How to Make Chip Bags with Silhouette (TEMPLATE)

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Are you a crafter who only uses your Silhouette machine and software for cutting? Today’s project just may change that! In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make custom chip bags with Silhouette, but you won’t need your Silhouette Cameo, Portrait, or any other Silhouette machine, because there’s no cutting required!

image for how to make custom chip bags in Silhouette Studio showing a comic book pattern and a summer theme

Custom chip bags (also called chip bag wrappers) can be customized for any special event, whether it’s a birthday party, baby shower, or a backyard pool party. They make great favor bags and party guests are sure to love them! With just a few supplies and my free chip bag template, you’ll see just how easy and quick they are to make!

What You’ll Need

*Clipart and Digital Patterns

Here is a list of the design elements used in this tutorial:

What is the best paper to use for chip bags?

I’ve used both Walmart brand (Pen & Gear) photo paper and Koala Inkjet Glossy Photo Paper. Either will work, but I like the Koala brand best. It’s a thin paper that folds easily and the printed image seems a little more stable than the Pen & Gear paper. (When I accidentally scratched the Pen & Gear paper, part of the image came off.)

You can also use plain copy paper or cardstock, but the chip bag label will have a matte finish, unlike a vivid photo printed on glossy paper. Glossy brochure paper works well too. I do, however, recommend using plain paper to test your design before creating the final project.

Custom Chip Bag Templates

The first step is to create your chip bag design. To save you the time of having to figure out the correct custom chip bag size and placement areas on your own, I’ve created a blank chip bag template for you to use.

Please note that this is a blank template with design guidelines only, not a physical item. You will need to add your own designs and patterns in order to create a chip bag cover. The digital downloads are meant for personal use only and no physical product is included.

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How to Create a Custom Chip Bag in Silhouette Studio

Detailed instructions are included with each template, but the basic steps to create a custom chip bag in Silhouette Studio are:

  1. Download and unzip the template file.
  2. Open the template in Silhouette Studio. (If you have an upgraded version of Studio, you can use either the Studio file included in the Silhouette folder or the SVG template file included in the Design Space folder.)
  3. Ungroup the template and delete the text layer.
  4. Add color, text, and graphics, using the template as a placement guide.
  5. Delete any remaining parts of the template.
  6. Print out the finished design.
  7. Assemble the chip bag.

Video Tutorial

Step-by-step instructions for creating your own design and assembling the custom chip bag are included in this video tutorial:

Printing the Custom Chip Bags

The template is designed to be printed as a borderless 8.5 inch x 11 inch document. However, if your printer settings do not include a borderless option (or you forget to set your printer to borderless) you can still make cute custom chip bags!

Trim off the white border with scissors or a paper trimmer or leave as-is. The choice is yours! (I actually found that the white edges on the left and right helped me to know exactly where to glue them together.)

How to Assemble the Custom Chip Bags

Once you’ve printed out your custom chip bags, putting them together is very easy.

  1. Place the printed side face down on your workspace.
  2. Put a bag of chips in the center. (If you’re going to fill your bag with small toys or other treats, use ziploc bags to keep them all together or skip this step and add the fillers after you’ve glued the bottom of the bag together.)
  3. Place a strip of glue on either the left or the right side of the printed page.
  4. Wrap the page around the chips and glue the short sides together, overlapping one edge on top of the other.
  5. Glue the bottom of the bag closed.
  6. Glue the top of the bag closed. 
  7. Crimp the top and bottom edges using a paper crimper.

How to Use a Paper Crimper

  1. Lift the handle to open the crimper.
  2. Insert the narrow edge (top or bottom) of the chip bag into the top of the crimper, between the two rollers.
  3. Close the handle and turn the knob counter-clockwise slightly to begin the crimping.
  4. Turn knob clockwise until the edge of the chip bag is crimped.
  5. Remove the bag by turning the knob counter-clockwise.
  6. Repeat for the remaining edge.

Like what you see here? Share the image below to Pinterest!

pinnable image for how to make custom chip bags in Silhouette Studio showing a comic book pattern and a summer theme

These printable chip bags are so much fun to make and leave lots of room for creative expression. I hope you’ll try making some with your own custom designs for your next celebration (or just to add some celebration to an ordinary day!). Then come share your project with us over in the Silhouette Crafters by Design Facebook group. Our group is open to ALL crafters, whether you use a digital cutting machine or not!

Until next time,

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2 Comments

  1. Do you have templets for other party favors such as rice krispy treats, cotton candy tubs and juice boxes, using the silhouette.

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