Shrink Sleeves


What Are Shrink Sleeves?

Packaging vehicles known as shrink sleeves are made of plastic or polyester film, printed, and then shrunk using heat or steam to cling tightly to a container of any shape or size. In order to ensure longevity and protection from scratches, friction, and light exposure, digitally produced text, images, and branding elements are usually printed on the side of the plastic that clings directly to the container wall rather than the outside. Shrink sleeves are widely used on various everyday products, including deodorant sticks, liquid coffee creamers, household cleaning solutions, and a variety of beverages.

Types of Shrink Sleeves

Full Body

This is a sleeve that wraps around the entire container. This type of shrink sleeve is the most common and provides 360-degree branding.

Full Body Shrink Sleeve
Partial Body

Shrink sleeves that cover less than the full container are known as partial-body sleeves. They are most commonly located around the center of larger containers to save on expenses.

Partial Body Shrink Sleeve
Neck Bands

These sleeves provide tamper-proof security to bottles or cans by wrapping around both the top portion of the container and the lid or cap. They are often perforated so that the customer can tear them open.

Neck Bands Shrink Sleeve
Combination Packaging

Larger shrink sleeves can store multi-pack products marketed in bulk, such as water bottles, soups, and deodorants.

Combination Packaging Shrink Sleeve

Benefits to Using Shrink Sleeves:

• Full body design (360 degree branding) enables greater creativity with graphics, vibrant colors, and overall visual impact

• They are waterproof, scratch-resistant, and durable

• Container can be recycled or repurposed as the coverings can be removed without leaving any residue

• A tamper-evident protection seal may be implemented to guarantee safety.

• The shrink sleeve's interior is printed with the artwork to keep it from fading, scratching, or smudging

• Ideal for unique-shaped containers that are difficult to label

How do you shrink the sleeves on the container?

Shrink sleeves should be applied using shrinking-specific equipment, such as a radiant heat tunnel, hot air tunnel, or steam tunnel. Simple semi-automatic tabletop models with a conveyor belt are readily available for purchase. Much larger, fully automated application equipment is needed for higher-scale applications. If you need help finding a manufacturer, please contact us.

How do you measure a container for a shrink sleeve?

There are five measurements needed to determine the shrink sleeve size: layflat size, print width, slit width, cut length, and print height. Since these specifications are difficult to identify, clients frequently send us samples of their containers so that we can measure them accurately and help create a template for the graphics.