6 Advantages of Shrink Sleeves

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One of the most noticeable changes in product labeling today is the use of shrink sleeves. They wrap around the product's container and offer many creative ways to take advantage of their flexibility.

Many consumers like the attractive and modern aesthetic of shrink sleeves. However, there is more to them than just looks. Here are some of the benefits you’ll get when you switch to shrink sleeves and how they can improve your sales.

1. Sustainability

Shrink sleeve labels today use green materials, which make it easy for recycling or biodegradation. They’re easy to add and easy to remove, making them a better option than plastic or PVC. You can use this to your advantage and promote your green efforts to your audience.

RELATED ARTICLE: What Are Shrink Sleeves and Why Should You Consider Them for Packaging?

The popularity of sustainable products continues to improve each year. 2021 is said to sell $10-18 billion worth of products more than 2019. Consumers are steadily choosing to shop “green” over other options. With sustainable packaging, your sales can skyrocket!

2. Take Your Product’s Creativity to the Next Level

Shrink sleeves allow you to get creative. You can create a shrink sleeve to fit your product exactly the way you want. By satisfying the consumer’s need for unique packaging with your production, you can improve sales. Studies show that eye-catching packaging retains customers, with many deciding to buy again. They will also associate your brand image with how your product presents itself.

3. Prevents Tampering

A broken shrink sleeve is a sign of tampering. Therefore, these labels prevent any backlash towards your company in case of tamper-related issues. Product liability can cost a company tens of thousands of dollars in settlements and legal costs. Tamper-proof packaging can help to build customer trust, resulting in improved sales over time.

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4. Faster Production

Shrink sleeves use the latest technology, with a digital press making it easy to create labels. You can meet the demand for seasons like Christmas or other holidays. It also makes it easy for you to keep up if you ever experience a spike in sales — which you likely will when customers are able to spot your speedy and reliable production and delivery.

5. Improves Brand Awareness

Having eye-catching and unique packaging helps keep you in consumers' minds. As you improve your brand and products across the board, you will increase your revenue. Businesses improve their sales by over 20% if they can consistently deliver their brand image. Shrink sleeves can help you effectively communicate who you are without you having to spend much to do it.

6. Cost-Effective

Finally, the use of shrink sleeves is incredibly cost-effective. Having a single wrap-around label is far cheaper than creating separate front and back labels. You can also opt to have only a part of the item within the sleeve.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 Reasons That Custom Product Labels Matter

Some companies even use the sleeve to wrap bundles together, saving on the cost of packaging. If you were to use shrink sleeves to reduce packaging costs for your 2-pack bundles, you are essentially saving half of your budget.

Try Shrink Sleeves for Yourself

Proper packaging communicates all the right things. It helps establish your message and identity to consumers. Shrink sleeves offer so much more than traditional packaging — just see for yourself.

Century Label offers shrink sleeves that can help elevate your business. Our labels provide both flexible functionality and unique aesthetic appeal for any product. Get in touch to learn more about our shrink sleeve capabilities.

What are Shrink Sleeves and Why Should You Consider Them for Your Packaging?

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What are Shrink Sleeves?

A shrink sleeve is a specific kind of product label which is used on a bottle or can, where a strong type of plastic is tightened around the material. In most cases, these labels are made from some form of plastic film or polyester material. Additionally, shrink sleeves are designed to seamlessly and completely contort to the particular shape of the container in which it is used.

Shrink sleeves are also a relatively new kind of label but are quickly getting noticed for their use of product packaging in various markets. Manufacturers will typically print sleeves using a flexographic or digital press, with the text reflected on the inside of these sleeves. The end product is then slipped over the intended container, then heat-wrapped around to conform to the shape of the container.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 Reasons That Custom Product Labels Matter

Why Should You Use Shrink Sleeves?

Compared to traditional labels, one of the biggest advantages that shrink labels have is being capable of having digital artwork conform to the unique shape of the package provided. Because of the designs and other applications that can be created via digital graphics, shrink sleeves are ideal for a wide range of package shapes and sizes, like those of cans and bottles.

Moreover, their ability to display 360-degree artwork allows you to maximize your branding opportunities while creating eye-catching packaging with a wide range of applications and brilliant colors. As a result, shrink sleeves can provide you with more opportunities to generate brand loyalty as well as connect with your customers.

What are the Benefits of Shrink Sleeves?

Because shrink sleeves are able to show some of the most unique design possibilities, they are becoming more and more popular in the market. Shrink sleeves are also a cost-effective option with quick turnaround times, making them a highly efficient labeling choice. These benefits, combined with the convenience of a 360-degree view of all their designs make them a lucrative type of label.

Shrink sleeves also offer a wide range of other benefits such as:

• They provide a quick and easy production process using a digital press.

• Sleeves have the versatility to be used on specialty or common containers.

• All sleeves have the ability to be moisture-proof.

