Custom Laser-Cut Irregular Cannabis Bags

These last few years, competition for shelf space has gotten way more intense for cannabis brands with both big and small brands fighting for consumer attention. The increase in competition, standard Mylar bags are not going to be as effective for winning customers as they used to be. Cannabis brands are getting more and more creative with custom shapes, with precision laser cutting, like leaf shapes, mascot outlines, and geometric shapes. Most other bags don't Pull and hold customers like Irregular Laser Cut Bags. They also look significantly better than standard Mylar bags. Innovations in technology are being used to create custom shapes for bags. These advancements in technology and lowering costs have resulted in custom for bags being available for order as low as 1,000 bags. These bags have been previously cost prohibitive to craft cannabis brands, more limited edition drops, and seasonal themed packaging. Because of this, we are seeing craft cannabis brands taking the plunge to invest in custom packaging, leading to an overall increase in competition gained when investing in packaging. This will also increase competition when branding and shelf presence for established businesses in the market. Understanding the design, optimal materials, and limitations of this technology will not only increase your shelf presence, but will also help you avoid wasted costs and frustration.

 

Irregular Geometry in Cannabis Packaging

Stepping Out of the Box

Cannabis products now use pouches and boxes and tubes, just like the rest of the CPG shelf products. This made sense when the only concern of the design team was the regulation of the outside design. Now that the market is developing, customers have the same brand-building expectations that boutique coffee shops and craft beer stores have placed on them.

With the use of cannabis leaf pouches, lightning bolt pouches and mascots, cannabis packaging design is able to break the mold of generic packaging. Customers are now able to see that more investment was put into the presentation of the products, increasing customers' perception of quality before they have even opened the product. Some cannabis brands have seen an increase in shelf pick-up by over 15-30% following a switch from standardized rectangles to custom-designed cut boxes.

Custom-Die Cut Packaging and Brand Identity

The branding of products in the market is pretty much the same as what a logo or color palette can do for a business. This can result in the development of a shape-based recognition process as is seen in the Toblerone triangle or in the contour Coca Cola bottle. Cannabis brands are beginning to develop this same style recognition.

When it comes to building your branding story, die-cut silhouettes are the way to go, since flat printing will just not do the job. A brand that focuses on relaxation will most likely use die-cut silhouettes in the form of flowing, organic curves. On the other hand, an edibles company targeting an active, energetic demographic will more likely go for the silhouettes in the form of angled and dynamic shapes. In this sense, the silhouette becomes part of the brand vocabulary and will likely feature in their social media, merch, and retail displays. When a silhouette is so distinct that a customer can instantly recognize your brand and pick it out from other products in the store without having to read the label, most competing brands will be jealous.

 

Precision Engineering: The Laser-Cutting Advantage

Clean Edges and Intricate Design

Traditional die-cutting uses steel rule dies, which essentially work like cookie-cutters. They do great for cutting out circle shapes, but they can't do complex curves, or angles. They also cannot do any of the fine details of a pattern like a laser cutter can do. Laser-cutting uses CO2 and fiber lasers to cut your material and can do so with an incredible precision. They can cut your material with tolerances of under 0.1mm. This means they can do details so fine that the material edges look clean like they have just been printed. They don't look cut like most forms of cutting look.

This kind of precision means a whole new world of possibilities for designers. They can do things like incorporate lace details to the die lines of a pouch, create miniature star-shaped windows, or cut text on the surface of the bag. The fusing cutting technique also seals the edges of the material. This prevents any woven or fibrous material from unravelling. The tactile difference between cutting edges with a laser and a die cut edge is incredible. With big cannabis brands wanting to make their packaging seem premium and intentional, this is a very noticeable difference.

More Production Scalability with Mass Production and Small Batches

One of the biggest advantages with a laser cutter over a traditional die cutter is that with a laser cutter you do not need a physical die. This means you also don't have to worry about losing out on hundreds or thousands on the cost of a die which can run between $500 and $2000. Plus, dies can take 1-3 weeks to make. Heaven forbid you have to make an actual change to your design. With traditional die cutting you would have to get a brand new die. On the contrary, laser cutting works off of digital files. This means you can go from final artwork to actual production in a matter of days, whereas with traditional die cutting it could take weeks.

Limited runs become economically feasible. A brand attempting to do a limited 420 edition with a unique shape has the ability to call in 2,000 units without losing the cost of a die that they would use only once. On the other side of the spectrum, mass production can have thousands of bags processed in a few minutes with high-speed galvo laser systems. The same technology has the ability to scale in both ways, providing brands with the flexibility that consistent tooling has never provided.

 

Custom-Shaped Pouches Add Functionality

Comfortable Consumer Use

The design of the shape serves a purpose that goes beyond the aesthetics. A good irregular pouch that is well thought out can be not only easier to hold, but easier to open and recluse as well in comparison to a normal rectangular box. Soft surfaces of pouches that have been designed can be used to create a comfortable fit within the hand. Many brands create pouches with a design of a wider top and tapered bottom for easier pouring of the products inside without spills.

The way that the customer engages with the packaging is part of the overall brand experience. A pouch that has been designed to be flimsy or awkward can diminish the overall experience that the design has created. When it has been designed in an ergonomic way that serves the functionality to the hand, it turns a simple pouch into an entire experience. This is especially the case for cannabis consumers as they are the ones that will be handling packaging the most for a few weeks or days.

