Shrink Sleeves: There's a reason they're everywhere

Ever walk through your grocery store and look at the packaging? What, you haven't, hmmm, I guess I'm just a nerd. Anyway, should you ever do this, you'll notice that there are hundreds if not thousands of products that use custom printed shrink sleeves. Everything from Beverage containers to odd shaped foods & products, shrink sleeves are taking all shapes, covering all things.

Why are shrink sleeves so popular? There are many containers/products that aren't uniform in their shape. There are beverage bottles that have multiple curves in them, so traditional labels would wrinkle and printing directly on the package is expensive. We've made sleeves that become the packaging itself, by shrinking around multiple items to form one larger package. Another reason they are so popular is that they can be used as a coverup. We've done shrink sleeves that were special editions and the sleeve was meant to cover up the normal packaging with a limited edition design.

Our newly re-designed CenturyLabel site has a fairly extensive section on shrink sleeve technology, applications, materials, and advantages. We've been printing on shrink material for a while now and have amassed quite a bit of experience in this complex technology. There are materials that shrink only in one direction or in multiple/all directions. The inks used and any coating or varnishes applied can make or break the success of a shrink sleeve product. Extensive testing by our staff has allowed us to stay on top of this ever evolving material.

If you want to learn more about shrink sleeve technology and how it can help your business, give us a call today (800.933.0643) and we would be happy to share our knowledge. If you want to just poke around and pick up some helpful hints here and there, check out our shrink sleeve articles section over at CenturyLabel.com.