Stand Up Pouch Production: Printing, Lamination & Forming

The stand up pouch is one of the fastest growing packaging formats worldwide. It is used across food & beverage, nutritional & nutraceutical, household products, pet food, as well as pharmaceutical and personal care & cosmetics. The flexible nature of these pouches makes them an ideal solution for brands looking to increase their presence on retail shelves and attract consumer attention, while the unique structure lets them stand upright on a shelf — easy to see and easy to pick up. Resealable closures and tear notches make them easy to open and reuse.

Why brands keep switching to stand up pouches

• Lighter and more sustainable: compared with traditional glass and metal packaging, stand up pouches use less material and weigh far less.
• Lower cost down the line: they are easier to transport and take up less storage space, saving cost across the distribution chain.
• Shape freedom: they can be molded into a variety of shapes and sizes to fit specific product characteristics.
• Better shelf presence: the upright format keeps the printed panel facing the shopper.

Step one: printing and lamination

Producing a stand up pouch is a complex, multi-step process. The first step is printing the desired design onto the film, typically with an ink-jet printer using water-based ink. The printed foil is then laminated to the base film with a food-safe special adhesive.

• Base films can include PET, EVOH and PE.
• An EVOH-based barrier offers excellent protection against oxygen, aromas and water vapor.
• The barrier structure you choose drives shelf life and flavor retention.

The bottom fold: Doyen vs K-seal

Forming the bottom fold is another critical step, and it can be achieved with either a Doyen or a K-seal bottom. The main difference is that a Doyen bottom requires a format-specific tool to produce, while the K-seal can be produced with the same tool for any format — a real advantage when you run multiple formats side by side.

Forming and functional features

Once printing and lamination are complete, individual pouches are formed according to the required shape and size, with functional options added as needed:

• Handle hole, so consumers can carry the pack
• Zipper, for repeated opening and closing
• Matte or glossy lamination to improve look and feel
• Specialty films for extra protection against contaminants, UV rays or moisture

To guarantee high product safety, the barrier layer of the pouches must be robust against puncture and other environmental factors.

Retort pouches: stand up pouches built for sterilization

The retort pouch is a highly specialized type of stand-up pouch that allows the sterilization of food. It is made from a laminate of flexible plastic and metal foils to allow the sterile packaging of a broad range of foods. These pouches are used in retort machines to replace industrial canning processes and offer a higher level of consumer safety. They are also more compact and lightweight than their glass or metal counterparts, resulting in lower shipping costs and greater warehouse efficiency.

Looking for spout pouches, bag-in-box, stand up pouches with taps or liquid packaging film? Contact KODY PACK for structure recommendations, samples and a quotation.