{"id":504,"date":"2026-10-09T09:08:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T01:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cikitsaphysiotherapy.com\/blog\/?p=504"},"modified":"2026-10-09T09:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T01:08:24","slug":"can-a-bag-making-machine-make-courier-bags-4359-83fdbb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cikitsaphysiotherapy.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/can-a-bag-making-machine-make-courier-bags-4359-83fdbb\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a bag making machine make courier bags?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re in the packaging game\u2014whether you\u2019re a small e-commerce shop cranking out 50 orders a day or a bigger courier network juggling thousands\u2014you\u2019ve 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\u2019ve got, and what exactly those courier bags are made of. I\u2019m not here to ramble like some textbook; I\u2019m a bag making machine supplier, so I deal with this question every single week. Let\u2019s break it down like we\u2019re chatting over coffee, no fancy jargon I\u2019ll just have to backtrack on later. Bag Making Machine<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get one thing straight: courier bags aren\u2019t just flimsy grocery store plastic. Real courier bags (the kind that don\u2019t split open if you stuff a laptop or a stack of books inside) are usually made from a mix of materials\u2014most 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?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s 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, \u201cWait, I have a regular flat bag machine, can I make courier bags with it?\u201d Short answer: sometimes, but not all of them. Regular flat bag machines are built for simple, thin bags\u2014like the ones you get at the dollar store. If you try to run a thicker, stronger LLDPE mix on a basic flat machine that\u2019s only calibrated for thin HDPE, you\u2019re gonna get a lot of broken film, jammed rollers, and half-finished bags that are useless. But here\u2019s the catch: if you\u2019ve got a semi-automatic flat bag machine with an adjustable die head (that\u2019s the part that shapes the film into a bag) and the ability to adjust tension, you can tweak it. Wait till you hear this\u2014we 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\u2014they were making their own courier bags for a fraction of the cost of buying them pre-made. That\u2019s the real stuff, not some marketing lie.<\/p>\n

Now, what about the more specialized machines? Like the courier bag specific machines we sell? Yeah, those are purpose-built, but that doesn\u2019t mean the basic machines can\u2019t do the job too. Let\u2019s talk about side-seal bag machines\u2014those are the ones that make the longer, rectangular courier bags you see for large parcels. If you\u2019ve got a side-seal machine that\u2019s set up for 20-50 micron film (the standard thickness for courier bags), you\u2019re 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\u2019s 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\u2014they 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\u2019re making their own bags 30% cheaper. That\u2019s the kind of win people care about.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s tamper-evident if you pick the right one. Can your bag machine make that? Here\u2019s where it gets a little trickier. Most basic bag making machines don\u2019t have a built-in system for applying adhesive strips. If you\u2019ve got a standard flat or side-seal machine, you can\u2019t just turn it on and have the strip applied automatically. But\u2014you don\u2019t need a whole new machine. You can add an optional adhesive strip applicator unit to most modern bag making machines. It\u2019s a small add-on, not some huge investment, and it lets you apply the pressure-sensitive strip right after the bag is cut. We\u2019ve added those units to dozens of machines for our customers, and they all say it\u2019s 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\u2019s the stuff that makes sense for small to medium businesses.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the limitations, because I won\u2019t lie to you\u2014this isn\u2019t a \u201cyes for everyone\u201d situation. If you\u2019ve 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\u2019re 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\u2019t handle that thickness, it\u2019s gonna stretch the film too much, make lumpy bags, and the seal will break. Also, if you\u2019re making eco-friendly courier bags (a lot of brands are switching to recycled HDPE or even compostable film now), you need a machine that\u2019s calibrated for the specific film type. Compostable film is thicker and more sensitive to heat, so if your machine\u2019s temperature controls are off, you\u2019ll 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\u2014they messed up the temperature, half the bags were useless, and they lost a whole batch of film. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to match your machine to the material you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get into the nitty-gritty of how the process works, just so you know it\u2019s not magic. Here\u2019s the step-by-step we walk our customers through: first, pick the right film. For standard courier bags, that\u2019s 25-35 micron LLDPE\/HDPE mix\u2014it\u2019s strong, flexible, and cheap. Feed the film into the bag machine, which feeds it through the rollers to get the right length. If you\u2019re 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\u2019s a side-seal machine. Then the cutting blade slices the individual bags apart, and they\u2019re stacked up ready to go. That\u2019s it. It\u2019s 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\u2019re golden.<\/p>\n

I get why people ask this question so much. Pre-made courier bags are a recurring cost, and for small businesses, that\u2019s 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\u2014they said their customers noticed, and their brand looked more professional. That\u2019s a bonus no one expects.<\/p>\n

Wait, but let\u2019s talk about volume. If you\u2019re making 100 bags a day, a basic semi-automatic machine is fine. If you\u2019re making 10,000 a day, you\u2019ll 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\u2019t realize that you don\u2019t need a brand new machine to make courier bags\u2014most of the time, a small upgrade is all it takes.<\/p>\n

Is there any case where you can\u2019t 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\u2014they require a laminator to stick the bubble film to the outer layer, so you\u2019d need a laminator attached to your bag machine, or a dedicated bubble bag machine. But if you\u2019re just making the standard, lightweight courier bags for general parcels, you don\u2019t need that. We\u2019ve had customers make bubble bags too, but that\u2019s a more specialized setup, not the basic courier bags most people need.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve 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, \u201cOh, I need a $50k specialized machine\u201d when really, all they need is a $2k strip applicator or a new sealing bar. We\u2019re not here to sell you something you don\u2019t need\u2014we\u2019re here to help you figure out what works for your business.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s wrap this up. So to answer the original question: yes, most of the time, a bag making machine can make courier bags\u2014you 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.<\/p>\n

Slitting Machine<\/a> If you\u2019re sitting there right now wondering if your existing machine can handle this, or if you\u2019re in the market for a new machine to make your own courier bags, hit us up. We don\u2019t do pushy sales\u2014we\u2019ll 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\u2019s gonna save you money and make your business run smoother.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \u201cFlexible Packaging Materials and Conversion Machinery\u201d \u2013 Global Packaging Association, 2022<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cGuide to Courier Bag Manufacturing Efficiency\u201d \u2013 Industrial Packaging Solutions, 2023<\/li>\n
  3. \u201cAdjusting Heat Sealing Parameters for Polyethylene Films\u201d \u2013 Journal of Packaging Technology and Science, 2021<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Zhejiang Deguang Machinery Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    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
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.deguang-machine.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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