• They create tamper-evident labels since shrink sleeves can be applied over a bottle’s cap for a more secure seal.

• They save costs on generic containers since shrink sleeves can cover the whole container.

• They offer the full recyclability of both the container and label. Shrink sleeves use an adhesive-free application, so they can be removed easily.

• They resist well against abrasion, since the graphics are printed inside of the shrink sleeves.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Importance of Resiliency: How Century Label Weathered the Pandemic

Shrink Sleeves from Century Label

Century Label offers custom printed HD Flexo and digital shrink sleeves for your company’s success. Our popular labels provide versatile functionality and aesthetic appeal for all kinds of products. Each beautifully designed label is printed on a highly flexible film that becomes smaller once heat is applied. This label then conforms securely to your product or container, providing you with an elegant product package.

Visit our website today for a quick tour of what our shrink sleeves can do to enhance your brand, contact us or call 800.537.9429 to hear more about our custom label printing capabilities.

Century Label Shrink Sleeve Scores 2020 TLMI Award

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Century is on a roll!

The Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) awarded Century Label’s Aluminati/Phantom Ales Juice Jockey Hazy Double IPA shrink sleeve first place in the 2020 TLMI Awards' Roll to Roll - Includes Shrink Sleeve - Single Printing Method - Color Process – Prime category. This marks the third label-printing award that Century won in 2020.

When Aluminati updated their shrink sleeve application process, Century stayed versatile with their production by accounting for layflat and underlap in a different way. This allowed for their machines going hotter and faster, with no gap appearing on the sides. The subtlety of the white plating under the horse and the fine detail for the knockout areas that allow the can metal to appear are two of this label’s highlights.

The TLMI Annual Awards Competition “aims to stimulate innovative printing and to recognize technical achievement in all areas of the narrow web industry, including tags and labels, cartons, flexible packaging, non-woven pressure-sensitives and more.” The competition recognizes and honors the finest efforts of TILMI’s converter members throughout the previous 12-month period.

Aluminati is based in Corona, California and specializes in 12oz. standard and 16oz. shrink sleeving. The company provided services to Anaheim, California-based craft brewers Phantom Ales for the Juice Jockey release. Learn more about Aluminati at aluminatiinc.com and follow them on Instagram at @aluminati_inc; check out Phantom Ales at phantomales.com and follow them on Instagram at @phantomales.

7 Benefits of Custom Printed Shrink Sleeve Labels

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When you have products to market that require tamper evidence or 360-degree branding, with maximum durability and the versatility to handle oddly shaped items, a cost-effective label choice that takes on all these challenges would be a godsend. The good news is, Century Label has an answer to your problem. Suppose you are a manufacturer who is looking for the optimal label to address your product packaging and branding needs all at once. In that case, the most effective solution you can choose is custom printed shrink sleeve labels from Century Label.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 Tips for Boosting Your Marketing Strategy with Custom Labels

Consider these seven benefits of custom printed shrink sleeve labels.

1. Abrasion resistance. There is no need to worry about your package labeling getting scuffed or scratched during shipping and unloading. Shrink sleeve labels are resistant to tears, scratching, and other unsightly marks that occur with other labels.

2. Eco-friendliness. One thing environmentally conscious manufacturers love about these labels is that they reduce the company’s carbon footprint. With shrink sleeve labels, you don’t need to worry about dangerous adhesives, and consumers can easily recycle the container after sliding the label off.

3. Tamper Evidence. It is easy to incorporate a tamper-evident seal into your shrink sleeve label. This ensures the safety of your product for your customers.

4. Solution for Odd Shapes. Anyone who has ever dealt with the issue of trying to package and label an oddly shaped product properly knows what a nightmare it can be. Shrink sleeve labels offer the ultimate versatility for these types of packages and products so that you can successfully make your products catch the consumer’s eye at the store.

5. 360-degree Branding. Perhaps the most enticing benefit of shrink sleeve labels is that they wrap around the entire product package. This allows customers to see your brand from any angle as they approach a store shelf and no matter which way your product is facing when they hold it.

6. Update Packaging. If you have unused inventory that doesn’t feature your current brand content or marketing graphics, you can give it a quick update by covering the package with a shrink sleeve label.

7. Inventory Management. If your products are often marketed as seasonal releases or limited time availability, you can keep your labeling current with updated artwork by stocking unlabeled packages at your facility and updating them with new shrink sleeve labels as needed.

RELATED ARTICLE: Are Pressure Sensitive Labels the Right Choice for Your Brand?

If you need a labeling solution that will save you money, solve complex packaging solutions, and make your product stand out on the shelf, custom printed shrink sleeve labels from Century Label are a perfect fit.

Visit our website, or call us today at 800.537.9429 to find out how this solution and many others can help you to maximize revenues on your featured products.

