A complete buyer's guide to custom tote bags in Australia: fabrics and GSM, size, gusset and handles, which print method suits each fabric, reuse facts, quantities, cost drivers and ordering...
Custom tote bags are reusable bags branded with your logo for events, retail packaging and staff or client gifts. To get them right, choose the fabric and weight for the job, size the bag and gusset for its load, match the print method to the fabric, and plan quantity and delivery around your date.
A tote bag is one of the few promotional items that carries your logo out into public. Every time someone takes it to the shops, the beach or the office, other people see it. In Australia that everyday use is backed by regulation. Lightweight plastic shopping bags have been banned in New South Wales since 1 June 2022, and shoppers are asked to bring their own bags (NSW EPA). Other states have introduced their own bans. Where shoppers routinely bring their own bags, a well-made branded tote is more likely to be used than binned.
Businesses order custom totes for five main jobs:
Each job needs a different bag. A delegate bag for 800 people and a retail tote that sells for profit should not have the same specification. The rest of this guide shows how to write that specification.
Most promotional totes in Australia are made from one of six fabric families. The table compares how they feel, how they print and what they suit. Our reusable bags range covers canvas, jute, non-woven, felt, drawstring, insulated and foldable styles.
| Fabric | What it is | Feel and structure | Best print methods | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton (light) | Plain-woven cotton, often called calico when unbleached | Soft, light and folds small | Screen printing, heat transfer printing | Events, market bags, low-cost giveaways |
| Cotton canvas (heavy) | Tightly woven, heavier cotton | Firm, holds its shape and feels substantial | Screen printing, heat transfer printing | Retail, staff and client gifts, everyday carry |
| Jute (hessian or burlap) | Coarse woven plant fibre, often laminated inside | Stiff, rustic and stands upright | Screen printing with bold artwork | Wine, gourmet hampers, markets, sustainability campaigns |
| Non-woven polypropylene | Plastic fibres bonded with heat rather than woven | Light and smooth, with a slightly papery feel | Screen printing. Laminated versions take finer detail. | High-volume expos, retail promotions, councils |
| Recycled PET (rPET) | Fabric spun from recycled plastic bottles | Light and smooth, often foldable | Screen printing, heat transfer printing | Foldable shopping bags, campaigns with a recycled message |
| Felt | Pressed fibres (wool or polyester) that are not woven | Thick, matte and structured | Screen printing, heat transfer printing, deboss on patches | Office, document and laptop bags, wine bags |
"Cotton" and "canvas" overlap. Canvas is simply a heavier, tighter cotton weave. When suppliers quote "cotton tote" and "canvas tote" side by side, the real difference is usually the fabric weight, so ask for it.
GSM stands for grams per square metre. It measures how much one square metre of the fabric weighs and is the most useful single number for comparing woven and non-woven bags. A higher GSM means a denser, heavier fabric that usually holds its shape better, survives more washes and gives the print a smoother base. A lower GSM means a lighter, cheaper bag that folds small and posts cheaply.
Instead of a single "right" number, match the weight to the job:
| Fabric weight | How it behaves | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Thin and soft. Folds into a pocket. Light objects can show through. | One-day events, sample bags, high-volume giveaways | Sagging with heavy loads. Ink can feel stiff on very thin cloth. |
| Medium | Holds a light load well and feels like a "proper" bag | Conferences, everyday shopping, welcome kits | Check handle stitching for grocery loads |
| Heavy | Firm and structured. Often stands on its own with a gusset. | Retail, client gifts, laptops, wine, merchandise people pay for | Higher unit and freight cost. Takes more space in cartons. |
To make quotes comparable, ask each supplier for the GSM, the finished size (width x height x gusset), the handle length and the print area. Two bags both called "canvas tote" can be very different products.
Size is where many tote orders go wrong. The bag looks fine in a photo, but the A4 folder will not fit, the handles are too short to go over a coat, or the bag will not stand up on a registration table.
Work from the largest item the bag must carry. For documents, the bag must be wider and taller than an A4 sheet (210 x 297 mm) with room for a folder. For a laptop, measure the device and allow for a sleeve. For groceries, a wider bag with a base gusset works better than a tall, narrow one. The supplier's dimensions should state width x height x gusset, measured flat.
A gusset is the extra panel at the sides or base that lets the bag expand into a box shape. Flat totes (no gusset) are cheaper, pack flat, post easily and give the largest unbroken print panel. They suit documents and events. Gusseted totes stand up, carry bulky items and look more premium, which suits retail, groceries, wine and gifts. A gusset also gives you a second branding position on the side.
Short handles are carried in the hand. Long handles go over the shoulder, which most people prefer for everyday carry, and should be long enough to fit over a jacket. Ask how the handles are attached. Reinforced or cross-stitched joins matter more than the fabric itself if the bag will carry groceries or bottles.
A zip, press stud or inner pocket adds cost but turns a giveaway into a bag people keep using. For events, extras are rarely worth it. For staff and client gifts they often are.
