Shrink Sleeve Materials

Shrink Sleeve Advantages

Shrink sleeves offer many aesthetic and functional labeling and packaging advantages. Shrink sleeves have a maximum decoration area that wraps around an entire product. This large artwork area combined with advanced digital printing, creates a highly appealing label and product packaging that will draw attention and pique the interest of potential customers.

Another advantage of shrink sleeves is the amount of packaging solutions that they offer. Shrink sleeves conform to the contour of any container shape, enabling the packaging of uniquely shaped objects and multiple objects for multi-packs and promotions. Shrink sleeves also provide tamper evidence by protecting lids and tops. Since the imprint of shrink sleeves is printed on the back of the label, shrink sleeves also protect against scratching and scuffing which often occurs during product shipments.

Shrink sleeves provide aesthetically appealing labeling and packaging.

Application Methods

Shrink sleeves conform to a product through the application of heat. There are three methods of applying the heat to shrink sleeves: hot air, steam, and infrared light.

Hot air tunnels require good temperature control in order to ensure even shrinkage and avoid distortion of the art printed on the sleeve. Hot air is often used to achieve sleeve shrinkage on products that have not been filled. If containers are already filled, shrink sleeves can be applied through a steam process. The last way to apply shrink sleeves is by using infrared radiation. The infrared is transmitted by electromagnetic waves similar to sunlight and is independent of either direct contact or air.

Shrink Sleeves Introduction

Custom shrink sleeves are an innovative labeling and packaging solution. In its simplest form, a shrink sleeve label consists of a heat sensitive material that is seamed on one side with an opening on the top and bottom to form a sleeve. The sleeve is placed on the product either by hand or machine and heat is applied to shrink the sleeve onto item.

Sizing:
When designing and ordering a shrink sleeve, a number of important measurements are taken. The slit width is the total width of the sleeve before it is seamed. Slightly smaller than the slit width, the critical art width is the area of the sleeve that is printed. A shrink sleeve’s layflat width is the width of the seamed sleeve or the width of the finished product. The cut length is the total height of the sleeve and the critical art height is the height of the printed area on the sleeve. Generally, the critical art height is 4 mm less than the cut length, leaving 2 mm on the top and the bottom of the sleeve without printing.

Printing & Varnishing:
After the size of the shrink sleeve has been determined, art can be sized appropriately and prepared for the printing process. The imprint is applied to the inside of the material. Depending on how the sleeve is being applied to the container, a varnish may need to be applied over the printing to ensure that the imprint does not scratch and the sleeves run smoothly on the application equipment. The imprint is scratch resistant after the sleeve is applied to the container because it is on the inside of the label.

Perforations:
BEE Packaging can provide an option of perforation for shrink sleeves. Perforations are often used on sleeves that will be applied to bottles with screw off tops to provide tamper resistance. Perforations can also be applied to the side of a sleeve to allow easy removal. There can be up to two perforations per sleeve.

Seam and Fold Areas:
When designing a shrink sleeve, the seam and fold areas must be considered. Important design components such as ingredient information or UPC codes should not be on a fold. Seams can fall in the center of the sleeve or off center.

Shrink Sleeve Finishing:
Shrink sleeves can either be individually cut or finished on a roll depending on the application method. For many machine-applied shrink sleeves, the labels are finished on a roll. If the labels are to be finished on a roll, the outer diameter of the roll, core size, and rewind position of the roll are critical to ensure the roll will work on the application equipment. We will work with your shrink sleeve applicator to confirm the best finishing method.