A printed tote bag looks like the simplest sewn product there is: two panels, two handles, a logo. The complaints it generates are predictable. The handles tear off when the bag is loaded with groceries, the print cracks after the first wash, the brand colour comes out a shade off, or the bag is sold as “recycled” and nobody can show where the recycled content came from.
This guide is for companies ordering branded bags for events, retail and campaigns, promotional products distributors, and brands selling their own bag range. It sets out the decisions to make, in order, before you ask a Vietnamese factory for a price: material, construction, print method, how to think about small runs, environmental claims, and the tariff heading to check before the goods ship.
💬 Planning a run of printed bags? Send us the bag type, the material you have in mind, your artwork and a rough quantity, and we will look for Vietnamese factories that already make that kind of bag. Tell us about your project.
Choose the material by how the bag will be used
Pick the material for the bag’s job and the message it carries: cotton for a bag people keep, non-woven polypropylene for a low-cost giveaway, recycled PET when the recycled content is part of the message and you can prove it.
Ask yourself first whether the bag is meant to be used once at an event, carried for months, or sold as a product in its own right. The answer narrows the material before any price is discussed.
| Material | What buyers usually want from it | What to ask the factory |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton canvas | A sturdy bag people keep and wash, good print surface | Fabric weight, whether natural or dyed, shrinkage after washing |
| Light cotton (calico, sheeting) | A lighter, lower-cost cotton bag for events | Fabric weight, how the handles are reinforced, print show-through |
| Jute or jute-cotton blends | A natural look for food, coffee and gift retail | Lamination inside, odour, print sharpness on a coarse surface |
| Non-woven polypropylene | A low-cost bag for events and trade shows | Fabric weight, whether seams are sewn or heat-sealed, lamination, colour range |
| Woven polypropylene (often laminated) | A stiff, wipeable shopping bag | Lamination film, print method (often printed film), handle construction |
| Recycled PET (rPET) fabric | A bag whose recycled content is part of the message | Documentation for the recycled content, fabric weight, print method that suits polyester |
| Polyester or nylon | Foldable bags, sports and travel bags | Denier, coating, whether the bag folds into its own pouch |
Fabric weight is the number that most changes how a bag feels, so ask every factory to state it in the same unit, and keep a swatch of the approved weight. A bag quoted “canvas” by two factories can be two very different fabrics.
Specify the construction, not just the size
Many bag complaints trace back to construction, so write down the handles, gusset, base, seams and reinforcement as carefully as the dimensions.
A useful bag specification covers:
- Body size: width and height of the finished bag, with tolerance.
- Gusset and base: a flat bag, a bottom gusset, or a side and bottom gusset. A gusset makes a bag hold boxes and bottles but changes the print area.
- Handles: length (hand-carry or over-the-shoulder), width, material, and whether they are the same fabric or webbing.
- Handle attachment: how and where the handles are stitched. A reinforced stitch pattern at the handle joint, sewn through a doubled layer, is what keeps a loaded bag together.
- Seams: sewn, overlocked, bound or heat-sealed (for non-woven), and whether inside seams are finished.
- Extras: inside pocket, zip or snap closure, lining, a pouch the bag folds into.
Agree how the bag will be load-tested. There is no single figure that suits every bag, so decide what the bag must carry for its use, ask the factory how it tests that, and record the method and result for the approved sample. Then check the same thing at inspection.
Choose the print method for the design and the material
The print method follows the material and the artwork: screen print for simple colours on cotton, heat transfer or digital methods for detailed designs, sublimation only for light polyester fabrics.
| Method | Works well for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Screen print | One to a few flat colours on cotton, jute and non-woven | Each colour needs its own screen; registration between colours; opacity on dark fabric |
| Heat transfer (including digital transfers) | Detailed or full-colour logos, small runs | Adhesion after washing, the feel of the transfer on the fabric |
| Sublimation | All-over full-colour designs on light polyester | Works on polyester, not on cotton; colours shift on darker base fabric |
| Embroidery | A premium logo on canvas or polyester bags | Puckering on light fabrics, the backing visible inside the bag |
| Woven label or patch | Small branding that does not depend on the bag fabric | How it is attached and where |
| Printed laminated film | Woven polypropylene shopping bags | The film’s finish and how it is bonded |
Plan the print area around the bag’s construction. Seams, gussets and handle joints limit where the print can sit, and printing a panel before it is sewn gives a different result from printing a finished bag. Ask the factory which it does for your design.
Send the artwork as a vector file with colour references. Ink colour on natural cotton, on dyed canvas and on non-woven can all differ from the same reference, so approve a printed sample on the actual bag fabric. On dark fabric, light colours usually need an underbase layer; check that it does not crack.
Use only your own logo or artwork you are licensed to use. Copying another company’s logo, character or design infringes trademark, copyright or design rights, and we do not arrange that.
💬 Not sure which print method suits your artwork and fabric? We arrange printed samples on the actual bag material so you can compare them before you approve. Send us your artwork.
How to think about small runs
A small run costs more per bag because the set-up work is spread over fewer pieces; you lower it by using standard fabrics, sizes and colours and by keeping the print simple.