Types of Shrink Sleeves for Product Packaging

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Custom shrink sleeves are one of the most popular types of product packaging. Using a shrink sleeve for your product has several benefits:

• 360 degree artwork, which maximizes your promotional and branding opportunities

• Flexibility, with the ability to conform to almost any glass, plastic or metal container

• The ability to bundle multiple items together as a promotional or bulk packaging tool

There are four main types of custom sleeve packaging. Knowing the differences between the four types will help you choose the right one for your project goals.

Standard Shrink Sleeve

Partial Sleeve Labels

Standard shrink sleeves partially cover the product packaging, but do not have a tamper-evident seal to cover the cap. These sleeves work for virtually any product type and any container made of metal, glass or plastic and can include a full-length zippered perforation for easy recycling. Custom shrink sleeve labels can help you save in warehousing costs, particularly when it comes to labeling different varieties of the same product. For example, rather than warehousing several different containers, custom shrink sleeves allow you to house just one type of container and add different labels as needed.

Full-Body Shrink Sleeve

Full Sleeve Labels

As the name implies, full-body shrink sleeves fully encompass the entire surface area of the product packaging, including the cap. This creates the opportunity for businesses to showcase their branding in full HD style with vivid graphics and color management. Full sleeve labels provide a tamper-evident seal for consumer safety and can also include a full-length zippered perforation for easy recycling and simplified removal of the shrink sleeve product packaging.

Shrink Bands

Tamper-Evident Neck Band

The smallest type of shrink sleeve label, shrink bands work to create a tamper-evident seal around the cap to ensure customer safety and security of purchase, sometimes utilizing zippered perforation. Businesses can put their logo, instructions, or other graphics on custom printed shrink bands, providing an additional branding opportunity.

Combination Packaging

Multi-Pack Sleeves

Combination packaging shrink sleeves allow you to bundle several different types of the same package together. They are beneficial for running multi-pack promotions or for letting a customer save money by buying in bulk. Other potential applications include adding free samples of products, including “bonus gift with purchase” items or bundling less popular items from the warehouse to sell them faster.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pressure Sensitive Labels, Shrink Sleeves and Flexible Packaging: What’s the Difference?

No matter which type of sleeve you end up going with, it’s crucial you have the correct equipment to apply the shrink to your product. Unlike traditional pressure sensitive labels that have an adhesive backing and are applied to your product via pressure, sleeve labels don’t use adhesive and are instead shrunk onto containers using mechanical shrinking equipment such as a heat shrink tunnel or steam tunnel. The shrink sleeve application process can require a significant in-house cost investment up front, so finding a co-packer that specializes in applying shrink sleeves is another option if you want to outsource the shrinking process instead.

Century Label provides all four different types of custom shrink sleeve options, complete with high definition graphics and vivid colors. Our sleeve labels compliment and conform to the shape of your container. Contact us or request a free quote for your next shrink sleeve packaging project.

4 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Label and Packaging Partner

The nature of a product’s packaging will make a first impression—and it is important to make it a good one. The relationship between brand owner and packaging partner can have an effect on customers. If a design is not sized properly or packaging is not received in a timely fashion, customer relations could suffer.

Not all label and packaging companies will be a good fit for every brand. Here are a few important questions to ask when finding a partner for labeling and packaging:

What Industries Do You Specialize In?

Some labeling companies cater to a specific niche. One of the first things to determine is if a potential partner has the capability to produce a particular packaging or label.

What Are Your Printing Processes Like?

A good specialty printing company should have modern printing equipment that is continuously updated to reflect shifts in technology. Ideally, a printing company will have the capability to handle a wide variety of projects. Century Label, for example, has 40 years of custom label printing experience and serves brands both large and small with its award-winning digital and HD Flexo printing technology.

What Type of Color Do You Use?

Not all color technology is the same, and older processes can lead to color that bleeds or does not translate well from schematic to actual printing. Century Label is capable of producing vivid colors in the exact shade of the brand owner’s vision, thanks to a state of the art color management system.

Can You Share Samples of Your Previous Work?

In the printing business, flexibility and reliability are essential. Companies should ask for references and scan the website for testimonials to ensure that the labels will arrive on time and within budget. It’s also important to make sure that labels will match the brand’s artistic style, vision, and standards for quality. Looking through samples of a company’s previous work can help make more informed decisions. Check out some examples of Century Label’s past work.

RELATED ARTICLE: A Few of Our Favorite Labels

The right packaging and labeling company for your brand will feature flexible and reliable service and the ability to bring your vision to life using the latest color and printing technology. Century Label has been producing labels and packaging for a variety of industries for four decades. To learn more about how we can help you, please contact us.

Everything You Need to Know About Shrink Sleeves

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Are you looking for the most effective way of promoting your nutraceutical products? Shrink sleeve labels are a proven success when it comes to factors you should consider when promoting products in this growing market. Shrink sleeves bring numerous benefits to your nutraceutical marketing. 

