Method and apparatus for making printed gusset bags

Apparatus for making imprinted gusset-bottom bags from collapsed tubular bag material having longitudinal face-to-face panels joined to one another along opposite initial longitudinal side edges of the collapsed material and which edges are adapted for eventual separation of the panels from one another to define top ends for the bags, said panels being of sufficient width to derive complete bottom-gusseted bags from each panel when folded upon itself, and each panel being imprinted with indicia on bag wall areas and also imprinted with indicia on a respective gusset-bottom area intermediate the wall areas of each of the panels, the apparatus comprising:

• means for refolding said bag material by moving the imprinted panels away from one another and folding said joined opposite initial longitudinal side edges of the material into face-to-face relation and for folding said wall areas of each of said panels together into face-to-face relation upon one another;
• means for infolding said gusset-bottom area of each of said panels into bottom gusset position between said folded bag wall areas of each of said panels;
• and means for separating the bottom-gusseted bag material along spaced transverse bag-side seal lines across the refolded bag material and along said face-to-face initial side edges for thereby providing individual bags having the gusset areas at their bottoms and the separated initial side edges at their tops so that when the bags are filled the bag wall areas and the gussets will expand and present to view not only the imprinted bag wall areas, but also the imprinted expanded gusset-bottom area of each of the bags.