If you’re in the packaging game—whether you’re a small e-commerce shop cranking out 50 orders a day or a bigger courier network juggling thousands—you’ve probably stared at a stack of plain plastic film and wondered: can my existing bag making machine actually pump out those thin, tough courier bags that keep parcels safe? Spoiler: it depends on what kind of machine you’ve got, and what exactly those courier bags are made of. I’m not here to ramble like some textbook; I’m a bag making machine supplier, so I deal with this question every single week. Let’s break it down like we’re chatting over coffee, no fancy jargon I’ll just have to backtrack on later. Bag Making Machine
First, let’s get one thing straight: courier bags aren’t just flimsy grocery store plastic. Real courier bags (the kind that don’t split open if you stuff a laptop or a stack of books inside) are usually made from a mix of materials—most often high-density polyethylene (HDPE), sometimes low-density (LDPE), and even sometimes linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) or a little extra strength additive. They need to be tear-resistant, water-proof, and thin enough to save on material costs but thick enough to not break mid-delivery. Now, can your bag making machine handle that?
Let’s start with the most common type of bag making machines our customers ask about: the flat bag machine, and more specifically the ones that make poly bags. A lot of people come in saying, “Wait, I have a regular flat bag machine, can I make courier bags with it?” Short answer: sometimes, but not all of them. Regular flat bag machines are built for simple, thin bags—like the ones you get at the dollar store. If you try to run a thicker, stronger LLDPE mix on a basic flat machine that’s only calibrated for thin HDPE, you’re gonna get a lot of broken film, jammed rollers, and half-finished bags that are useless. But here’s the catch: if you’ve got a semi-automatic flat bag machine with an adjustable die head (that’s the part that shapes the film into a bag) and the ability to adjust tension, you can tweak it. Wait till you hear this—we had a small e-commerce customer last month who was using a basic flat machine to make tiny courier bags for their jewelry orders. They just cranked up the die head temperature a little, slowed down the feed speed, and swapped out the cutting blades for a sharper set, and boom—they were making their own courier bags for a fraction of the cost of buying them pre-made. That’s the real stuff, not some marketing lie.
Now, what about the more specialized machines? Like the courier bag specific machines we sell? Yeah, those are purpose-built, but that doesn’t mean the basic machines can’t do the job too. Let’s talk about side-seal bag machines—those are the ones that make the longer, rectangular courier bags you see for large parcels. If you’ve got a side-seal machine that’s set up for 20-50 micron film (the standard thickness for courier bags), you’re good to go. The key here is the sealing system. Courier bags need a strong, airtight seal so nothing leaks or gets ripped open. A lot of cheap bag machines have heat sealing that’s either too hot or too uneven, which makes the seal weak. If you upgrade the sealing bars on your existing side-seal machine to a constant heat seal system, you can definitely make those courier bags. We had a customer who runs a mid-sized courier company—they used to buy pre-made side-seal bags from a supplier that kept raising prices. They bought a used side-seal machine (not even from us at first) and swapped out the sealing bars for the ones we recommend, and now they’re making their own bags 30% cheaper. That’s the kind of win people care about.
Wait, but what about the ones with the self-adhesive strip? Oh right! A big part of courier bags is that sticky strip that lets you seal the bag without tape, and it’s tamper-evident if you pick the right one. Can your bag machine make that? Here’s where it gets a little trickier. Most basic bag making machines don’t have a built-in system for applying adhesive strips. If you’ve got a standard flat or side-seal machine, you can’t just turn it on and have the strip applied automatically. But—you don’t need a whole new machine. You can add an optional adhesive strip applicator unit to most modern bag making machines. It’s a small add-on, not some huge investment, and it lets you apply the pressure-sensitive strip right after the bag is cut. We’ve added those units to dozens of machines for our customers, and they all say it’s a game-changer. No more hand-sticking strips, no more messy errors, and the bags look just as professional as the ones you buy pre-made. That’s the stuff that makes sense for small to medium businesses.