Brand Integrity 

The best way to protect a brand is through sleek, smooth packaging and labeling free of any errors. The flexibility of shrink sleeves maintains the integrity of the brand by shrinking tightly to the shape of any container. Brand owners have the freedom to choose any container design without worrying about the label producing wrinkles or air bubbles. Additionally, shrink sleeves provide full coverage of the container, which allows for a variety of creative and persuasive designs. The label space allows for greater communication with the consumer, including product information compliant with the FDA, a crucial requirement for nutraceuticals.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Importance of Packaging: Why it’s Necessary to Take Branding Seriously 

On-Shelf Effect 

Studies have shown that the use of shrink sleeve labeling increases customer appeal while the a product is on the shelf. AC Nielsen ran a study in 2011 requested by the Eastman Chemical Company to measure the preference of label format among 800 customers in a variety of products. According to the results, shrink sleeve labels created the greatest persuasive impact on customers. In particular, the combination of shrink sleeves and highly contoured bottles ranked the highest in all five measured categories: 

1. Impact

2. Attention

3. Empathy

4. Uniqueness

5. Appeal 

Shrink sleeve labels are an overall preferable option compared to other types of labeling. 

Cost-Effective Advantages 

Shrink sleeves produce cost-cutting benefits beyond just creating an emotional response in potential clients and maintaining brand integrity. For instance, the full coverage nature of shrink sleeves offers sealing benefits to container caps. This reduces the manufacturer’s need to spend on separate, tamper-evident bands and caps, while offering an effective way of protecting the customers from altered or tampered nutraceutical products. In addition, costs can be reduced by eliminating the need for labels for front and back coverage, colors in the container itself, and UV protection for the package.

Add to that the proven consumer appeal of shrink sleeves and you can see how shrink sleeves can help you reduce costs and increase profits. Century Label is always in touch with the latest in packaging and labeling solutions. Improve the visibility of your brand with shrink sleeves or other options by contacting us for a prompt quote for your chosen products. 

Bring Your Packaging to Life!

Don’t get left behind! Request a quote today to take your printed labels into the digital realm and bring your packaging to life by making augmented reality a reality.

Shrink Sleeves 101

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Shrink sleeves are an innovative, cost-effective labeling and packaging solution. In its simplest form, a shrink sleeve consists of a heat-sensitive material that is seamed on one side with an opening on the top and bottom to form a sleeve. The sleeve is placed on the product either by hand or machine and heat is applied to shrink the sleeve onto the item. But what else should you know about shrink sleeves? Here are five things to consider when deciding if a shrink sleeve solution will work for you.

1. Sizing

When designing and ordering a shrink sleeve, a number of important measurements are taken. The slit width is the total width of the sleeve before it is seamed. Slightly smaller than the slit width, the critical art width is the area of the sleeve that is printed. A shrink sleeve’s layflat width is the width of the seamed sleeve or the width of the finished product. The cut length is the total height of the sleeve and the critical art height is the height of the printed area on the sleeve. Generally, the critical art height is 4 mm less than the cut length, leaving 2 mm on the top and the bottom of the sleeve without printing.

2. Printing & Varnishing

After the size of the shrink sleeve has been determined, art for the sleeve is sized appropriately and prepared for the printing process. In order to improve the scratch resistance, the imprint is applied to the inside of the material. Depending on how the sleeve is being applied to the container, a varnish may need to be applied over the printing to further ensure that the imprint does not scratch and the sleeves run smoothly on the application equipment. 

3. Perforations

Perforations are often used on shrink sleeves that will be applied to bottles with screw off tops to provide tamper resistance. They can also be applied to the side of a sleeve to allow easy removal. There can be up to two perforations per sleeve.

4. Seam & Fold Areas

When designing a shrink sleeve, the seam and fold areas must be considered. Important design components, such as ingredient information or UPC codes, should not be on a fold, as the fold can render these unreadable. Seams can fall in the center of the sleeve or off center.

5. Shrink Sleeve Finishing

Shrink sleeves can either be individually cut or finished on a roll depending on the application method. For many machine-applied shrink sleeves, the sleeves are finished on a roll; in this instance, the outer diameter of the roll, core size, and rewind position of the roll are critical to ensure it will work on the application equipment. 

Century Label Wins Pewter Awards In the Annual Gold Ink Awards Competition

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Both winning shrink sleeves were printed using the HP Indigo 8000.

Printing Impressions, the publication that produces the annual Gold Ink Awards, announced that Century Label has won two Pewter Awards in the Digital Printing, Labels & Packaging category. Both winning entries were shrink sleeves for craft beer cans.

The shrink sleeve for Great North Aleworks Tie Dyed pale ale is an eye catching piece that contrasts a variety of colors with a stark white. The sleeves accommodate the customer's intricate white plating without registration issues, and a frosted look on the clear areas was created using the HP Indigo varnish.

