Three-side seal pouch

A three-side seal pouch is a flat bag sealed along both sides and the bottom; the fourth edge, usually the top, is sealed after filling. With no gusset it does not stand up, so it is displayed lying flat, hanging from a peg or inside a carton.

Typical uses

Single-serve spices, soups and drink powders, cosmetic samples and sheet masks, vacuum-packed cheese and cured meats, seeds, medical consumables and snack portions.

Strengths

• Simple construction keeps material use and cost low.
• Easy to fill by hand or on automatic equipment.
• Available in high-barrier laminates with foil, metallised film or EVOH.
• Readily combined with a euro hang hole, tear notch, zipper or rounded corners.

Limitations

Capacity is limited: bulky products strain the seals and distort the front artwork, so a gusseted format may suit them better. Seal width is a trade-off between print area and strength. If the product will be vacuum packed, the structure must be specified for it; see vacuum bag. Many small sachets are essentially three- or four-side seal packs formed from rollstock on a packing machine.