Labels and Shrink Sleeves: The Latest in Labels
Multi-Color’s in-mold labels for Olay Ribbons body wash feature many different printing processes.
How suppliers are taking labels and shrink sleeves to the next level.
By Jennifer Kwok, Managing EditorExciting developments are happening in the labels and shrink-sleeve markets. One of the biggest is that more label suppliers, particularly those for shrink sleeves, have been turning their eyes toward environmentally friendly labels. As a result, several suppliers now offer labels made from corn-based polylactic acid (PLA).
In addition to this eco-friendly push, suppliers also continue to popularize digital printing to make labels more cost-efficient. Improving the look and function of labels has also been a concern, as this article will discuss.
Environmentally Friendly PLA
PLA has been available for years, but until recently, beauty marketers and suppliers had been slow to commercialize it. Now, numerous suppliers have launched bottles, compacts, jars, lipstick containers, and cartons made from PLA. The label industry has also gotten onboard, and label suppliers are now marketing PLA shrink sleeves and pressure-sensitive labels.
Shrink-sleeve converter Gilbreth (Croydon, PA) made news last year when it announced that it was working with PLA shrink film as an alternative to traditional oil-based films. “Because PLA is derived from a natural, renewable resource, availability and pricing should be more predictable than for materials derived from oil,” said Theresa Sykes, Gilbreth’s new-product manager. “It is especially exciting that shrink labels and tamper-evident bands produced from EarthFirst PLA film perform as well as or better than currently available materials. We fully expect end-users to realize performance benefits in labeling line speeds and reduced energy consumption.”
In February 2006, shrink-sleeve converter Seal-It Inc. (Farmingdale, NY), which was recently acquired by Printpack Inc. (Atlanta), also introduced PLA shrink sleeves. “We’ve been working on developing this for a number of years,” says Sharon Lobel, president of Seal-It. “For the last two years, we’ve been developing the correct ink systems and the correct ways to process and seam the sleeves.”
Lobel also says that PLA film is comparable to other types of film. “Aesthetically, it performs the same as any of the others. You would not know the difference unless it was pointed out to you. It shrinks beautifully and works well. I really don’t see very many, if any, drawbacks to it.”
Lobel says interest in PLA sleeves has been high. Seal-It already has customers using them on the market. “PLA is the new buzzword,” she says. “Everyone’s very excited about it.”
In the pressure-sensitive market, demand for PLA may be moving a bit more slowly than in the shrink-sleeve market. “We’ve talked to some customers about using it with pressure-sensitive materials,” says Nick van Alstine, president of pressure-sensitive label converter Macaran Printed Products (Cohoes, NY). “Some are very interested in it, and a couple have actually used it. At this point, it is still a little more expensive than some of the other existing clear and white films on the market. That’s really the only area in which I think it’s not comparable to existing films. Clarity-wise and performance-wise, it seems to be a good product.”
Macaran has been working with pressure-sensitive PLA labels to a limited degree, says van Alstine. He adds that most major label stock suppliers now offer PLA-based products.
As it usually is, demand will depend on affordability. “The push for both environmentally friendly and lower-cost film alternatives is always on,” he says.
However, not all label suppliers are entirely convinced that the PLA films currently available are well suited to labels. Howard Millstein, president of shrink-sleeve specialist Ameri-Seal Inc. (Chatsworth, CA), says, “Many companies are leery of this newer film because it is not entirely proven to be completely stable. Because of its corn base, it is known to have a limited shelf life. In addition, its shrink characteristics are very different from those of PVC, PET, and OPS, which makes it difficult to use on many shaped containers. There’s a reason why not everybody is using it, and we’re one of the companies that are not.”
Improving Substrates
Other label substrates are being developed—not necessarily for environmental friendliness, but to improve a label’s look, performance, and appeal.
Supplier Multi-Color Corp. (Batavia, OH) has developed a frosted shrink sleeve that mimics the look of acid-etched glass. Dave Klotter, the company’s marketing manager, says, “This unique Multi-Color patented shrink sleeve product can be printed in combination with some very attractive printing effects, including metallic printing and bold screen printing.” Such special effects can make shrink sleeves prestigious, taking them beyond the mass-market shelf.
Brands can use Gilbreth’s Rub ‘n Smell shrink sleeves to feature a product’s scent on the outside of a package.
