Craft Beverages Are Turning to Can Shrink-Sleeve Labeling
The biggest market for can sleeves has traditionally been craft beer but other craft beverages, like RTDs, energy drinks, kombucha, coffee and cannabis-infused beverages are using can sleeves more and more.
So, what is a shrink-sleeve?
Artwork is printed on a plastic or polyester film material, which is essentially heat-wrapped around a can. The label seamlessly and completely covers the can, offering substantial benefits to craft beverage producers.
Improved Shelf Appeal
While the direct can printing process can limit the color and the design of your can, sleeves provide 360-degree high-resolution graphics coverage with a full-spectrum of colors, and tactile finishes such as matte, gloss and foil treatments.
Increased Durability
Can sleeves are printed on the inside of the film, providing protection against scratches and scuffs that can occur during production and transportation.
Quicker Turnaround Time
Shrink-sleeves get your product to market in a fraction of the time for a printed can – usually several weeks instead of several months.
Lower Minimum Order Quantities
MOQs can be in the truckloads for printed cans, while sleeved cans can be ordered in quantities as low as ½ pallet, allowing you to test and respond to your market with smaller runs.
More Flexibility
Don’t discard those cans – sleeves can be used to cover-up existing printed cans on obsolete inventory, turning a loss into a money maker.
Expertise You Can Trust with Your Craft
We get it, packaging is the last critical step in bringing your craft to market. Having an experienced and trustworthy partner will ensure that you get to market on time and on budget. Saxco has served the craft beverage community for more than 80 years, combining our expertise and commitment to your success with modern packaging technologies.
Full Turnkey Solution Makes It Easy
From supplying the brite cans, to sleeving and packaging, and with full inventory planning and management, we simplify your procurement as your single source supplier.
Surety of Supply You Can Depend On
We stock all domestic can sizes for your convenience and have a broad, world-class global network of manufacturers to ensure you have the products you need, when you need them.
Plan Your Growth With Us
With a full suite of financing services and flexible contract and credit terms, we make it easy to scale your business.
Business Built on Trust
Our business is about people and doing the right thing. We promise full transparency – this means no surprises and no hidden costs.
Let us help you to successfully bring your craft to market!
National In Scope, Local in Service
Saxco’s strategically located facilities and personnel are focused on delivering superior service.
FAQs
What are shrink sleeves made of?
Polyethylene terephthalate glycol, commonly known as PETG, is a thermoplastic polyester providing significant chemical resistance, durability, and excellent formability for manufacturing. It has a low forming temperature and can be easily heat-bent.
PETG combines high shrink rate and high strength characteristics. It is ideal for applications where contours on the label top and bottom are required.
Can you print on shrink wrap sleeves?
Yes, the PETG film accepts digital and flexo inks very well and allows for distortions to be built into graphics to account for shrinkage within image – ideal for all types of vessels.
What are shrink sleeves used for?
Shrink sleeves are commonly found on glass, PET bottles and cans. Shrink sleeve applications are usually limited by size of vessel and amount of shrink percentage needed to shrink to fit around widest point of the vessel.
How does a shrink sleeve machine work?
The sleeve is dropped down on the vessel prior to entering a heat tunnel. Our unique sleeving equipment, Tornado Tunnels, uses directional heat blowers that ‘shrink’ onto the can by adhering the film to the bottom of the can first, and then moving up the can. This gives us a uniform, frown-free film application that is consistent and measurable.
How are shrink sleeve labels printed?
The flat film is directly printed by print process (either digitally or flexographically) and then converted into sleeves by seaming the “around” direction of film ends to each other forming a cylindrical sleeve. The sleeves are printed on the inside of the film, giving them increased durability.
Beer, wine, spirits RTD, kombucha, tea, cannabis-infused and other craft beverage producers can count on Saxco to provide all sizes of cans including, 12 oz standard, 12 oz sleeks, 16 oz standard, 19.2 oz, 250 ml, 8 oz sleek, 32 oz crowler. These cans are many times referred to as brite cans or blank cans and even times just empty cans. Either way, we can supply these aluminum cans and we can customize them for you with printed sleeves.