Glassine paper bags are flat, open-top bags made from a smooth, translucent sheet that resists grease without any wax or coating. The food shows through the front, and your logo prints on it in one or two colors.
From $0.30 a bag. Written quote in one business day and a free design proof; the exact number depends on size, ink count and quantity.
From $0.30 a bag. Exact price on the written quote.
| Bag style | Flat, open top, back seam; fold-over flap or side gussets on request |
|---|---|
| Base sheet | Polished glassine, about 25–35 lb, white or natural tint |
| Coating | None; the grease resistance comes from the dense, pressed fiber |
| Heat | Cold and room-temperature food; not for warm or steaming items |
| 1–2 colors as the usual pick, food-safe soy or water-based inks | |
| Finish | Smooth, semi-gloss, translucent enough to read a cookie through the front |
Glassine bags are small translucent paper bags made from a dense, polished sheet. They keep butter, oil and crumbs from marking the outside, and they let the customer see what is inside. Bakeries, candy makers, delis and soap makers use them for single portions and small gifts.
| Format | Typical size | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Bag | 3.5 × 5.5 in | Single cookie, candy |
| Bag | 4.75 × 6.75 in | Two cookies, macarons |
| Bag | 5.5 × 7.5 in | Pastry, brownie |
| Bag | 7.5 × 10 in | Bread roll, croissant |
Sizes are typical starting points. Any other size is a custom cut; ask on the quote. Full sheet and roll size chart.
Choose a sheet from this paper's photos, place your logo and send the mock with your quote request.
Upload your logo to place it on the paper
Look at the first photo. Three flat bags fan out on a blue background and you can see the seam running up the back through the front of each one. The larger bag in the second photo has a fold-over flap and a folded item inside, and the pattern on it reads clearly through the paper.
That see-through quality is the reason to pick glassine over kraft or white wax paper. A customer holding the bag sees the cookie, the macaron or the slice of fudge before they open it.
The third photo shows a single bag with a pleated bottom laid flat. Bags like that stand open on the counter for filling, then fold closed.
Glassine is made by beating the pulp for a long time and then pressing the sheet between polished rolls under heat. The fibers end up so tightly packed that oil has nowhere to go.
There is no wax, no plastic and no coating. That matters for two reasons. The paper has no wax taste or smell to pass to a delicate pastry, and it holds a crease like a sheet of tracing paper, so a fold stays folded.
The limit is moisture. Glassine resists oil and butter but it is not a barrier to water, so a bag of warm cookies will steam and soften from the inside. Let baked goods cool fully before they go in.
Measure the item flat and add about an inch to the width and two inches to the height so the top can fold over. These are the four sizes most counters pick.
| Typical size | Holds | Closure |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5 × 5.5 in | Two macarons, a caramel, a truffle pair, a sample bar of soap | Fold once and sticker |
| 4.75 × 6.75 in | One large cookie, four macarons, a stack of chocolate squares | Fold twice and sticker |
| 5.5 × 7.5 in | Two cookies, a brownie, a 4 oz bag of candy, a full soap bar | Fold-over flap |
| 7.5 × 10 in | A croissant, a slice of cake, sliced cold cuts, a folded tea towel | Fold-over flap or gusset |
Treat them as guidance. If your signature cookie is 5 in across, the 4.75 in bag is wrong even though it sounds close, and a custom width is the better answer.
The bag style changes how it fills and how it closes. All three are made from the same glassine, so the choice is about the counter, not the paper.
Glassine will not heat seal on its own, because there is no plastic layer to melt. Close bags with a fold, a sticker, a clip or a ribbon.
Yes, with two cautions. Glassine is translucent, so whatever is inside the bag shows behind the print. A dark cookie behind a dark logo loses contrast; a pale macaron behind it looks great.
Dark inks read best: black, navy, deep green, burgundy. Pantone solid-coated matches hold on white glassine. White ink is possible and shows up as a frosted mark that looks sharp against a dark filling.
Keep the design light. One logo on the front panel, or a small repeat at low density, keeps the bag looking like glassine rather than a printed carton. If you fill most of the front with ink you lose the see-through effect that made you choose it.
Glassine for bags sits at about 25 to 35 lb. The lighter end has a soft crackle and folds easily; it is what most pastry bags use. The heavier end is stiffer, stands up on a counter better and takes a gusset without sagging.
The sheet has a faint gloss on both sides from the polishing, and it is slightly cool to the touch. Customers notice that. It is why a glassine bag reads as a gift bag rather than a takeout bag.
Both white and a natural tint are available. White shows color most truly; the natural tint warms a one-color brown or black print and suits a farm-shop look.
