Printed takeout bags for San Rafael restaurants.

4th Street turned into one long dining room

San Rafael did something bold. The city and the Downtown Business Improvement District shut 4th Street to cars from Lincoln Avenue to the West End on Thursday and Friday nights, 5 to 9, so restaurants and bars could serve right out on the pavement. They called it Dining Under the Lights.

On top of that, the city built six parklet dining areas in parking spots along 4th, with more than 40 planters. They sit in front of Thai, Chinese, Caribbean, Italian and brewery spots, all on the same stretch.

When the main street becomes a dining room, takeout bags walk right through the middle of it. Everyone at those tables sees what people are carrying away. That is the best spot in Marin to show off your name.

If you're just starting, read our home page about custom printed takeout bags for the Bay Area. Everything below is San Rafael.

So many kitchens on one strip

Look at that list again. Thai next to Chinese, Caribbean next to Italian, a brewery down the block. When a dozen places share one street, a plain bag could have come from any of them.

A printed bag settles it. The neighbor who asks "where's that from?" gets the answer without asking. The customer who forgets your name finds it on the bag the next morning.

Market days bring all of Marin to town

The county lists two farmers' markets in San Rafael that run all year, on Thursdays and Sundays from 8 to 1 at the Civic Center. In summer there is also an evening market on Fourth Street on the second Friday of June, July and August.

Shoppers come from all over Marin for those markets. Lots of them pick up lunch or dinner before the drive back to Novato, Mill Valley or the coast. Your bag rides home with them, far outside downtown.

So it needs to hold up. Our bag is 12″ × 7″ × 14″ with 3.5″ gussets and a square bottom, made to carry 22 lb. Curry and soup go flat on the base, rice and noodle boxes above, sauce cups along the sides. A food tamper-evident sticker on top keeps it sealed for the drive. A full box packs 100 stickers.

Serving curry or noodle bowls? The ramen bags page has tips for hot liquids. Over in the East Bay, see printed takeout bags in Richmond.

Design for a street full of lights

At night under string lights, fine detail disappears. Thick letters and one bold shape still pop. On brown kraft, black, dark red and deep green work best. On white kraft, almost any strong color shows. You choose between brown kraft and bright white.

Your design gets 12 × 14 in on the front. We email a proof, and printing starts only after your yes. The print proof page explains the steps.

Not ready for a full run? The Discovery Box has 50 bags to test on a couple of busy nights. When it clicks, go for a full box of 150.