Shrink sleeve labels are highly adaptable and decorative to plastic, metal, glass and other packaging containers, such as bottles, cans, jars and some in irregular shapes.

Now, shrink sleeve labels are becoming increasingly popular in the marketplace due to their ability to combine high-quality graphics with distinctive styling, as well as the possibility to have anti-counterfeiting, tamper-resistant and other functional features. In this article, we provide a brief overview about the cost factors of shrink sleeve labels, hope it is helpfu for those who are now looking for shrink sleeve labels and to make more informed labelling decisions for their business.

Shrink Sleeve Label Cost Affecting Factors

The cost of shrink sleeve labels is determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are shrink film materials, printing technology and method, post-press process, designs of shrink sleeve labels, size and shapes of the containers, and more.

Materials for Shrink Sleeve Labels

The materials used to make shrink sleeve labels are mainly PVC (polyvinyl chloride) film, PET (polyester) film, PETG (modified polyester) film, OPS (oriented polystyrene) film and so on.

• PVC Film: It is one of the most widely used substrates for shrink sleeve labels. PVC film has a large temperature shrinkage range and does not require a high heat source. However, PVC is difficult to recycle and produces toxic gas when burned, which is not good for the environment, and has been banned in some regions, such as Europe and Japan. The cost of PVC film is relatively cheap compared with other shrink film materials.
• OPS Film: OPS film has good shrinkage performance and is also good for environmental protection. but its strength is lower, so OPS film is suitable for lightweight and fragile packaging. And, the price of OPS film is relatively high.
• PETG Film: PETG copolymer film is not only good for environmental protection, but also able to pre-adjust the shrinkage rate. However, due to the high shrinkage rate, it is also limited in use. Its price is also a little high.
• PET Film: PET film is internationally recognized as an environmentally friendly shrink film material. Its technical indexes, physical properties, application scope and usage are close to that of PVC film. And it is the most advanced unidirectional shrinkage film at present. The price of PET film is cheaper than PETG and a little more expensive than the price of PVC film. Therefore, PET film is the most ideal material to replace PVC film in shrink sleeve label production.

Shrink Sleeve Label Printing Process

With the development of label printing technology, the main shrink sleeve label printing technology has gravure printing, flexo printing and digital printing.

• Gravure Printing: It is a high-speed, high-guality printing method. Gravure printing adopts solvent-based inks. Gravure printing is featured with fine printing effect and high color saturation. But, it is more costly and suitable for mass production.
• Flexographic Printing: Now flexographic prints have the thickness and high gloss of gravure prints, and printing colors are bright and clear, fully comparable to gravure printing. Flexo printing mostly uses water-based ink, which is more conducive to environmental protection. Flexo printing is featured lower costs and suitable short production cycles for shrink sleeve labels.
• Digital Printing: Digital printing can be personalized and is suitable for small batch production, especially for small quantities of diverse labels. In addition, digital printing offers variable data printing. The cost of digital printing is lower for small production runs, but the cost rises for large production runs because of higher ink consumption.

The printing complexity of shrink wrap labels directly affects the cost. Generally, one-color printing costs less, while multi-colors printing, special effects (e.g., embossing, glitter effects), and complex graphic designs printing, the cost will increase.

Embellishment and Finishes of Post-press

In order to get a great visual effect, shrink sleeve labels can also be post-processed with a number of embellishment, such as matte, glossy, foil stamping, 3D holographic platinum embossing, metallic textured finishes and more. These options can enhance the visual effect of the label and can make the label more understated and luxurious, but require additional processes that add to the cost.

Container Shape and Size

The cost of shrink sleeve labels can be also affected by the shape and size of the packaging container. In general, complex shapes or oversized containers requiring more complex label designs and printing processes, which will result in increased costs. For example, round or irregularly shaped containers require the use of special shrink film and printing equipment, while oversized containers may require more material and ink. So, all of these will increase the production cost of customized shrink sleeve labels.

How to Reduce Shrink Film Labeling Costs？

From the above, we can know the main components of shrink film label cost are very closely related with is production process. Under the premise of shrink sleeve label design requirements, printing quality and and performance, we can take some measures to reduce shrink sleeve label cost.

Optimize Label Design

Simplify the design, reduce the number of colors and avoid unnecessary elements.

• Make designs with simple lines and shapes to reduce the number of colors and lower printing costs.
• Considering standard shaped containers to reduce additional production steps.
• Make reusable designs to reduce printing costs.

Bulk Ordering

Order in bulk is beneficial to lower unit prices. For example, ordering a large number of labels at once can result in volume discounts and lower costs. This is also very welcomed by shrink sleeve labels manufacturers.

Compare Quotes

Get quotes from different shrink sleeve label manufacturers and compare prices and services carefully. It is a great way to select the most favorable supplier.

Negotiate with Suppliers

Try to negotiate prices with suppliers for better terms. For example, you can negotiate with suppliers for better prices based on the quantity of the order, delivery time, and other factors.

Cost-effective Shrink Sleeve Label Solution Supplier

Hennepin Industry offers cost-effective custom printed shrink sleeve labels for various industries. Our customized shrink wrap labels can be applied to a wide variety of products and containers regardless of size, shape or texture. Additionally, with our advanced HP 6K series digital printing equipment, we can effectively reduce your product’s time to market.

Advantages of Our Custom Printed Shrink Sleeve Label Solutions

• Optional Printing Methods: Gravure printing, flexo printing and digital printing are all available. And, we privide up to 9-color digital process.
• Superior Fit for Different Containers: our custom-made shrink sleeve labels can accommodate a variety of glass, plastic, aluminum and metal containers in different shapes and sizes.
• Extensive Colors: CMYK, Pantone Spot Colors (PMS), metallic colors, fluorescents are all available.
• Materials: PETG, PVC, OPS, PLA are all availabe.
• Mature Post-press Process: Foil stamping, 3D holographic platinum embossing, metallic textured finishes, 3D digital cold stamping and more.
• Features of Our Shrink Sleeve Labels: ultimate impact, high gloss, high transmittance, scuff resistant, water resistant, high-impact strength and more.