Now, let’s talk about the limitations, because I won’t lie to you—this isn’t a “yes for everyone” situation. If you’ve got an ultra-basic, old bag machine that can only handle super thin film (like 10-15 micron, which is the thickness of a sandwich bag), you’re not gonna make good courier bags. Courier bags need to be at least 20 micron to stand up to being tossed around in delivery trucks. If your machine can’t handle that thickness, it’s gonna stretch the film too much, make lumpy bags, and the seal will break. Also, if you’re making eco-friendly courier bags (a lot of brands are switching to recycled HDPE or even compostable film now), you need a machine that’s calibrated for the specific film type. Compostable film is thicker and more sensitive to heat, so if your machine’s temperature controls are off, you’ll get bags that are either not sealed enough or melted through. We had a customer last year who tried making compostable courier bags on a basic machine—they messed up the temperature, half the bags were useless, and they lost a whole batch of film. That’s why it’s important to match your machine to the material you’re using.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how the process works, just so you know it’s not magic. Here’s the step-by-step we walk our customers through: first, pick the right film. For standard courier bags, that’s 25-35 micron LLDPE/HDPE mix—it’s strong, flexible, and cheap. Feed the film into the bag machine, which feeds it through the rollers to get the right length. If you’re adding a strip, the applicator unit will lay the sticky strip on one side of the bag at this point. Then, the sealing bar closes to create the top and bottom seals of the bag, plus the side seals if it’s a side-seal machine. Then the cutting blade slices the individual bags apart, and they’re stacked up ready to go. That’s it. It’s all automated, so you just set the parameters (length, thickness, temperature) and let the machine run. If your existing machine can do all those steps, just add the strip applicator if you need it, and you’re golden.
I get why people ask this question so much. Pre-made courier bags are a recurring cost, and for small businesses, that’s a huge expense. If you can make your own, you cut that cost, and you can even customize the bags with your logo or contact info, which is free advertising. We had a small pet supply company that started making their own courier bags with their logo on them—they said their customers noticed, and their brand looked more professional. That’s a bonus no one expects.
Wait, but let’s talk about volume. If you’re making 100 bags a day, a basic semi-automatic machine is fine. If you’re making 10,000 a day, you’ll want a fully automatic machine that runs faster, has better tension control, and can handle longer runs without jamming. We see customers come in with all kinds of volume needs, and we match them to the right machine, even if they already have one. A lot of people don’t realize that you don’t need a brand new machine to make courier bags—most of the time, a small upgrade is all it takes.
Is there any case where you can’t make courier bags on a standard bag making machine? Yeah, if you need specialty courier bags, like bubble-lined courier bags (the padded ones for fragile items). Those are a whole different process—they require a laminator to stick the bubble film to the outer layer, so you’d need a laminator attached to your bag machine, or a dedicated bubble bag machine. But if you’re just making the standard, lightweight courier bags for general parcels, you don’t need that. We’ve had customers make bubble bags too, but that’s a more specialized setup, not the basic courier bags most people need.
I’ve been in this industry for years, and the biggest mistake I see people make is assuming they need a whole new machine when they only need a small adjustment. A lot of customers come to us thinking, “Oh, I need a $50k specialized machine” when really, all they need is a $2k strip applicator or a new sealing bar. We’re not here to sell you something you don’t need—we’re here to help you figure out what works for your business.
Let’s wrap this up. So to answer the original question: yes, most of the time, a bag making machine can make courier bags—you just have to make sure your machine is compatible. Check if it can handle the right film thickness, has good heat sealing, and if you need the adhesive strip, you can add an optional applicator. If your machine is basic, a small upgrade is way cheaper than buying pre-made bags long-term.
Slitting Machine If you’re sitting there right now wondering if your existing machine can handle this, or if you’re in the market for a new machine to make your own courier bags, hit us up. We don’t do pushy sales—we’ll tell you if your current setup works, or if you need a small tweak or a new machine. No jargon, no fine print, just straight talk about what’s gonna save you money and make your business run smoother.
References
- “Flexible Packaging Materials and Conversion Machinery” – Global Packaging Association, 2022
- “Guide to Courier Bag Manufacturing Efficiency” – Industrial Packaging Solutions, 2023
- “Adjusting Heat Sealing Parameters for Polyethylene Films” – Journal of Packaging Technology and Science, 2021
Zhejiang Deguang Machinery Co., Ltd.
With abundant experience, we are one of the most professional bag making machine manufacturers and suppliers in China. Please rest assured to wholesale high quality bag making machine at competitive price from our factory. If you have any enquiry about cooperation, please feel free to email us.
Address: No.501, West Wangdong Road, Shangwang Street, Ruian City, Zhejang Province, China
E-mail: swdg@wenzhouhg.com
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