If you haven’t come across cellophane basket bags before, let us introduce you to what they are, why they're useful and how to shrink them using a heat gun. Cellophane shrink wrap bags are designed to quickly and easily seal the contents of your hampers and give them the expert finish.
Made from thin heat-sensitive cellophane, once placed over your hamper basket gift trays, they can be heat shrunk using a hot air gun in order to keep contents snug and protected whether they're being sent through the post as mail-order hampers or displayed in-store.
The perceived value of a hamper plays a crucial role in determining what your customer is willing to pay. While curling the end of a ribbon adds a simple touch, a carefully crafted handmade bow can create a more luxurious display. By using the right professional tools, you can begin to increase your profits, and with practice, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert in hamper presentation.
For the purpose of our step by step guide, we've chosen one of our wooden gift trays but you can choose from our range of wickers hamper baskets or a card gift tray which is a great starter hamper for newbies to hamper making. All you need to get started is a hot air gun and a basket bag (please don't try this with a regular cellophane basket bag, make sure it's listed to shrink.
What you need
Scissors
How To Shrink Wrap
1. Choose your hamper and bag. Find the correct bag size online in the info section of your chosen hamper.
2. Slide your tray into the middle of the bag widthways, ensuring it’s flush and snug at the end of the bag.
3. Gather the open end and fold it over twice then secure and seal with tape.
4. Tidy the excess bag by tucking and sealing the ends underneath your hamper then taping to secure in place.
5. Keep your heat gun moving at all times and approx 10cm away. Sharp edges tighten faster, so take care.
6. Decorate with a bow, ribbon or gift tag. Remember, all our hampers have shipping outers for mail order
We recommend shrinking the sides of the hamper first, finishing with the top. Remember to keep the heat gun moving, as holding it in one spot for too long can create a hole. If a hole does appear, don’t worry as you can usually hide it with a decorative gift bow.
Try it out with a sample pack
If you'd like to give it a go and see if heat shrinking cellophane basket bags could work for your hampers, why not shop our handy cellophane bag sample packs? The pack is ideal if you're unsure of which basket bag you need to suit your product. With a sample of each size to try out, you'll be able to make an informed decision.
Love the idea? Be sure to share your photos with us. We can’t wait to see what you’ve created.