Minimum quantities and prices vary by factory, material and design, so here is what drives them rather than figures that would only be true for one supplier.
| Driver | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Fabric minimums | A special colour or weight may have to be dyed or woven for you; stock colours avoid that |
| Print set-up | Screens, plates and colour mixing are the same work whether you print few bags or many |
| Number of print colours | Each extra screen-print colour adds set-up and a pass on the press |
| Size and pattern | A standard size can use an existing pattern; a new size needs cutting set-up |
| Construction | Gussets, pockets, zips and linings add sewing steps and bought-in parts |
| Packing | Individual polybags, folding, inserts and carton marking |
Ways to keep a small run sensible:
- start from a standard bag size and a stock fabric colour
- reduce the number of print colours, or move a full-colour design to a transfer method
- run several designs on the same base bag, so the cutting and sewing are shared
- combine bags with other branded items in one order and one shipment (see promotional textiles from Vietnam)
Ask every factory to quote the same specification, and compare them line by line as described in how to compare Vietnamese supplier quotations.
Recycled and “eco” claims need evidence
A recycled-content claim is only as good as the documents behind it, so ask for the evidence at quotation stage, not after the bags are printed with the claim.
Bags are often bought because they are reusable or recycled, and the claim ends up printed on the bag. Rules on environmental claims are set by the market where the bag is sold or handed out. As one example, the US Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides (16 CFR 260.13) state that it is deceptive to represent that an item contains recycled content unless it is composed of materials recovered or diverted from the waste stream, either during manufacturing (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer), and that a marketer who distinguishes pre-consumer from post-consumer content should be able to substantiate any percentage it states.
What that means for a bag order:
- ask what share of the fabric is recycled and how the factory or its fabric supplier documents it
- ask whether the fabric is covered by a recognised recycled-content certification and, if so, for the documents that link your batch to it
- print a claim only to the extent the documents support it, and keep the documents
- treat “eco”, “green” and “sustainable” with care; a general claim is harder to support than a specific one
Confirm the current rule in the market where you sell or distribute the bags.
Check the HS heading before the bags ship
Shopping bags of textile materials or plastic sheeting are named in HS heading 42.02, but thin plastic carrier bags and bags for packing goods sit elsewhere, so classify by material and purpose.
Three parts of the international Harmonized System matter for bags:
- Heading 42.02 names shopping-bags, among many other containers, “of sheeting of plastics, of textile materials” and other materials. Its “other” subheadings separate articles with an outer surface of leather, of sheeting of plastics or textile materials, and of other materials.
- Note 3(A)(a) to Chapter 42 says heading 42.02 does not cover bags made of sheeting of plastics, whether or not printed, with handles, not designed for prolonged use; these go to heading 39.23.
- Heading 63.05 covers sacks and bags of a kind used for the packing of goods, with subheadings by material (cotton, jute, man-made textile materials).
So a reusable printed canvas or polyester shopping bag is usually looked at under 42.02, while a sack made to pack goods is looked at under 63.05. Non-woven and laminated bags need care: get the material data from the factory before you ask for a classification. The six-digit code is shared internationally; national subdivisions and duty rates are not. If the classification is unclear, ask the customs authority of the importing country for a binding ruling, and confirm the current rule in the market where you sell.
If you plan to claim a preferential tariff, the origin of the fabric can matter as much as where the bag is sewn. See proof of origin for Vietnamese exports, and the fabric-origin discussion in CMT, FOB or ODM.
Inspection before shipment
Check bags against the approved sample on the points customers notice: print, handle attachment, size and stitching.
A practical checklist for printed bags:
- print position, colour against the approved sample, sharpness, cracking or peeling
- handle length and attachment, reinforcement stitching, load test as agreed
- finished size against tolerance, gusset depth
- loose threads, open seams, stains, odour
- packing and carton marking as specified
Sampling levels and how to read an inspection report are explained in pre-shipment inspection and AQL in Vietnam. If the bags are part of a staff programme, the colour-reference approach in our workwear and uniform guide applies to them too.
Sunsho Trade is a trading company, not a factory. For bag projects we find and check the Vietnamese factory that fits the material and the print, collect quotations on identical terms, run samples and inspection, and arrange delivery.
💬 Ready to make tote or promotional bags in Vietnam? See our sewn products manufacturing service, or send us your bag brief and we will come back with factory options.
Frequently asked questions
1. Which material should we choose for a giveaway bag?
It depends on whether people should keep the bag. Non-woven polypropylene suits a low-cost event bag; cotton canvas suits a bag meant to be used for a long time. Compare samples of both.
2. Can we order a small quantity of printed tote bags?
Yes. The cost per bag is higher on small runs because set-up work is shared by fewer pieces. Standard sizes, stock fabric colours and fewer print colours keep it down.
3. Which print method lasts longest on a cotton bag?
Screen print and embroidery are the usual choices for bags that will be washed. Approve a printed sample on the actual fabric and wash it before bulk production.
4. Can we print “made from recycled materials” on the bag?
Only if documents support it. Ask for the recycled-content documentation at quotation stage and check the rule on environmental claims in the market where the bags are used.
5. What HS code applies to a tote bag?
Shopping bags of textile materials or plastic sheeting are named in heading 42.02, thin plastic carrier bags not designed for prolonged use go to 39.23, and bags for packing goods to 63.05. Confirm with the importing country’s customs.
Sources
Checked on 24 October 2026.
- World Customs Organization, Harmonized System Nomenclature 2022, Chapter 42 (heading 42.02 and Note 3): https://www.wcoomd.org/-/media/wco/public/global/pdf/topics/nomenclature/instruments-and-tools/hs-nomenclature-2022/2022/0842_2022e.pdf
- World Customs Organization, HS 2022, Chapter 63 (heading 63.05): https://www.wcoomd.org/-/media/wco/public/global/pdf/topics/nomenclature/instruments-and-tools/hs-nomenclature-2022/2022/1163_2022e.pdf
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 16 CFR 260.13 Recycled content claims (FTC Green Guides): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-260/section-260.13