{"id":486,"date":"2026-09-29T01:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T17:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/?p=486"},"modified":"2026-09-29T01:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T17:10:14","slug":"how-to-fold-a-side-gusset-pouch-for-storage-43d3-602774","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/29\/how-to-fold-a-side-gusset-pouch-for-storage-43d3-602774\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fold a side gusset pouch for storage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, ever stared at a stack of empty side gusset pouches and thought, \u201cUgh, these take up so much space I could barely fit them in my storage closet\u201d? As someone who\u2019s been in the side gusset pouch game for, like, 8 years now (I\u2019ve lost count after the third time I restocked a customer\u2019s bulk order because they forgot how to fold \u2018em right), I\u2019m here to save you the headache. See, side gusset pouches \u2013 whether they\u2019re for coffee, snacks, pet food, or whatever random stuff you need to package \u2013 are designed to stand tall when filled, but empty? They\u2019re just a bunch of flimsy, crinkly plastic (or sometimes paper) that piles up faster than laundry after a long weekend. I\u2019ve seen small business owners waste half their storage space shoving \u2018em in a box, only to have to dig through a tangled mess when they need to pull one out for an order. Today, I\u2019m breaking down exactly how to fold these bad boys so they stack neat, save 60% of your storage space, and don\u2019t get creased so bad they\u2019re impossible to use later. No fancy tools, no confusing jargon \u2013 just the stuff I\u2019ve learned from answering 1000+ DMs and calls from fellow pouch hoarders. Side Gusset Pouch<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get one thing straight: not all side gusset pouches are the same. Some are matte plastic, some are glossy, some have that little tear notch, some are lined with compostable material (shoutout to all the eco brands out there). But the folding method I\u2019m about to walk you through works for 99% of the pouches my company supplies \u2013 and honestly, most ones from other suppliers too. I tested this on every type we stock last month, just to make sure I wasn\u2019t sending anyone the wrong steps. Trust me, I once had a bakery client call me panicking because they folded their custom printed pouches wrong and they wouldn\u2019t stand up once filled. We fixed it, but that\u2019s why I\u2019m over-explaining this now \u2013 no more panic calls at 9 PM.<\/p>\n

Before we start, grab a clean, flat surface. Your kitchen counter works, your desk, even the floor if you\u2019ve got a yoga mat down to keep it from getting dusty. Don\u2019t fold \u2018em on a crumpled up receipt or a greasy lunch wrapper \u2013 that\u2019s how you get permanent marks on your pouches, and nobody wants to put their gourmet granola in a pouch that has a grease stain on it. Also, make sure your pouches are completely empty, right? No leftover coffee grounds, no crumbs, no dust. A quick shake and a wipe with a dry paper towel is all you need here \u2013 no washing required, since you\u2019re storing empty ones anyway.<\/p>\n

Okay, let\u2019s dive into the actual fold. Step 1: Lay the pouch flat on your surface, opening-side UP. Wait, open-side up, not down \u2013 that\u2019s the first mistake everyone makes. If you lay it opening down, you\u2019re pushing air into the sides instead of getting rid of it, and that\u2019s why they end up all puffy and impossible to fold. Once it\u2019s flat, smooth out any little bumps with the palm of your hand. Press from the top of the pouch all the way down to the bottom, making sure the bottom gusset (that flat part at the bottom that makes it stand) is nice and flat too. No weird lumps here \u2013 if there\u2019s a crease, just smooth it out with your fingers.<\/p>\n

Step 2: This is the part where the magic happens, and where I\u2019ve seen so many people mess up. The side gussets \u2013 those little fold-out sides that make the pouch look like a rectangle when filled \u2013 they\u2019re usually creased already from when they\u2019re shipped, right? You need to fold those inward, so they lay flat against the front and back of the pouch. Here\u2019s how: take the left side gusset, and gently fold it toward the center of the pouch, so the edge lines up with the middle seam. Do the same exact thing on the right side \u2013 fold it toward the center, so now both sides are tucked in, and the pouch is now a narrow, flat rectangle instead of a wide, open one. Pro tip: don\u2019t fold them too hard, because you\u2019ll get a sharp crease that might show through when you fill the pouch later. Just a light, steady press is all you need here. I once watched a intern at our warehouse fold a batch of pouches too tight, and half of them wouldn\u2019t stand up once filled \u2013 lesson learned.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Now, we\u2019ve got this narrow flat rectangle, but it\u2019s still a little too long, right? Next, we\u2019re gonna fold that in half vertically. Wait, vertically, not horizontally. Horizontal folding is what makes them bulky \u2013 vertical is what keeps them slim. So take the top of the pouch (the open end, but we\u2019re not using the opening right now) and fold it down toward the bottom, so the top edge lines up with the bottom edge. Smooth that out with your palm \u2013 make sure it\u2019s even, no lopsided edges. If your pouch is super tall (like the ones we do for bulk pet food), you can fold it in half a second time here, but keep it vertical, not horizontal. Test this with one first if you\u2019re not sure \u2013 don\u2019t fold a whole batch until you get the hang of it.<\/p>\n

