded "smile" bottom, and fin seals are supported.
Flexible Line Styles
| Style | Use it for | Default look |
|---|---|---|
| Seal | Heat-seal bands where the film is bonded (side, bottom and top fin seals) | Purple, solid |
| Window | The outline of a clear or frosted window | Cyan, solid |
| Zipper | Where the reclosable zipper sits | Pink, solid |
| Valve | A one-way degassing valve position (for example, on coffee bags) | Teal-green, solid |
| Tear Notch | Tear notch marks, the nick that starts a tear | Amber, dashed |
To assign a style, select the lines, right-click, choose Assign to Style, and pick the style. See Line Styles.
One Dieline for a Product Family
Put optional features in conditional groups so one file covers every variant. For example, a group with the condition WINDOW == 1 holds the window outline, and a group with HANGHOLE == 1 holds the hang hole. A pricing option then switches each feature on and off. See Conditional Geometry.
How It Looks in the Store
- 3D preview: the storefront and the Print Editor show a filled 3D pouch, not a flat sheet. Choosing a size reshapes it. Choosing a window, zipper, valve or hang hole adds or removes that feature.
- Films and finishes: the pouch renders in the film and finish the customer picks. These looks come from 3D Materials.
- Windows: a clear window shows the inside of the pouch and anything behind it. A frosted window blurs it.
- Print-ready PDF: each line type prints on its own spot plate. See Dieline Spot Plates.
Before a store can print these plates, an admin sets a spot name for Seal, Window, Zipper, Valve and Tear notch in Dieline Colors.
Limits
- Flexible products have no fold or open/close animation, unlike folding cartons.
- A flexible product can't be a member of an assembly.
Related Pages
- Conditional Geometry — one dieline for windows, zippers and hang holes
- Line Styles — all built-in and custom line styles
- Dieline Colors — spot names and colors for each line type
- 3D Materials — how films, windows and finishes look in 3D