Sun King Brewing created The Eighteenth Sun imperial wheat IPA in collaboration with 18th Street Brewery for the CANvitational, a special annual event that Sun King holds along with dozens of breweries across the country in celebration of canned beer. The sleeve couples an intricate design with vibrant colors to create a visually stunning look.

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The Gold Ink Awards competition is open to all creators and producers of printed materials, and encompasses nearly 50 categories within commercial printing, magazines, books, catalogs, digital printing and packaging. This year’s Gold Ink Award winners were chosen from nearly 1000 entries; winning pieces were chosen based on print quality, technical difficulty and overall visual effect.

A full list of this year’s winners can be found here.

Century Label Wins PEAK Award from PSDA

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The Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) has selected Century Label as a Silver Award winner in the 2016 PEAK Awards. 

PSDA’s PEAK Awards program recognizes excellence in the print industry promoting projects that display innovation, excellent quality, and produce high return on investment. The judging panel assessed several entries to determine which ones exhibited Print Excellence and Knowledge

Held in partnership with the Print Education & Research Foundation (PERF), the PEAK Awards recognize industry firms that innovate and help customers grow. Since 1995, the program has awarded teams that make bold decisions, connect with customers in new ways, and deliver benefits to end users.

Century Label won this prestigious industry award for its shrink sleeve created for Hoosier Brewing’s Red Flyer Ale. The sleeve featured tight registration detail despite a multitude of raster elements and maintained vibrant reds and yellows using 4-color process as opposed to spot PMS colors.

This is Century Label’s second PEAK Award in as many years. In 2015, its shrink sleeve for Tin Man Brewing Company’s Herald Imperial Pumpkin Ale won 1st Place under the category “Best Digital Solution for Customer”. This year’s awards eliminated category distinctions for entries. 

“Having our work recognized by the Print Services & Distribution Association is an honor,” said Heidi Chambers, Executive Director of Century Label. “We are proud of how our processes and adherence to G7 standards allow us to meet—and exceed—the demands of our customers. Winning this award is an affirmation of our commitment to producing excellent work.”

Century Label to Sponsor Sun King Brewing's CANvitational

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Century Label produced the label for The Eighteenth Sun, the CANvitational-exclusive brew from Sun King and 18th Street Brewery.

Long considered a method of packaging for inferior beers, the practice of canning beer has seen a rise in popularity over the past few years. Sun King Brewing would like more people to be aware of why that is.

Century Label is a proud sponsor of Sun King's CANvitational, a festival that focuses on beer canning and over 65 craft breweries that have taken to the process. Now in its fourth year, the CANvitational will take place in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 10th.  

"We all really truly believe that the can is the best vessel to put craft beer in" says Clay Robinson, Co-Founder of Sun King.

The advantages of canning are becoming more widely apparent. The portability of cans (many outdoor facilities do not allow glass containers), the sustainability of aluminum as compared to glass, and the can's resistance to the two factors that can imperil the quality of beer—UV light and oxygen—are all contributing factors.

In the past, Sun King has partnered with Century Label to create several shrink sleeve labels for Sun King's beers. Two of those beers include Tip Off Ale—which was featured at all Indiana Pacers home games throughout the 2015-16 season—and The Eighteenth Sun, an imperial wheat IPA brewed in conjunction with 18th Street Brewing in celebration of this year's CANvitational.

Interested in attending the CANvitational? Click here for tickets to the event.

Shrink Sleeves: Unique Labeling for Unique Packaging

Shrink sleeves on PETG material boast layflat sizes of 30mm to 154mm, which can accommodate a variety of container sizes and shapes.

What are you doing to make your product stand out?

Consumers today are inundated with choices and shelves are crowded with product options. One of the key challenges brand owners face is setting their product apart from the crowd and many are doing so by creating packaging that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also unorthodox and unusual.

According to creative agency Accurate Creative, "innovative shaped containers solve problems and appeal to the consumer that’s looking for something a little different. It’s the x-factor that can make a product leap off the shelf."

Therein lies another challenge, however: unconventionally-shaped packaging does not lend itself well to traditional pressure sensitive labeling.

Shrink sleeves present a more versatile option. Printed on a flexible, durable film that reduces (or "shrinks") in size when heat is applied, shrink sleeves conform tightly to the shape of the packaging, creating an attractive labeling solution. They are a perfect fit—literally—for uniquely designed containers.

While shrink sleeves can be created with a variety of substrates, the most popular is PETG—which features an extremely high shrink rate (up to 78%) and very low vertical shrink. Along with the use of distortion to allow text and images to appear correctly and proportionately after shrinking, this provides for a more accurate finished product. As a result, PETG sleeves can be altered to accommodate almost any shape of package.

Additionally, layflat sizes available in the PETG substrate span from 30mm to 154mm, giving the sleeves the ability to fit a wide range of different sized packages.

