5 Reasons to Embrace Shrink Sleeve Packaging

February 28, 2018

Next time you are strolling the aisles at the grocery store, take a look around to see where shrink sleeves are being used out in the marketplace.  I think you might be surprised at what you find when you take a closer look, as they can be found in one way, shape or form in every aisle.  Shrink sleeve labels are a growing trend in packaging designs for premium foods, beverages, and consumer products.  A question worth asking yourself is…. “Why should I use shrink sleeves with my current brand?”  You’ve come to the right place…

Here are 5 reasons to embrace the use of shrink sleeve labels and how Inland can help:

• Design Versatility
• Multiple Label Options Work Together
• Unique Packaging Options
• Economic Benefits
• Customization

Design Versatility

A shrink sleeve label offers 360-degree coverage on your packaging which is a designers dream.  Let’s think about that.  Designers can utilize the entire package with all the nitty gritty legal verbiage that is required to keep consumers informed and still have plenty of real estate to draw consumers in with killer designs that’ll make them hit the checkout lane.

Utilizing shrink sleeves provides the consumer with a high-end appearance that delivers fine lines, incredible detail and distinctive vignettes throughout the graphics.   Marketing teams will not only embrace the impeccable printability of the graphics that can be achieved on the packaging but also the idea that there is coverage from top to bottom for the design elements they are dreaming of.  The days of struggling to fit everything onto one or two small labels are gone.  Designers can ensure their design elements will stand out on the shelf.

Multiple Label Options Work Together

You don’t have to be 100% committed to shrink sleeves when you make the jump!  Take a look at the Good Brew package above. This package takes the use of a pressure sensitive label on the front and back of the bottle while adding a shrink sleeve as the tamper evident addition over the lid. The use of multiple label types together allows for depth and versatility of the package as a whole which takes the product to the next level while also bringing a cohesive look!  Don’t limit yourself, it’s not an all or nothing solution!

Unique Packaging Options

Shrinks sleeves can be applied to any type of container, whether it be glass, plastic, or even metal.  This application process provides the opportunity to embrace the variety of packaging options that are available.  Appealing shapes demand attention from consumers in a retail environment and that is where the use of shrink sleeves can truly shine.  The shrink sleeve can contour to the uniqueness of the package and exude the look of a premium quality product for the consumer.

Economic Benefits

Have you ever had found yourself with an endless supply of preprinted bottles or cans sitting in your warehouse months past the time that the graphics were obsolete?  Well, you are not the only one.  Shrink sleeves can be the solution to this issue.  Applying shrink sleeves to blank packaging enables our customers to invest in blank cans or bottles and redirecting their dollars to the shrink sleeves that can stay fresh and current without becoming obsolete.

Let’s take the craft brewers of the world for example.  Small breweries can’t afford to order truckloads of preprinted cans for their beers nor do they want to be limited in only producing a few of their top offerings.  We want to enable brewers (and all our customers) to take advantage of their great ideas with special runs that can be applied with a simple investment in labels, rather than truckloads of preprinted cans.

Inland offers the print capability for shrink sleeves on our flexographic, digital and gravure press.  The three print processes provide significantly different benefits.  We can embrace the gravure press for long-running production runs, while we will find the sweet spot on the digital press for those short specialty runs.  And, lucky for us, our flexo presses can handle everything in-between, which allows us to be as efficient as possible on shrink orders.  This provides a very sustainable option for the customer with smaller since we have versatility across our presses that will get you the quantity that you want and need without significant waste.

Customization Options

Last, but certainly not least, let’s talk customization.  Customization is a topic that brand owners are tossing around and trying to implement into new packaging as they see the trend continue to grow.  Each product launch calls for different needs and wants from a marketing team’s standpoint.  One of the best ways to embrace customization with your packaging is by utilizing digital printing.

Utilizing digital technology can provide ample options for brand owners to embrace what consumers are looking for in the marketplace.  Variable packaging truly aligns with what consumers are wanting to see out in the market. Graphics can be created with varying images (think of the “Share a Coke” campaign) or data on the label which engages consumers further than their last sip or taste of a product.  Millennials gravitate toward being engaged with a product as much as they enjoy the product itself.  The use of customization can be delivered by redirecting the consumer to the website of the product, initiating an action like “share a selfie” with their social page or even finding a coupon to purchase the product in the checkout line.  So, why not embrace this option and incorporate customized graphics into the artwork to make it more convenient and customizable from the start?

There are endless questions and thoughts about why and how to incorporate shrink sleeves into your portfolio, but don’t let those questions go unanswered.  We are just skimming the top of all there is to know about shrink sleeves.  We’d love to further the conversation about your interest in shrink sleeve packaging.