What printed takeout bags really cost you.

The three numbers on every print quote

When a print shop sends you a quote for logo bags, the number you notice is the price per bag. But that number sits on top of two others, and those two decide what you really pay.

• The setup fee. A one-time charge to get your logo ready to print. Most places charge $150+ for it.
• The minimum order. The smallest run they'll print. For many shops that's thousands of bags.
• The price per bag. What each bag costs once the first two are covered.

A low price per bag can hide a big setup fee. A small setup fee can hide a huge minimum. You only see the real cost when you put all three together.

Do the math: the true cost of your first bag

Here's the quick way to compare any two quotes. Add up everything you pay on your first order, then divide by the number of bags you get.

Say a shop charges a $150+ setup fee and makes you buy 1,000 bags. Before you pay for a single bag, the setup alone adds 15¢ to every one of them. Order 500 instead, if they let you, and it's 30¢ a bag.

With us the setup fee is $0, so it adds nothing. A box on Subscribe & Save is $85 for 150 printed bags. That's 56.7¢ a bag, with free shipping and the print already in the price.

The cheapest quote is the one with the lowest first order total per bag, not the lowest price per bag.

The costs that never show up on the quote

Even after the math, a big print run keeps costing you after it's delivered.

• Cash sitting on a shelf. Thousands of bags you won't use for months is money you can't spend on food, staff or rent.
• Storage space. Cases of bags take up room in a kitchen that never has enough.
• A logo change. New logo, new phone number, new address? Every bag left in storage is now out of date.
• Shipping. Heavy cases of paper often ship at extra cost. Check before you sign.

This is why smaller, regular deliveries usually beat one giant run for an independent restaurant. You pay as you go and your bags always match your brand.

Five questions to ask before you order

Send these to any supplier before you pay. If they can't answer all five in one reply, keep looking.

• What is the setup fee, and do I pay it again on reorders?
• What is the smallest order you'll print?
• Is shipping included in the price?
• Can I see my logo on the bag before I pay?
• What happens if my logo changes after I order?

Our answers: $0 setup and never again, one box, shipping included, yes you see it on the bag before checkout, and you upload the new logo on your next order.

Where free bags change the math

Every box we ship comes with free bags on top of the ones you pay for. On a one-time box that's 20 free. On Subscribe & Save it's 50 free, because subscribers get 30 more.

Free bags lower your true cost per bag the same way a setup fee raises it. That's how a $85 box works out to 56.7¢ a bag. Every box also comes with 100 free food tamper-evident stickers to seal your orders.