When launching or rebranding a product, packaging is a key consideration for any marketer or brand manager. With so many types to choose from, sifting through the available options is sure to cause more than just a little bit of confusion.
We are here to offer some clarity on that front, starting with a medium that has continued to gain steam in the past couple of years—shrink sleeves. There are a myriad of reasons that their popularity continues to grow. For a container with a unique shape, depending on the details and space of the flat surfaces, it may be easier to decorate with a shrink sleeve than a label or other type of packaging.
The technology started off mainly being used for tamper evident seals, which is still a popular option. However it has evolved greatly since its inception to include the wide range of uses available today, including single container labeling solutions. There are a few different methods of shrink sleeving, with heat-labeling being the most popular, according to Mike Fairley, founder of The Label Academy.
Unlike the seemingly endless stock options there are for pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves start off a little simpler; the base material is always a clear film. However don’t let that keep your design basic—we can offer a range of special effects including cold foil and spot gloss to make your graphics pop.
As this market grows, more and more customers are jumping on board with sleeves. “I love how bombproof the shrink sleeves are,” says Dan Kennedy, Sales and Marketing Manager at Elemental Mead Co. “They don’t scratch and water doesn’t affect them. We can be confident that each and every bottle reaches a customer with an attractive and unmarred presentation.”
Aside from high marks for durability, here are a couple of other reasons customers love shrink sleeves:
More Space to Tell Your Story
Utilizing shrink sleeve decoration allows your marketing team to bring your messaging out to 360 degrees. With shrink sleeves, the manufacturer has the choice of whether to cover a small part of the bottle up to the entire thing, top to bottom, including tamper evident seals if necessary.
Many marketers love to take advantage of the extra space offered by sleeves to add additional graphic elements or use the room to expand upon the information that can be given to a customer on the bottle. The ability to utilize full-body art coverage opens up the opportunity for designers to really get creative on this type of packaging.
Easy to Recycle
Using a shrink sleeve on your container can make it easy to help end users recycle efficiently. Some companies even add a perforation along the body of the sleeve, incorporating a “tear here to recycle” emblem in their artwork. As sleeves are inevitably easier to remove than labels, they offer a benefit to those looking for an environmentally-friendly option.
Smooth Look and Feel
Some customers who would prefer a printed can or container but don’t want to go through the hassle of storing huge truckloads of them love shrink sleeves for their harmonious look and feel. A sleeve shrunk to the package will get your finished product closer to the look of preprinted than any other type of packaging.
For questions or more information on shrink sleeves, contact Adam at