Do you rely on atypical packaging to set your products apart, and if so, could shrink sleeves be the labeling solution you’ve been looking for?

Century Label Uses HP Indigo Technology to Customize Seasonal Shrink Sleeves for Sun King Brewery’s Tip-Off Ale

Enabled by HP Indigo digital printing technology, Century Label is helping microbreweries produce unique seasonal shrink sleeves that stand out on store shelves. Using three HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Presses and HP SmartStream Mosaic technology, the company is able to produce the vast majority of labels and packaging jobs with customization and proven quality embraced by the world’s leading brands. 

Most recently, Century Label partnered with Sun King Brewery to produce customized shrink sleeves for its Tip-Off Ale, a seasonal craft beer which debuted at the Indiana Pacers’ home opener. Featuring commemorative blue-and-gold basketball-themed graphics, a basketball court cut in the shape of Indiana as well as the Sun King Brewery logo, the label was designed as a tribute to the Pacers and Sun King Brewery’s community’s love of basketball. HP SmartStream Mosaic enabled each individual can to feature a different background design. 

“We have a focus on creating seasonal and unique specialty beers, and part of our legacy is developing creative labels that demand attention,” said Elizabeth Belange, marketing and promotions director, Sun King Brewery. “Our relationship with Century Label and the quality they deliver [with HP Indigo digital printing technology] has enabled us to highlight our partnership with the Pacers and celebrate Hoosiers’ love of basketball.”

Using HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Presses, Century Label produces full-color personalized labels without plates, significantly reducing the cost of short-run printing for seasonal labels and packaging needed by microbreweries. Century Label can also produce the exact quantities needed, when they are needed, helping Sun King Brewery and other microbreweries avoid inventory costs.

“We have a solid infrastructure of equipment and people to keep growing in our core products and services, including shrink sleeves, while expanding into new markets, such as flexible packaging,” said Heidi Chambers, director, Century Label. “With our HP Indigo WS6800 Digital Presses, we are perfectly poised to grow our business and offer exciting new programs, such as Speedy Sleeve, which will provide full-color shrink sleeves to customers within three days.”

Press release from HP.

Article published on: Labels & Labeling, MyInforms.com, Printing Impressions, PrintingNews.com, PrintPlanet.com, Package Printing, TLMI, WhatTheyThink.com, and Flexible Packaging.

Sun King Brewery Scores with Cans & Sleeve Labels

Part 3 of a 3-part series on craft beer packaging.

For those with an eye on the bottom line, sleeve-label cans are about inventory flexibility, adaptability and cost savings.

For Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, Ind., they’re about all that and being who they want to be–with a passion.

Co-owner Clay Robinson says the adaptability of sleeve-label packaging allows their craft brewery to work with smaller production runs, make more innovative use of graphics and packaging, and allow the company’s artists to “play a little more” at making distinctive labeling that attracts the customer’s eye.

Besides making it easier to create a distinctive Sun King presence on store shelves, it also allowed the brewery to partner with the hometown basketball team, the Indiana Pacers, to create a limited-run brand called “Tip-Off Ale” with which to mark the start of the 2015 NBA basketball season. The German-style “Altbier” debuted on tap and in cans at the Pacers’ first home game of the 2015 season and was available until supplies ran out at all events at the Fieldhouse in which the Pacers play, according to BrewBound.com.

Working with Century Label, Sun King was able to quickly develop and roll out a “new product that was completely unique,” according to co-owner Clay Robinson. As a result, the start of the basketball season had a unique craft brew to go with it.

The Pacers partnership isn’t the only way Sun King uses its labels to stay unique, though. According to Robinson, the company’s artists and designers work across many genres of art to create brand labels unique to each Sun King brand while maintaining the overall Sun King identity, so that when the consumer “sees something that is Sun King, it immediately (stands) out.”

Meanwhile, the flexibility afforded by sleeve-labeling allows the brewery to quickly experiment with new ideas in brewing and, just as importantly, utilize the shape, shine and shelf appeal of the prime label to draw the consumer to those brands.

As co-owner Dave Colt says, that lets the brewery “be whoever we wanted to be, produce what we want to produce–passionately.”

Read Part 1 & Part 2.

Craft Brewers, Wear Your Beer on Your Sleeve!

Part 2 of a 3-part series on craft beer packaging.

Craft beer makers: are you trying to juggle the business realities of small production runs with the need for big inventories? The answer is not magic, but it might be up your sleeve.

If you’re a giant brewery, filling and selling millions of units, it’s not a problem. You’re sending out cans of your product by the trainload, and the people who make pre-printed cans are set up to fill that need. So if you want to order a batch of cans for your product, there’s almost always a minimum order size--say, a semitrailer load of about 150,000 cans—and you can easily meet that minimum.