Not every bag on this page holds food. Soap makers order the 5.5 × 7.5 in size for a full bar, because glassine keeps the oils in a fresh bar from marking the outside and lets the color of the soap show.
Stationers and makers of small gifts use the larger bag for cards, printed tea towels and samples. The second photo is that use: a folded item inside, pattern visible, flap closed over the top.
If soap is the main job, read our guide to wrapping bar soap first, because a bar that has not fully cured will sweat into any paper.
Most returns we see on this bag are sizing, and a few are print choices that fight the paper.
Filling with warm goods is the big one. A cookie bagged straight off the rack steams, the glassine goes limp, and by the time it reaches the customer the bag has lost its crackle. Cool everything on a rack first.
The second is picking a bag by the item's width alone and forgetting the flap. A 4.75 in bag holds a 4 in cookie, but once you fold the top twice there is almost no clear paper left and the logo ends up inside the fold.
The third is a busy print. Glassine shows the product. If your artwork covers the front, you have paid for a window and then curtained it. One mark, one or two colors, and leave the rest clear.
The minimum run is 1,000 bags in one size and one design. A bad print or a crushed case, reported with photos inside 10 days, is reprinted or refunded. The quote form for glassine bags asks for the size, the quantity and your file, and nothing else is needed to start.
What buyers ask before a first order. Type a word to filter the cards, or open one to read the full answer.
Yes, clearly. Glassine is translucent enough to read the shape and color of a cookie through the front panel, and a printed logo sits on top of that view rather than hiding it.
Yes, clearly. Glassine is translucent enough to read the shape and color of a cookie through the front panel, and a printed logo sits on top of that view rather than hiding it. Keep the print to one mark so the window stays open.
They do. The dense pressed sheet stops butter from soaking through, so the outside of the bag stays dry and clean on the counter.
They do. The dense pressed sheet stops butter from soaking through, so the outside of the bag stays dry and clean on the counter. This holds for cooled shortbread; warm butter is more mobile and the bag should wait until the tray is cold.
Safe, yes, but it will spoil the bag. Steam from a warm cookie softens glassine, which has no moisture barrier, and the bag loses its crisp feel.
Safe, yes, but it will spoil the bag. Steam from a warm cookie softens glassine, which has no moisture barrier, and the bag loses its crisp feel. Cool on a rack for twenty minutes and then bag.
No. There is no plastic layer in glassine, so a heat sealer has nothing to melt.
No. There is no plastic layer in glassine, so a heat sealer has nothing to melt. Close them with a fold and a sticker, a fold-over flap, a clip, or a ribbon through a punched hole.
Yes, and many orders do. The larger sizes carry a full bar of soap, greeting cards, small textiles and samples, and the bag keeps oils and finger marks off the item while showing it through the front.
Faintly, as a shadow, because the sheet is translucent. It does not transfer; the ink is dry and bonded before the bags are formed.
Faintly, as a shadow, because the sheet is translucent. It does not transfer; the ink is dry and bonded before the bags are formed. If a mirrored shadow on the inside bothers you, choose the fold-over flap style so the printed panel never touches the food.
No, because we print on the front panel, which has no seam. The seam runs up the center of the back and is visible through the paper, so we also avoid placing artwork that would line up over it when the bag is viewed from the front.
Yes, as two runs of 1,000 or more each. The artwork is the same but each size is set up and cut separately, so the quote lists them as two lines.
Yes, as two runs of 1,000 or more each. The artwork is the same but each size is set up and cut separately, so the quote lists them as two lines. Tell us both sizes on the form and we price them together.
Over a long day in a steamy case they can lose some crackle, since glassine takes on water from the air.
Over a long day in a steamy case they can lose some crackle, since glassine takes on water from the air. A dry pastry case with airflow is fine. Bag just before the goods go out rather than the night before.
75 in bag. It takes a 4 in cookie with a little clearance and leaves about two inches above it to fold the top twice and sticker it.
The 4.75 × 6.75 in bag. It takes a 4 in cookie with a little clearance and leaves about two inches above it to fold the top twice and sticker it. For a thicker 4 in cookie or two stacked, use 5.5 × 7.5 in.
Yes. White prints as a frosted mark on the translucent sheet and looks best over a dark filling, such as chocolate cookies or coffee beans.
Yes. White prints as a frosted mark on the translucent sheet and looks best over a dark filling, such as chocolate cookies or coffee beans. It is a second color on a job if you also want a dark ink, so budget for two colors.
Yes, state the flap depth on the quote. Two inches is the usual pick; it folds over the front, tucks under the bottom of the item on a small bag, and gives you a second surface to print a short line of text.
No match. Ask us on WhatsApp or call (503) 461-4788.
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