Shrink Sleeves

shrink sleeve labels

Shrink sleeve labeling is one of the fastest growing product decoration technologies especially within the beverage market. Plus it is the only one that provides 360 degree full coverage graphics that conforms to the shape of your product. Shrink sleeve labels can be applied to just about any size and shape container imaginable. They can be formed to the product with complex machinery or something as simple as hair dryer. Shrink sleeve labels are being widely used in the Food, Beverage, Consumer Product and Personal Care markets on a wide range of applications from primary labeling, to bundle packaging, to tamper evident banding. Midwest Label Supply can work with your team to ensure your shrink sleeve is specified and sized so the materials and printing are matched to meet all of your print quality and label performance expectations.

Custom Shrink Sleeves

Our high quality label printing combined with our inhouse label design option and converting capabilities make us the perfect partner for your next shrink sleeve project. Custom shrink sleeves are great for seasonal craft beers, limited edition beverages and more. Don't get stuck with an oversupply of labels if you don't need to. And don't get stuck with large tooling supplies for custom printed cans. Custom shrink sleeves are perfect for your next project. Our engineers and designers are waiting for you to reach out. Due to the machinery used to make shrink sleeves this product is one in which we require a higher MOQ (minimum order quantity). Reach out for quoting on orders of 500 or more.

Craft Beer Supply Chain

In light of the pandemic many beer companies have had to be lean and crafty. One issue is the amount of bar closures which has aided the canning and distribution efforts of many craft brewers while decreasing barrel production. Many of our clients have opted to use custom shrink sleeve labels as a way to eliminate the long lead times and heavy costs associated with custom printed cans. Get your custom shrink sleeves today. Many shrink sleeve manufacturers will sell brewers the cans with the labels already applied. We are an independent label manufacturer and only have capability to the provide the label. We can however provide a list of can suppliers in your area that you can work with.

Tamper Evident Shrink Bands

Another major function of shrink film is to secure a product from tampering. In the photo featured above, the shrink film label serves to safely secure the top from tampering while also serving as branding space for the product. Custom shrink sleeve labels used as tamper evidence work well on consumer products and are especially important for medical and pharmaceutical applications where security is critical. Tamper evident shrink bands are a straightforward way to show your customers that the product hasn't been opened or altered since it left your facility.

Shrink Sleeve Materials

Not all shrink films are the same, and picking the right material matters for how the finished product looks and performs. We work with three main film types:

  • PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) — The most widely used shrink sleeve material. PVC offers the highest shrink ratio (up to 70%), which makes it work well on containers with complex curves and contours. It's also the most cost-effective option for most applications. The downside is that PVC is harder to recycle and some brands are moving away from it for sustainability reasons.
  • PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol) — An increasingly popular alternative to PVC. PETG is recyclable and compatible with PET bottle recycling streams, making it the preferred choice for brands with sustainability commitments. The shrink ratio is slightly lower than PVC but still handles most container shapes well.
  • OPS (Oriented Polystyrene) — Offers excellent clarity and a natural feel. OPS has a lower shrink ratio than PVC or PETG, so it works best on simpler container shapes. It's lightweight and provides good print quality.

We can help you choose the right material based on your container shape, production method, environmental goals, and budget. If you're not sure which film type works for your project, send us a sample container and we'll make a recommendation.

Shrink Sleeves vs Pressure Sensitive Labels

We get this question a lot: should I use a shrink sleeve or a pressure sensitive label? The answer depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Shrink sleeves give you 360-degree coverage, which means your graphics wrap the entire container with no seams or edges visible. That's a huge advantage for shelf impact and for containers with unusual shapes where a flat label won't conform properly.

Pressure sensitive labels are simpler, cheaper per unit on small runs, and don't require heat application equipment. They work great on flat or gently curved surfaces. If you need a front and back label on a standard bottle or jar, PS labels are probably the better choice. But if you want full-body decoration, tamper evidence, or you're working with a complex container shape, shrink sleeves are the way to go. We do both, so we can give you an honest recommendation based on your specific project.

The Shrink Sleeve Process

Here's how it works from start to finish. You provide the artwork (or our design team creates it for you), and we set up the print file accounting for the distortion that happens when the sleeve shrinks. This is important — the graphics need to be pre-distorted so they look correct after shrinkage. We print on flat film, then seam the printed film into a tube using a solvent seam or adhesive. The tubes are cut to length and shipped to you as flat sleeves ready for application.

On your end, the sleeves slide over the container and pass through a heat tunnel (steam or hot air) that shrinks the film tightly around the container. For small operations doing a few hundred at a time, a heat gun works fine. For production lines, a conveyor-fed steam tunnel gives you consistent results at speed.

Here's a video that shows the shrink sleeve application process (not our video, but it's a good overview):

Shrink Sleeve FAQs

What's the minimum order for shrink sleeves?

Due to the machinery and setup involved, our minimum for shrink sleeves is 500 units. This is higher than our standard labels, but the per-unit cost drops quickly at higher quantities. Reach out with your target quantity and we'll get you a quote.

Can I apply shrink sleeves without a heat tunnel?

Yes. For small batches, a heat gun or even a hair dryer will work. The sleeve slides over the container and the heat causes it to shrink and conform. For consistent results on larger runs, a steam or hot air tunnel is the way to go. We can recommend equipment options based on your production volume.

Do you provide the cans or bottles too?

We're an independent label manufacturer, so we provide the shrink sleeve labels only. We don't sell cans or bottles. That said, we can recommend container suppliers in your area that we've worked with. Some of our brewery clients buy blank cans from a supplier and apply our shrink sleeves themselves.

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