How 20-count packs, printed polybags, paper bands and header cards are produced, where barcodes and UPC codes go, what carton quantities look like, and how each packing choice moves your landed unit cost.
Quick answer · facts verified October 2026
Yes. JINMAN PAPER packs napkins retail-ready under your own brand: counted packs (commonly 20 napkins per pack), printed polybag, paper band or header card artwork, and UPC or EAN barcode printing. Retail packing is available on any custom printed napkin program.
Retail packaging
Most napkin programs fail at retail not because the print is wrong, but because the pack is wrong: the wrong count, no barcode, artwork that does not survive a polybag seam, or a master carton that does not fit the retailer's shelf-ready requirement.
We produce both sides — the printed napkin and the retail pack it goes into — so the artwork, count and carton are specified together instead of being reconciled after production.
| Format | What it looks like | Best for | Cost impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed polybag | Clear or printed film bag, heat-sealed | 20-count luncheon and cocktail packs, e-commerce | Low material cost, moderate packing labour |
| Printed paper band | Paper sleeve wrapped around the stack | Plastic-free positioning, boutique and gift | Higher material cost, similar labour |
| Header card | Pack sealed under a printed card with hanging hole | Peg-hook retail, seasonal displays | Card printing plus packing labour |
| Printed box | Rigid carton with your artwork | Gift sets, premium guest towels | Highest material cost |
| Bulk carton | Napkins in sleeves inside a shipping carton | Foodservice, distributors, repacking in your own facility | Lowest — no retail packing |
If you are launching a first collection, printed polybag with a header card is the most common starting point: it hangs, it carries a barcode, and the artwork is a single print run rather than a separate carton.
Retailers will not list a product without a scannable code. Supply your UPC (US) or EAN (EU) and we print it on the pack with the human-readable number beneath. We can also print item numbers, quantity statements, material claims and the retail copy you provide.
What we cannot do is invent a code for you — the GS1 prefix belongs to your company, and using an unregistered code will fail at the retailer's receiving dock. If you have not registered yet, apply for a GS1 company prefix first; it is the single most common delay in a first private label order.
Retail packing adds two costs: the pack material itself, and hand-packing labour. Labour scales with the number of packs, not the number of napkins — so a 20-count pack costs more to produce than a 50-count pack for the same napkin quantity.
If you want the lowest landed cost, ship bulk and pack in your own facility. If you want to launch without investing in packing equipment, retail-ready is the faster route — and at 5,000 units the difference is usually far smaller than the cost of setting up your own packing line.
Some brands buy multiple designs and assemble the final retail sets in their own country — usually because they want to change the assortment by season without committing to a full run of each design. That is a normal way to work, and it changes what we do: each design is printed and bulk-packed separately, clearly labelled, in the same shipment.
Related: MOQ per design and volume price breaks · private label and OEM programs · print buying guide · cocktail napkins
Factory-direct
Send pack format, count, artwork and quantity — we return a pack prototype in 5–7 days and a full quote with carton quantities the same working day. MOQ from 5,000 pcs per design. Free samples (buyer covers shipping).