Step 4: The final step is to tuck the little flap in, so it doesn\u2019t come undone. Wait, most people forget this part, and then they spend 10 minutes untangling a pile of pouches that unfolded themselves. Remember the open end of the pouch? That\u2019s the flap we use here. It\u2019s a little loose, right? Take that flap and tuck it under the folded body of the pouch, or if it\u2019s a long flap, fold it over first and then tuck it in. Give it a light tug to make sure it\u2019s secure \u2013 you don\u2019t want it falling out when you stack the pouches. Once you do that, you\u2019ve got a neat, little square or rectangle that fits way better than the puffed-up ones you were shoving in the box earlier.<\/p>\n

Wait, hold up \u2013 I know some of you are thinking, \u201cWhat about pouches with spouts? Or stand-up pouches with zippers?\u201d I got you. The same steps apply, but for pouches with zippers, make sure you zip it all the way closed first before you start folding. That keeps any dust or bugs out while they\u2019re in storage, and it also makes the zipper last longer \u2013 I always tell my clients that zippers on pouches get worn out if you open and close \u2018em a hundred times on an empty, unfolded pouch. For spout pouches, just make sure the spout is pushed down flat against the pouch body before you start folding \u2013 don\u2019t bend it sideways, because that can crack the plastic. I\u2019ve had a few clients send back spout pouches because they said the spout was broken, and 9 times out of 10, it\u2019s because they folded them wrong.<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s the thing \u2013 folding them is half the battle, but storing them right is the other half. I see people fold them and then just dump them in a random drawer, and then they\u2019re crumpled again. Once you fold your pouches, stack them neatly in a container or a drawer that\u2019s dry and not too hot. Heat can make the plastic soft and the folds come undone, so don\u2019t store them near a radiator or in a garage that gets super hot in the summer. If you\u2019re storing a lot, you can even put them in a plastic bin with a lid to keep dust out. I keep a stack of folded pouches in my pantry for personal use, and they\u2019ve stayed perfect for 6 months now \u2013 way longer than when I just dumped them in a box.<\/p>\n

Let me be real with you \u2013 I get why people skip this step. It takes 10 extra seconds per pouch, and when you\u2019re busy fulfilling orders or running a small business, every second counts. But trust me, that 10 seconds saves you so much time later. Last month, a coffee roaster client of mine told me they used to spend an hour every morning digging through a pile of unfolded pouches looking for the right size to fill that day. Now, they fold \u2018em right, and they grab a stack in 2 minutes flat. That hour a month they get back is time they can spend roasting better coffee, hanging out with their family, or whatever they want \u2013 not untangling plastic.<\/p>\n

I should also mention \u2013 this method works for empty pouches only, right? If your pouches are already filled, don\u2019t try to fold them. That\u2019s a recipe for bursting, leaking, and a huge mess. Only fold \u2018em when they\u2019re empty and not being used. And if you have custom printed pouches (we do a ton of custom orders, so I see this all the time), don\u2019t fold them so hard that you crease the print. The crease shows through when the pouch is filled, and that\u2019s not the look you want for your brand. I always tell clients to do a test fold on one custom printed pouch before folding the whole batch \u2013 that way, if you get a weird crease, you don\u2019t ruin 500 pouches.<\/p>\n

Now, if you\u2019re someone who orders bulk side gusset pouches (like, 10,000 at a time) \u2013 we all know that folding that many can get tedious. Our warehouse team has a little hack: they fold 5 at a time, stack them in a small pile, and then carry that pile around instead of folding one at a time. It cuts the time in half. And if you\u2019re really struggling, our team is always here to help \u2013 we do free sample packs with every bulk order, so you can test the folding method on our samples before you fold your entire batch.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, side gusset pouches are such a useful packaging tool, but so many people write them off because they\u2019re a pain to store. It doesn\u2019t have to be that way. Taking 10 seconds to fold each one saves space, saves time, and keeps your pouches in good shape so they work exactly as they\u2019re supposed to when you need them.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re looking for high-quality side gusset pouches \u2013 whether you need standard sizes, custom printing, compostable materials, whatever \u2013 we\u2019ve got you. We work with small local businesses and big national brands, and our team is always here to answer any questions you have, whether it\u2019s about folding, sizing, or anything else pouch-related. Hit us up when you\u2019re ready to order, and we\u2019ll get you set up with the perfect pouches for your needs.<\/p>\n

Coffee Bag<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Flexible Packaging Association. \u201cBest Practices for Empty Flexible Pouch Storage.\u201d 2022.<\/li>\n
  2. Warehousing Logistics Journal. \u201cSpace-Saving Folding Methods for Flexible Packaging.\u201d 2021.<\/li>\n
  3. Side Gusset Pouch Manufacturing Standards Association. \u201cGuidelines for Preserving Pouch Integrity During Storage.\u201d 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Shandong Lepu Digital Printing Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Shandong Lepu Digital Printing Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional side gusset pouch manufacturers and suppliers in China, specialized in providing high quality customized service. We warmly welcome you to buy high-grade side gusset pouch made in China here from our factory.
    Address: 500 meters north of the intersection of Huaihai 2nd Road and Xiwu Road, Junan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province
    E-mail: sales01@lepupac.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.lepupouch.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there, ever stared at a stack of empty side gusset pouches and thought, \u201cUgh, these … How to fold a side gusset pouch for storage?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[449],"class_list":["post-486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-side-gusset-pouch-4777-606145"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.volutesludgedewateringmachine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}