Both Gilbreth and Seal-It have launched scented shrink sleeves that offer unique marketing possibilities. Gilbreth’s is called Rub ‘n Smell. Consumers gently rub the label to activate and release tiny embedded fragrance beads. Seal-It’s new scented sleeve works similarly to Gilbreth’s.
Lobel says that the scented sleeves are perfect for the beauty industry. “It’s really up the cosmetic and personal care alley,” she says. “You could feature the fragrance of your product right on the label.”
Thanks to new composite materials, supplier Ameri-Seal is able to eliminate wrinkling at a shrink sleeve’s edge. Pictured are shrink sleeves that the supplier produced for GHD Professional’s hair care line.
Shrink-sleeve suppliers are also improving films so that sleeves shrink better. In March of last year, Ameri-Seal began using composite materials that Millstein says eliminates frowns and smiles. (Frowns and smiles are what the industry calls the wrinkles that occur at the edge of a sleeve when the sleeve is shrunk onto a container.) Ameri-Seal’s materials are a blend of several different plastics.
Gilbreth’s Smile-Free 360º wraparound label also prevents smiles and frowns. Bonset America Corp. (Brown Summit, NC) makes the film for Gilbreth from Eastman Chemical’s Embrace LV PETG resin, a material that Ameri-Seal also works with.
Improved shrink-sleeve materials are crucial to designers who need to label more-unusual container shapes. “We’ve worked on container shapes that are concave, convex, and that turn from a rectangle into a circle,” says Millstein. “Some of the shapes are very exotic and are difficult to shrink sleeves onto.”
Harry Schessel is CEO of contract labeler AQL Decorating Co. (Fairview, NJ), which works with beauty brands such as Bath & Body Works, L’Oréal, and Estée Lauder. He says he has also noted a trend in more-complex container contours.
To accommodate the new shapes, AQL recently installed a new servo-driven Axial labeler, which it introduced at the HBA trade show last September. Schessel calls it the most advanced decorating machine in the world. In addition to performing almost every type of printing, the machine laser-maps each container so that it knows the container’s exact contours. Due to this technology, the labeler can wrap labels around all types of container shapes, including squares and hexagons.
Pressure-sensitive label suppliers are also introducing new label substrates. Macaran Printed Products has been producing labels that look like paper but that are made from film. “Some people want a paper look but need a film product for a bathroom or shower environment,” says van Alstine. “We use specialty inks to replicate paper looks.”
Labels West (Woodinville, WA) is in the process of testing an embossable polypropylene film. “People generally think that embossing is only available for paper, but that’s not the case,” says Lance Wilson, director of sales and marketing for Labels West.
Wilson also stresses the bathroom-friendliness of film. “The benefits of film are seen in markets where a product is subjected to moisture,” he says. “Now, if someone needs a water-resistant shampoo label but they also want an embossed effect, we’re able to create it.”
Specialty Printing
Another way suppliers are improving the look of labels and shrink sleeves is by offering new inks and printing techniques.
A big trend is combining many different printing techniques on one label. AQL’s Schessel says, “Previously, companies would choose just one method of labeling, usually either pressure-sensitive labeling or screen printing. Now we’re seeing combinations of different methods done simultaneously, such as screening printing, foil stamping, and labeling. At AQL, we’re creating customized, automated systems that will do all of these techniques in-line.”
Multi-Color’s Klotter says, “We continue to see a lot of interest in metallic accents. We get requests daily for eye-popping, holographic patterns that can be integrated with combination printing such as flexographic and screen printing.”
Last year, Multi-Color produced in-mold labels for Procter & Gamble’s Olay Ribbons body wash. Multiple printing effects were used, including bright silver holographic foil accents.
The clear, in-mold film that Multi-Color used for the Olay Ribbons label provided a “no label” look. “No label” looks are also achieved with heat-transfer printing, which Klotter says is an alternative to direct-printing methods such as silk-screening.
Klotter says that there has been a lot of interest in heat-transfer in the beauty industry. “It’s not a new technology, but there’s definitely a new interest in switching from direct screen printing to this more-efficient method of decorating. It gives you much better full-color process labels as opposed to one-, two-, or three-color direct printing.”
Multi-Color has developed a new, patented, Flameless heat-transfer product. It allows bottles to be decorated without having to first be flame treated. “Before, customers had to have open flames in their plant to burn off the contaminants on the surface of a bottle so that the adhesive from a pressure-sensitive label or a heat-transfer product would adhere to it,” says Klotter. According to Klotter, benefits of the new Flameless product are enhanced graphics, improved efficiencies, and a cost savings over other decorating technologies.
