In the last couple years, aluminum cans have been experiencing a renaissance thanks to craft beer and other beverage markets using cans instead of bottles. There are numerous reasons behind the reemergence of cans like cost, freshness, portability, and sustainability, but there’s another one you may not be too familiar with – shrink sleeves. Printing directly onto cans has been a deterrent for some manufacturers due to cost, but shrink sleeving cans has become an attractive alternative. In this article, we’ll explain how shrink sleeves for cans benefit beverage manufacturers and what you need to know before making the switch.
Cans are typically associated with large beer and soda brands, but that’s starting to change as more start-ups and small manufacturers choose cans over bottles. Below are some key reasons behind the growing popularity of cans in the craft beer, soda, and energy drink markets:
There are a lot of advantages to using cans but there are challenges as well. For example, printing directly onto blank cans often involves minimum order requirements, which can be too expensive or far larger quantities than what a small manufacturer needs. Shrink sleeves for cans are an alternative, helping small manufacturers overcome that challenge so they too can enjoy the benefits of cans.
Shrink sleeve labels, commonly known as ‘shrink sleeves,’ are a specialized print product that form fits to a container with 360-degree graphics coverage. Shrink sleeves are printed on the inside of a durable film which protects the printed image from moisture and abrasion. Unlike pressure sensitive labels that have an adhesive and are applied by pressure, shrink sleeves have no adhesive and are shrunk onto the container using mechanical shrinking equipment like a steam tunnel (preferred method), radiant heat tunnel, hot air tunnel, or hybrid tunnel (combines heat and steam).
Using shrink sleeves for cans is relatively new in the packaging world, but it’s quickly gaining popularity for the following reasons:
Shrink sleeves for cans create an attractive packaging solution but before you place an order, please note that you will need to have mechanical shrinking equipment or outsource to a co-packer to get the sleeves on the cans. While these options aren’t cheap, making that initial investment can save you money in the long run when compared to the costs and design limitations of pre-printed cans.
We understand that this is a big decision which is why we have a variety of guides and videos to help you learn more about shrink sleeves. If that’s not enough, our customer service team would be happy to answer any questions you may have and guide you through the process.
Contact Person: Mrs. Alice
Tel: 86-15327161968
Fax: 86-027-83991169