Optimizing Shelf Space and Visual Impact

Dispensaries have limited and expensive shelf space. Standard rectangular pouches get grouped into unimpressive rows. However, an irregular shape interrupting this grid creates negative space around it, which draws more attention. Merchandising studies in retail have documented that unique shapes, even in less favorable shelf locations, command more attention.

Innovative brands are able to harness the regularity of their oblique shapes.| A hexagonal pouch, for instance, will create the appearance of uniformity and distinctiveness without interruption. It is advisable to collaborate with your packaging manufacturer in advance to determine your custom shape’s functionality in actual retail displays, both hanging and standing, so that you do not end up with the disappointment of it looking designed but resting vertically and creating 40% unutilized shelf space.

 

Selection of Materials and Barriers

Preserving terpenes using multilayer lamination

Cannabis flowers and concentrates are sensitive products and have volatile terpenes that degrade with exposure to oxygen, moisture, and UV light. Packaging's barrier properties are just as important as the packaging's shape.

Most sophisticated pouches use multi-layer laminates, usually combining PET for printability and structural strength, aluminum or metalized film for oxygen and moisture barrier, and LLDPE or CPP for heat seal. Properly calibrated laser cutting allows for a complete seal of the laminate layers, meaning that no unsealed edges of protective layers. Additionally, the heat from a laser bonds laminate layers along the cutting line, providing a micro seal. This is a real advantage over mechanical cutting that is known to separate edges and create micro pathways for air ingress.

Child-resistant closures for unusual silhouettes.

Compliance is not adaptable. Every legal cannabis market establishes the necessity of child-resistant closures on packaging, and unusual silhouettes create additional requirements. Standard CR zipper mechanisms are designed for straight-line movements across rectangular pouches. When a bag is designed with curves, angles, or asymmetrical silhouettes, that zipper position requires a specific engineering solution.

There are multiple design options available to you. Press to close zippers can zip and unzip smoothly along edges with slight radius bends. Slider zippers are also suitable for bags with completely irregular shapes. Some brands have adopted a mixed design model. This involves having a visually appealing irregular shape below and a top section with a simple rectangular CR closure. As a result, the CR design remains simple, and it doesn't compromise the CR design's visual purpose. Instead of trying to add components to a design later, aim to include closure mechanisms, CR options, and design shapes components at the same, early, design stage.

 

For Laser Cut Bags

Windows and Transparency

Consumers also want to assess the quality of the cannabis flower, as it directly affects the quality of the end product. Buds that contain more trichomes explain a higher-priced product. Windows also help assess color and density. Laser windows can be windows of any shape and are also ideal for cannabis packaging, as these packages can become oddly-shaped to hold product and can be used to create unique shapes, like a circle, a leaf, a diamond, or a custom shape using a diamond design.

The materials used to create the windows also must be considered. Basic visibility can be obtained using oriented clear PET or nylon, but these do not provide blocking UV protection. If the product will sit under dispensary lighting for extended periods, a UV-blocking window film is a must to keep terpenes intact. Additionally, the window must be properly constructed to maintain the overall barrier properties of the pouch to be properly laminated and to be adhered to the window area of the cut, not as a hole, to remain adhered to the barrier properties of the pouch.

The Balance Between Aesthetics and Compliance Labeling

Many brands make the mistake of assuming the label compliance requirements are just a few elements. In actuality, cannabis label compliance requirements stretch for THCs, health advisories, batch numbers, and testing results, as well as licensing information. These elements have minimum font sizes, placement requirements, and must be compliant according to the state/country. Whether a bag is a standard shape or an irregular bag shape can greatly impact the amount of usable print area for the bag.

A more effective method is to first sketch the structure of the compliance zones and then create the rest of the design around them. Imagine the required text blocks as fixed elements of a design and let the rest of the design flow around them. To provide an example, one of the more noteworthy approaches to designing irregular shaped bags, is to have one side of the bag flattened so that the compliance text can be placed there, leaving the irregular side clean and free of text. This satisfies the need for clean aesthetics while ensuring compliance.

 

Innovative Trends for Cannabis Package

The cannabis packaging industry is rapidly changing, and odd laser-cutting bags are part of the trend toward packaging modernization. Multiple trends are fusing to influence custom cannabis pouches.

The sustainability of products is becoming important. Many companies are looking for options where the inner packaging materials are compostable and recyclable while preserving the barrier materials. Because of this, laser cutting will work better with the new compostable/ recyclable packaging materials. Due to the fact that laser cutting uses less waste than traditional cutting and does not use oils as cutting fluids, it is more environmentally friendly than traditional cutting.

The integration of smart packaging is another important trend that is gaining traction. NFC chips and QR codes are added to irregular shaped pouches as a way to get final customer information, COAs, and loyalty program information. Due to the fact that the irregular shape of the bag is more difficult to replicate than the simple bag, it provides added protection against counterfeiting.

It is possible that more companies will use augmented reality features that are activated by the shape of the packaging. Companies that invest in well-designed and unique packaging will create brand recognition that will grow over the years. Think from the end of the story where you want an outline a packaging design that incorporates your story, and work with a packaging company that balances innovation with cannabis industry regulations in order to create packaging that will drive your brand recognition and loyalty.