Custom tote bags are great for trade show giveaways, conferences, and more and more often for the grocery store as well.  When shopping for custom totes, keep the following tips in mind:

• Gusset - the gusset is very important.  Most promotional totes have between a 1" and 10" gusset.  That is the area at the bottom of the tote bag which shows how much room you have to load it with stuff.  The general rule of thumb is that if your conference is meant just for papers and brochures, 1" is ok.  The larger the gusset, the more likely customers will use the bag after the show.  Of course you don't want the custom bag looking empty so if there are not a lot of things going inside it, stick to a 3" maximum.  If groceries are going to be involved then 5" or more is a must.

• Material quality - whether you are looking for a recycled tote, organic tote, promotional organic tote,  600 denier nylon tote bag, non woven totes, eco friendly totes or canvas totes, this is the most significant attribute to be careful of.  Those cotton tote bags that are 8 ounces or less are generally meant to be single use, cheap easily foldable totes.  Basically they get you through the conference and then that's it.  If you need a canvas tote or cotton canvas tote bag, stick with 10 ounces in weight or more.  Conversely, the custom 600 denier nylon bag are a much stronger bag, feel very "stiff" and ready for lots of durable action.  The custom nylon bags or promotional nylon totes are terrific because they can be produced in lots of colors, hold multiple color imprints well and can come in zippered tote bag styles, with lots of pockets as well.  Indeed a promotional tote with pockets can guarantee years of use after your event.  These are also the best material for fundraiser tote bags.

• Environment.  Because all tote bags are reusable, any bag at all can be considered good for the earth.  However, some totes have gone the extra mile and we carry those made from recycled materials, as well as custom organic totes, printed organic totes, and printed recycled tote bags and recyclable tote bags.