Shrink sleeves are a great way to maximise the branding of your product with a durable and eye-catching label.
Shrink sleeves have become a popular labelling choice for products that come in cans, bottles, and other containers. They provide 360-degree coverage and conform to the shape of your packaging for strong visual impact that stands out on shelf. They also allow maximum space on pack for beautiful designs to entice and engage consumers, easily incorporate required regulatory information and provide the greatest marketing exposure.
Shrink sleeves are very durable and ideal for products that encounter moisture or friction. They’re made from plastic or polyester film material that shrinks onto the product when heated and stays attached to it without the use of glue. The ink is printed on the inside of the sleeve instead of on top of the label material. This again increases durability as the film then protects the ink when adhering to the container.
The labels can be printed digitally or flexographically with a variety of finishes including matte, varnish and foil. Shrink sleeves can be supplied in two forms: cut and stacked for hand application, or on a roll for machine application. The sheets must be converted into sleeves by seaming the ends of the cut sheets together, leaving openings at the top and bottom. This is done by sticking the ends of the film together with special glue to create a loose cylinder.
These sleeves are then slipped over the product containers which pass through a heat or steam tunnel. Here, the intense heat shrinks the film around the container. The label will conform to every curve and angle of the container. So, it’s vital that your label graphics have been designed to compensate for any distortion that may occur. Proper storage and shipping of the labels prior to application is also important. Extreme temperatures will affect the heat-sensitive label material and may cause pre-shrinkage or damage to the inks.
Shrink sleeves can also offer other functional benefits due to their form-fitting capabilities. For added security, shrink sleeves can cover the top of a product as a perforated shrink cap that provides a tamper-evident seal. All-in-all shrink sleeves offer an easy and secure means of packaging multiple items together for 2-for-1 promotions or free sample giveaways. Since the wrap shrinks to fit, it doesn’t matter if the products are different shapes or sizes.
Contact First Impression Labels to speak to one of our experts about exploiting the benefits of shrink sleeve labels for your brand.