But you’re not a giant. You are a craft brewer, serving your local area and your coterie of diehard customers and fans who either buy your brew locally or order it online. Your production runs are small in any event, and smaller still if you have, say, a limited run of a special holiday brand. What, then, do you do with all those cans labeled for one of your products? You pay to store and protect them from damage until you fill them.

Or you can do what Great River Brewery, a craft brewer in Davenport, Iowa, did. As detailed in Packaging Digest Magazine, brewery manager and co-owner Paul Krutzfeldt says Great River was the first craft brewer to sleeve-label its cans.

Labels for 5,000 cans arrive in a box about the size of one used to ship “a pair of cowboy boots”, Krutzfeldt told the magazine. Though there are still cans to store, they can be labeled as needed on an automatic label-wrapping line for whatever size of production run the brewer needs, allowing much more flexible use of inventory and storage space. That would allow you to quickly switch labels for a limited, small production run, or even to do contract filling and labeling for a customer with little interference with your own production needs.

We see shrink-wrap sleeve labels on everything from soda bottles to jars to tubs, but hardly ever on beer cans. In many ways, though, sleeve labeling can wrap up many of your inventory and production tangles.

Read Part 1 & Part 3.

Local Printing Firm Helps Commemorate Baseball Partnership that Changed History

When Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) saw a unique way to help commemorate its Branch Rickey-Jackie Robinson Week and their historic partnership in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, the university found itself relying on Century Label (Bowling Green) to pinch hit in the process.

At issue was a unique and recently patented dual-cavity bottle called the Smiler – and OWU’s fast-approaching Rickey-Robinson celebration, which took place from Jan. 24-27, 2011. Shaped in the form of a sphere, the bottle had a shrink-wrap label to make it look like a baseball. And that’s what caught the attention of Mark Cooper, OWU’s director of Marketing and Communication.

“When I saw it,” Cooper said, “I knew the custom-printed, baseball-shaped bottle would make a great souvenir for our Rickey-Robinson event. We filled it with candy and placed one of several motivational quotes in the separate compartment underneath. One bottle contained a unique quote and the random recipient of that bottle won a prize. It made our celebration even more special.”

But it was December 17, 2010. And the bottle, due to be introduced during the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas in early January, was available only in prototype form – and with only a limited number of non-custom labels. There were no customized shrink-wrap labels for the bottle that Cooper wanted to use as a commemorative souvenir. Nor were there any customized labels for the caps.

This is where Century Label came in. Contacted by its business partner Emergent Technologies (the developer and license holder for the patented bottle), Century stepped up to the plate to fast-track the labels needed for the project. And OWU was able to introduce - for the first time ever - Emergent’s patented dual-cavity bottle in helping commemorate Branch Rickey – Jackie Robinson Week. (For more info, see: http://rickeyrobinson.owu.edu/.)

“Creating the shrink sleeves for this unique shape was a great opportunity for our company,” said Mark Dally, Senior Account Manager with Century Label. “We faced many challenges in the process, but we were able to come alongside our customer and in the end, provide them with a finished product that matched their original concept perfectly.”

Bowling Green-based Century Label has been providing award-winning custom and specialty printing since 1980. With onsite printing facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, and an experienced production team, Century Label specializes in precision printing and customer care. For more information, visit CenturyLabel.com.

Shrink Labels on Probiotics

PHD Probiotics come in colorful shrink labels produced digitally by Century Label, and feature an unusual dispensing cap developed in Sweden.

Great tasting, effective probiotic gut bugs" is how CEO Katherine Otway of Mass Probiotics describes the company's new probiotic-enhanced flavored water, Probiotic Health Daily (PHD). While many people are consumers of probiotics, such as acidophilus in yogurt or pills, Mass Probiotics has introduced the first flavored water format for probioitics.

Currently being sold in Whole Foods Market and other natural food stores in California, as well as on the company's website, there are two flavored waters plus three powder packs available. Both the flavored water and the probiotic powder versions have a Berry Balance formula containing six probiotics to balance digestion, and Citrus Boost contains strains specifically selected for the immune function. There is a third product, Orange Detox, which is available only in powder, with strains chosen to help cleanse and reset your system. The young company has already been named by Business Week magazine as "one of America's most promising startups," and Katherine Otway has been on a whirlwind hosting/tasting tour of Whole Foods stores in California.

"Key to the product's effectiveness," Otway says, "is the fact that our company founder, Dave Tabaczynski, is a microbiologist with a deep understanding of probiotics. He has designed truly beneficial probiotic products that are extremely innovative in the natural foods space." She went on to describe Dave as "someone who cares a great deal about what we are doing at Mass Probiotics. The company was formed in 2006 with the mission of making people's guts healthier."