Ethergifts offers seven branding methods: screen printing, digital UV printing, UV transfer printing, laser engraving, deboss and emboss, heat transfer printing and foil stamping. The method is chosen to suit the material and the artwork. For fabric totes, two methods do most of the work, and the fabric surface decides which is better.
| Fabric | Screen printing | Heat transfer printing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light cotton and calico | Very good for one or two spot colours | Good for multi-colour or photo artwork | Thin fabric can show some texture through the print |
| Heavy canvas | Excellent. Ink sits well on a tight weave. | Good | The best surface for crisp detail |
| Jute | Good with bold, simple artwork | Limited, because the coarse weave stops a transfer bonding evenly | Avoid fine lines and small text. A canvas panel sewn onto jute gives a smoother print area. |
| Non-woven PP | Good for one or two colours | Good on laminated non-woven | Laminated non-woven gives sharper detail and a wipeable finish |
| rPET and polyester | Good | Very good | A smooth surface suits detailed and multi-colour logos |
| Felt | Good with bold artwork | Good | A fibrous surface softens fine lines. A debossed leather or PU patch is a premium alternative. |
Embroidery is sometimes used on heavy canvas elsewhere in the market. It costs more per bag and suits small logos rather than large panels, so ask whether it is available for your bag. For a deeper comparison of methods, read how to choose the right branding method for your logo.
Ethergifts sends a digital proof of every branding position before production, and nothing is produced until you sign it off. On a tote, check the logo's size relative to the bag, its height from the top seam and its position relative to the handles.
A reusable bag uses much more material and energy to make than a lightweight plastic bag. It only comes out ahead if it is reused many times. Two widely cited government life-cycle assessments put numbers on this.
| Bag type | UK Environment Agency (2011): uses to match a conventional HDPE bag on global warming potential | Danish EPA (2018): reuses to match an LDPE bag on climate change | Danish EPA (2018): reuses to match an LDPE bag on all indicators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-woven polypropylene | 11 | 6 | 52 |
| Conventional cotton | 131 | 52 | 7,100 |
| Organic cotton | Not assessed | 149 | 20,000 |
| Composite jute (jute, PP and cotton) | Not assessed | 23 | 870 |
Sources: Environment Agency, Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags (2011), figures assuming no secondary reuse of the HDPE bag; Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Life Cycle Assessment of grocery carrier bags (2018). The Danish "all indicators" figure for cotton is driven mainly by ozone depletion. The two studies use different reference bags and methods, so compare within a column, not across columns.
What this means for a tote order:
For a broader procurement view, see our sustainable corporate gifts checklist and the guide to eco-friendly promotional products.
The ACCC's eight principles for environmental claims include making accurate and truthful claims, having evidence to back them up, explaining any conditions, and avoiding broad and unqualified claims (ACCC, December 2023). For a tote, "100% cotton" or "made from recycled PET" is a factual description you can check with the supplier's specification. "Eco-friendly bag" on its own is a broad claim. If you print or publish environmental wording, ask the supplier for the evidence and keep it on file.
A simple formula avoids both running out and storing boxes of leftovers:
Order quantity = confirmed recipients x expected pick-up rate + a small buffer for damage and late additions
Worked example for a two-day conference:
For retail totes, base the quantity on sales of comparable merchandise rather than store traffic, and remember that a reorder of the same bag is usually faster than the first run because the artwork is already approved. The minimum order depends on the product and branding method and is confirmed with the quote.
We do not publish general price ranges because they change with fabric markets and freight. These are the factors that move a tote quote up or down:
If budget is tight, the biggest savings usually come from reducing print colours, choosing a flat tote over a gusseted one, and choosing a stock bag colour. Our guide to low-cost promotional products covers more ways to cut unit cost without making the bag look cheap.
If the bag you want is not in the catalogue, ask anyway. Ethergifts can usually source items that are not listed on the site.
It depends on the job. Heavy cotton canvas is the best all-rounder for retail, staff and client totes because it is strong, holds its shape and prints crisply. Light cotton or non-woven polypropylene suits high-volume event giveaways. Jute suits wine, hamper and market bags where a rustic look fits the brand. Felt suits structured office and laptop bags.
There is no single right GSM. Choose a light fabric for one-day events and sample bags, a medium weight for conferences and everyday shopping, and a heavy fabric for retail, laptops, wine and client gifts. Always ask suppliers for the GSM so you can compare quotes on the same fabric weight, because names like "canvas" vary widely.
Screen printing is the most common method. Ink is pushed through a mesh screen, one colour at a time, which suits bold one- or two-colour logos on cotton, canvas, jute and non-woven fabric. Heat transfer printing applies a printed film with heat and pressure and handles fine detail and many colours on smoother fabrics. Each method gets a digital proof before production.
Government life-cycle studies give different answers depending on method. The UK Environment Agency (2011) found a cotton bag needed 131 uses to match a conventional plastic bag on global warming potential. The Danish EPA (2018) found 52 reuses for climate change alone and far more across all indicators. The practical lesson is to choose a bag people will keep using for years.
Often, yes. The minimum order depends on the bag style and branding method. Heat transfer printing or a stock bag colour can make smaller runs more practical than screen printing a custom colour. Ethergifts confirms the minimum order quantity and delivery date with each quote, so send your preferred style, logo and quantity to get exact options.
Send us your brief: who the bags are for, what they will carry, the quantity, your logo and the date you need them. We will suggest suitable fabrics and print methods, send a digital proof of every branding position and confirm the delivery date with the quotation. Request a free quote or browse our canvas tote bags.
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