Cover Up Those Obsolete Cans

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Shrink Sleeves

Due to a low aluminum can supply in the post-COVID beverage marketplace, beverage manufacturers like our brewery customers are finding it hard to get their products canned.

Do you have printed cans for obsolete products that you are not able to use?

Perfect!  The answer is shrink wrap labels!

Depending on your operation and output needs, getting into shrink sleeves can cost less than you may think.  We own equipment made by Accraply for converting our printed film to shrink wrap rolls and they also make shrink applicators and heat tunnels.  Shrink wrap sleeves can cover your old obsolete printed cans with 360 degrees of new product markings, reusing those old cans so you can stop spending all of your time trying to procure new aluminum cans and focus your time on making great beverages and putting them in consumers’ hands.

Need help with getting into shrink or want a quote for shrink sleeves?  Give us a call at 262-820-8123 or email us.  We absolutely love printing beverage labels and shrink and have some really cool capabilities with our state-of-the-art presses.

Cheers!

Shrink Sleeve
Here you can see the subtle difference between a gloss and matte finish

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Why Total Labeling Design Matters!

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Product Shelves

When it comes to retail sales, first impressions really matter. Consumers decide within seconds whether they will purchase a product. It is reported by Nielsen that “consumers are considering multiple options leaving huge opportunities for labels to make an impact” and “that upward of 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf”.

A label design is not just what great graphic design is presented; it is the entire design of the pressure sensitive or shrink sleeve label. This includes label sizing, materials used and decoration enhancements used to highlight your products on a crowded retail shelf. The total design of a label carries the pertinent information your customer needs to develop an opinion about the quality of your product and tells a story about your product and the people behind the creation of the product.

There are simple characteristics which help create a total design that properly tells your product’s story and creates recognition.

1. Does the label size fit the product correctly in shape and fit the package properly? Are there gaps or does the label overhang the product, does the label have wrinkles when it is applied the products bottle or package?
2. Has the correct material and adhesive been selected to perform in the correct environmental setting of heat, cold or moisture?
3. Does the products package require 360 degrees of presentation to help the products presentation on the shelf which is provided by a shrink sleeve label?
4. Can simple decoration enhancement like spot gloss or matte varnishes, raised or tactile varnishes, foils and embossing help make your product stand out on the shelf?

We are obsessed with perfecting labels with our clients! Call us at 262-820-8123 or email us at craftbrew@lauterbachgroup.com for help or questions.

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Lauterbach Group Expands Shrink Sleeve Capabilities

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The Lauterbach Group is excited to expand our shrink sleeve capabilities and capacity with the addition of AccraSeam Shrink Sleeve Seamer and Shrink Sleeve Inspection machines.

The AccraSeam is the fastest on the market and precisely seams material while holding lay-flat tolerances at 2,000 feet per minute. The fully automated lay-flat adjustments, and servo-based positioning allows operator access and greatly improved setup times.

The lay-flat quality check system provides automatic inspections for seam integrity, solvent presence, and splice detection, as well as on-machine reports for each roll produced to ensure exceptional product quality.

We continue to expand our product offering and expertise in shrink sleeves labels. We are excited about supporting our clients’ needs for highly creative designs with intricate decorations and embellishments including foil, raised, matte and spot varnish sleeves to highlight our client’s products on a crowded retail shelf.

We are obsessed with perfecting labels with our clients! Call us at 262-820-8123 or email us at craftbrew@lauterbachgroup.com for help or questions!

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Common Shrink Material

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Shrink Wrapped Can

Probrew Can

Shrink sleeving is a heat activated conforming label product.  It is widely used to attain 360 degree full container coverage without direct container printing.  This allows better cycling of packaging inventory at a lower cost.  There are multiple materials available to create the sleeves that best suit a product.

PVC- Polyvinyl Chloride

This is the least expensive option and most used (an estimated 70%) of shrink materials.  It’s best characteristic is that it has great control during the shrinking process, shrinking up to 64% at a low temperature between 122-140° F.  It offers decent clarity and scuff resistance but is the least environmentally friendly option. This material is used a lot in tamper-evident bands.

PETG HS-LV – Polypropylene Terephthalate Glycol

PETG combines high density and strength with high shrinking capability of up to 78% at temperatures of 158-176° F.  This material creates the highest quality clarity, gloss, scuff resistance, and heat resistance of all of the shrink materials.  With growing popularity, this material has become commonly used in the beverage industry.  It also maintains excellent recyclability.

OPS- Oriented Polystyrene

OPS Film generally is used in squeezable packaging.  Shrinking up to 75%, it has the lowest vertical shrink of the shrink films allowing for a very consistent and soft finish.  It has the highest yield savings vs. PETG and PVC.

PLA- Polylactide

PLA is a renewable film made from corn and plant-based resources, allowing it to be biodegradable.  This prevents recyclability but maintains environmental benefits.  It shrinks up to 72% and is FDA approved for direct food contact.  PLA is very rigid and brittle and can be the most difficult of the options to handle.

Similar to our pressure sensitive labels, we can also apply specialty varnishes on to shrink film in order to obtain a tactile or unique touch and feel on your product (see our raised varnish and spot varnish posts).

For more information about shrink or print capabilities on your product, contact us at the Lauterbach Group.

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Shrink Sleeve and Labels vs. Printed Cans

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Canned Wine, Beer and Specialty Drink:
Shrink Sleeves and Pressure Sensitive Labels vs. Printed Cans

Customers that are interested in 360° top-to-bottom graphics on cans for wine, beer or specialty drinks have three labeling options:

Printed Cans
Shrink Sleeves or
Labels

Printed cans have a high minimum order requirement -100,000 cans at a time, longer lead times – 12 weeks, and can be more expensive for small to mid-size producers who are not buying truckload quantities of a single version. Given the setup charges for art, version charges and split shipment charges for printed cans, it is not always the best choice for brands that want more flexibility with their design, and faster print-to-market solutions, and better graphic and decoration quality.

Shrink sleeves and pressure sensitive labels allow brands to trial different designs in the marketplace easily, add fun and eye catching designs to draw product attention on the shelf, and do so with very short lead-times to react to market needs. They also lower overall cost.

LOWER OVERALL COSTS / SPEED MATTERS

Shrink sleeve and pressure sensitive labels provide the ability to print only what is needed and when it is needed. They also provide the highest quality graphics, shelf value-add and product differentiation.

Our OmniMark Art Management System provides great flexibility to change or upgrade designs literally real-time providing speed to market opportunities. Why wait 4 to 6 weeks to get a design, when you could have it in days?

With shrink sleeve and pressure sensitive labels, clients do not have to invest in vast warehouse space dedicated to printed cans which consume expensive warehouse costs, get damaged through warehousing and material movement and become obsolete as designs change.

COLOR AND DECORATION QUALITY AND VALUE

Shrink sleeve and pressure sensitive labels provide exceptional print quality. Vignettes, background screens, vivid colors and many decoration opportunities are available, from spot varnishes, soft touch varnishes, tactile print and varnish, as well as metallics.  We invest in state-of-art digital and flexo printing equipment to push the limits of print quality and creativity.

Ink that is printed directly on cans appears muted and hazy due to the gray metallic of the can showing through the ink. The print quality simply does not provide the necessary value and shelf appeal. Shrink sleeves and pressure sensitive labels ensure your graphics pop and help your product stand out on the shelf.

For more information or someone simply to help you navigate your can labeling needs, please give us a call at 262-820-8123 or email craftbrew@lauterbachgroup.com.

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