As with many new product introductions, labeling plays a major role. Otway says, "Our label has to do some heavy lifting from an educational standpoint. It's our most important form of advertising." Citing elements of the brand and performance parameters of the PHD line, Otway stresses that "to be effective, the label must 1) catch the eye of the consumer; 2) educate about probiotics and their benefits; and 3) build the PHD brand. Another important challenge of the beverage label is to provide instructions for use of the beverage's cap, which stores the probiotics and dispenses them into the water at the time of consumption."

Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, USA, manufactures the Berry Balance and Citrus Boost shrink sleeve labels for Mass Probiotics and also does postcards for the company's trade show booths. Century manufactures short-run digital shrink sleeves, pressure sensitive labels and commercial digital sheet products.

In each 16-ounce bottle of PHD are 20 billion CFUs (colony forming units) contained in the Life Top cap, which Mass Probiotics has licensed from Cap Able, a Sweden-based firm. The probiotics are released into the flavored water at the time of consumption and thus do not suffer degradation from being on the shelf. The products are described as lightly sweet and refreshing, and one bottle contains a mere 90 calories. And PHD "to go" drink mixes are in a convenient add-to-water format with similar formulas. Finally, Otway says, "All of our PHD products have more probiotics and better prebiotic fibers than other drinks on the market, which enhances the effectiveness.

Probiotics are defined by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) as "live organisms administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host." They are generally used to promote the health and function of the immune and digestive systems and can be especially important for our health during the flu season.

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the November 16, 2009 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.

Wrap Artist

Shrink sleeves printed digitally by Century Label featured on energy drink cans.

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there especially if it's Xbrand Fluids energy drink with custom process color full-wrap sleeves. With a claim to fame as the "smallest minimum order" in the energy drink field a single case of 24 cans and very fast delivery, X Brand Fluids of Las Vegas, NV, USA has staked out a niche in the highly competitive energy drink field and has customers all across the country.

Other private label manufacturers have minimums starting at a pallet (2,880 cans) all the way to full containers from overseas (300,000 cans). Even a trial order can be 3,000 cases of 24 cans. "We basically have no minimum order policy," says Jason Vigil, general sales manager for Xbrand. "We'll ship out one case of 24 cans!" As far as pricing goes, he says, "We have the best prices in the industry and we offer full shrink sleeves on every order, while most others use a small sticker on smaller orders."

The company offers a regular energy drink as well as a sugar free or diet version, Vigil says, adding that it will produce a custom formula if so desired by the client.

Xbrand comes out ahead on delivery as well by getting its product to the end user in three weeks or so, including the time to design and produce the full color sleeve. The company's web site includes a host of features, including a do-it-yourself design portal, three sizes of portable coolers, testimonials, samples row after row of drink cans done for customers, closing in on 200 already.

According to Vigil, the two year old company has surpassed each month's sales right from the start. Asked about the customer base, he says, "We would much rather have 2,000 people doing a case a week than 10 large companies, because if you lose two of those 10, you can be in a world of hurt!" In one day late February, three online orders came in for one case each, and another order was for a couple of pallets: 320 cases each.

The Xbrand testimonials show everything from a major marketing firm to a Las Vegas wine lounge, from an online traffic metrics company to an environment and transportation planning company. The company does business with four Tropical Isle New Orleans bars as well as Dr. Horsepower, a high performance racing parts web supplier and a home mortgage web site, Low VA Rates. There are customers who sell performance fight gear as well as independent gyms. Others include mom-and-pop bars and lounges, gyms, and independent and small chain restaurants.

Locating in Las Vegas was a simple decision, says Vigil. "A large percentage of our sales are to companies looking for an edge with their trade show booth or a modern giveaway at their convention meeting," he says, "and Las Vegas attracts over 24,000 conventions a year with some six million-plus attendees."

The secret to such small quantities of labels is digital printing, of course. For its sleeves, Xbrand Fluids turns to Century Label of Bowling Green, OH, USA, which uses an HP Indigo digital press for its short run work. "Century Label has been nothing short of unbelievable!" says Jason Vigil, general sales manager for Xbrand. "They bend over backwards to provide us with the quality and delivery we need. We went to them with an idea and a business model, and after reviewing our plans with Mark Dally of Century Label, they took it from there."

Bob Petrie, Century Label's VP of wholesale markets, says, "What we really do is help our shrink film and shrink sleeve customers by making what can be a complicated product into an easy one-stop experience." Century Label assists its customers with all aspects of production: from design to film selection to determining how the package will be filled. The company can provide product individually cut or in rolls.

"Customers require extremely high quality graphics and printing, which we provide," Petrie adds, "and our HP Indigo ws4500 gives us virtually unlimited flexibility without the high dollar costs for gravure, offset or flexo plates." Century prides itself on short turnaround times and will do very short runs for prototypes, initial rollouts for shows, and so forth. "Our motto is 'We are easy to deal with'," says Petrie, and this is borne out by customers' comments on the Century website.

Article by Larry Arway originally published in the April 8, 2008 Issue of Label & Narrow Web.