Digital Printing
A label’s look is important, but so is its cost. One technique that makes label printing more cost-effective is digital printing. More suppliers are exploring this technology.
“Digital printing has been a bigger deal than we expected it to be with personal care companies,” says Labels West’s Wilson. Labels West started running digital presses last year. “We’re continuously realizing its significant advantages over flexographic printing.” In fact, Wilson adds, many of Labels West’s clients have been converting from flexo to digital printing.
Cost-wise, digital printing is beneficial because it eliminates the price of printing plates and also reduces setup costs. Digital printing also handles smaller label runs more cost-effectively and reduces the cost of keeping label inventory in stock.
Wilson says that digital printing also offers significant print benefits. “The quality is significantly better, hands down,” he says. “You don’t have the print registration challenges that you have with conventional presses. You get sharper, detailed images and vibrant colors. It’s particularly good for four-color work.”
Digital also provides designers with more freedom to make changes to their designs late in the game. “There’s much more flexibility for the creative team because there isn’t the cost of printing plates to prevent them from tweaking a design,” says Wilson.
Labels West has been introducing unique-looking label substrates that accommodate digital printing. The firm is now working with textured, natural-looking stocks, which have been very popular in the wine market.
Digital printing is now also moving beyond labels and into shrink sleeves. Prestige Label (Burgaw, NC), which was recently purchased by Atlantic Packaging, has specialized in digital printing for years. The supplier has expanded its digital printing capabilities to include digital printing of shrink sleeves.
“We’re constantly working with our vendors and engineers in this changing market,” says Terie Syme, Prestige Label’s operations manager. “We need to take into consideration the various primers and varnishes and how they interact with the inks and converting solvents used in digital printing.” Syme adds that Prestige also offers security features for digitally printed labels, as well as options such as specialty inks and holographic foils for conventional printing.
Ameri-Seal uses digital printing to create shrink-sleeve mockups. “Ameri-Seal has found a tremendous benefit in being able to offer digital samples of shrink sleeves,” says Millstein. “Customers are sometimes concerned about how a shrink sleeve is going to shrink on their containers. Using the digital process, we are able to print a customer’s graphics on the exact same material that we would be using in a full production mode. Ameri-Seal has introduced a process using ink-jet printing that allows us to print single mockup samples free of charge for our customers.”
Working Together
Designing an attractive, cost-efficient label is not a brand’s only concern. Companies must also determine how effectively a label can be applied to a package. Often, it helps to consult—during the design phase—those who will actually be applying the labels.
“One problem that occurs a lot in labeling is that designers will work with a label supplier to design the label, and a bottle supplier to design the bottle, but they don’t put a lot of thought into how the two components will work together. They don’t consider how it’s going to be applied,” says AQL’s Schessel. “For instance, there’s a vast difference between putting a label on a glass bottle or on a plastic bottle, and on a flat surface or on a curved surface. They also don’t necessarily consider that the type of carrier a label has can have an effect.”
Schessel continues, “We at AQL are trying to go directly to the development people and say, ‘Look, give us a call because we can help to avoid a lot of these problems, because we’re the ones that actually put the labels on the bottle.’ These are things they really need to consider when developing their labels.”
Crowning Touch
Seals and medallions are less commonly seen on beauty packaging, in part, because they can be a little pricier than the typical label or shrink sleeve. However, seals and medallions add an instant, and very noticeable, touch of luxury. A few brands, such as Viktor & Rolf, which featured seals on its Flowerbomb fragrance packaging, have realized the benefits of this added touch.
For years, Stoffel Seals Corp. (Nyack, NY) has specialized in creating seals from resin and metal for brands such as Victoria’s Secret. Its seals are available in various styles, such as nameplate designs and seals strung from adjustable cords. Seals can be decorated with embossing, debossing, and even specialty finishes that give a seal a blackened, antique look.
Regarding the cost of a seal, “It is a custom piece, and it’s not for everybody, unfortunately,” says Tina Henry, ID and promotional business unit manager for Stoffel Seals. “But there’s always a demand from companies that try to set themselves apart on the retail shelf. I’ve had people call me who understand how important it is to get a brand to stand out to consumers. It adds that special touch and a level of prestige and value to your item.”