This section provides an overview for shrink labels as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 17 shrink label manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked shrink label companies as of November, 2024: 1.Blue Label Packaging Company, 2.Horizon Label, LLC, 3.Ameri-Seal, a Formosa Packaging Company.
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1987~1991: Engaged in research on wire covering materials at Polymer Materials Laboratory.
1991~1997: Worked as a patent Engineer at Koike International Patent Office.
1997~2005 Worked as an intellectual property member at GE Yokogawa Medical System, currently working as a writer.
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Shrink labels are resin labels that shrink when heated.
They are used for beverage and cosmetic container labels because they fit uneven or curved shapes.
Shrink labels are often used for PET bottle labels because they shrink when heated and conform to uneven surfaces. It is difficult to print pictures and text directly on the curved and uneven surfaces of PET bottles, so the most common method is to print on shrink labels and attached to PET bottles.
This is commercially very valuable because it allows for variation in the design of PET bottles by simply switching shrink labels.
Shrink labels are processed shrink films, which are processed into a cylindrical shape by pasting the edges of shrink films that have been processed into sheets together. In other words, it can be manufactured from the same material as shrink film. However, since shrink labels are used to decorate and protect tubular products such as PET bottles, they are made of a material that shrinks only horizontally, with almost no vertical shrinkage.
Typical materials used are PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PS (polystyrene), which are the same materials used for PET bottles. A mixed of PET and PS (hybrid styrene) is sometimes used. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is suitable when chemical resistance is required.
When used as a label for PET bottles, the prescribed printing is first applied to the shrink film, which is then processed into a cylindrical shrink label. Next, the shrink label is placed on the PET bottle, and the bottle is placed in a warm air tunnel to heat-shrink the shrink label so that it adheres to the uneven surface of the PET bottle.
The heating process may cause thermal deformation of the PET bottles and other packaged items. When working with shrink labels, it is necessary to check the temperature required for heat shrinking of the shrink film and the heat resistance temperature of the product to be packaged.
When printing on shrink labels, the transparent shrink film that makes up the label will show through even when printed in color. This can result in unintended color tints or characters that are difficult to read.
As a countermeasure, there is a technique to make the contrast and text clearer by applying a white ink undercoat, and printing is performed in the following process:
Heat-shrinking shrink labels requires heating with warm air or hot water. The most common means of applying heat is a warm-air tunnel, but other methods include hot baths and hair dryers.
Hot Bath
Water is heated in a water tank, and once the water reaches a predetermined temperature, shrink labels are immersed in the water to heat and shrink them. The advantage of this method is that the area immersed in the hot water can be heated evenly, but it cannot be used for items that should not be exposed to water because the shrink labels will get wet.
Dryer
Some products can be heat-shrunk with a hair dryer, usually a high-temperature dryer for shrink labels. The advantage is that it is easy to operate, but the disadvantage is that it is difficult to apply heat evenly.
This section describes the advantages and disadvantages of shrink labels.
Advantages
Since shrink film is laminated together to form a cylindrical shape, the size can be set in millimeter increments, allowing for careful processing to suit the container. Printing is done after printing on the shrink film, so there is no uneven printing.
Disadvantages
PET and PS films, which are typical shrink label materials, have high shrink temperatures, and some products cannot be processed.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Blue Label Packaging Company, founded in 1957 and located in Lancaster, Ohio, is a custom manufacturer of bottle, can, clear, and jar labels. The company’s diverse range of products includes custom labels, shrink sleeves, and hand tags. These products are utilized across industries for branding, product information, tamper-evident packaging, and aesthetic enhancement. Blue Label Packaging Company's offerings are used for product identity, visual appeal, and information dissemination for types of packaging and products.
Traco Manufacturing, Inc., founded in 1985 and located in Orem, Utah, is a printer, manufacturer, and importer of shrink films, machines, and packaging equipment. Its broad range of products includes polyolefin shrink films, printed shrink sleeves labels, perform shrink bands, cut shrink bands, and shrink wrapping equipment. These products have diverse applications in industries that are used for efficient packaging, branding, tamper-evidence, and product presentation for a range of products. Traco Manufacturing, Inc.'s products serve a wide array of industries, including food and beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
Century Label., founded in 1980 and located in Bowling Green, Ohio, is a manufacturer of full-color digitally custom-printed labels and packaging. The company offers a range of products that include shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, digital labels, HD flexo labels, and cold foil labels. These products find applications in industries such as food and beverage, cosmetics, personal care, and pharmaceuticals. The company’s offerings are used for effective branding, product identification, and aesthetic enhancement of products and packaging types.
Ameri-Seal, a Formosa Packaging Company, established in 1997 and located in Valencia, California, is a manufacturer of shrink sleeves and labels. The company’s diverse range of products includes preform bands, tamper-evident seals, prime labels, blister foils, and roll stock film. Ameri-Seal's products serve diverse industries, including pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and consumer goods. The company’s offerings are used for tamper-evidence, product branding, information dissemination, and safety in packaging and labeling applications.
Pack Leader USA, LLC., established in 1992 and located in Taichung, Taiwan, is a manufacturer of labeling and packaging equipment. The company’s diverse range of products includes tabletop labeling, labeling systems, filling systems, capping systems, and shrink-sleeve systems. These products find applications in industries including small-scale production, beverage, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and packaged foods. Pack Leader USA, LLC.’s products are used for accurate labeling, filling, capping, and shrink sleeve applications.
Horizon Label, established in 1999, is a manufacturer of flexographic printings, custom graphic labels, and converting used in food, wines & spirit, cosmetics, content, and paper industries. The company in West Berlin, NJ, offers services such as laminating, rotary die cutting, embossing, shrink wrapping, and slitting. More services include rewinding, fan folding, finishing, rolling, magnetic die cutting, and printing. In 2020, the company was acquired by Ron Lutz and VJ Melapioni, possesser of Beau Label.
Adcraft Labels, founded in 1977, and headquartered in Anaheim, California, is a manufacturer and supplier of labels and flexible packaging. The company offers a diverse range of products, including pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, flexible pouches, and lidding films, catering to industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceutical, medical device, and cosmetics. Their labels are used on everything from beverage containers to pharmaceutical bottles to medical devices. Adcraft is a certified ISO 9001 and FDA-compliant company.
Label Systems, Inc., established in 1990, is a US-based manufacturer specializing in providing custom labeling solutions. They offer a wide range of labeling products, including adhesive labels, barcode labels, and product identification labels. With a rich history of providing labeling solutions, Label Systems, Inc. caters to various industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. They excel in producing customized labels that withstand various environments, ensuring clear and efficient communication for businesses.
Topflight Corp., founded in Glen Rock, PA, in 1946 is a manufacturer of die-cut components, pressure sensitive labels, printed conductive parts, and shrink sleeves. The company's product portfolio includes Conductive Parts, Shrink sleeves, Medical Labels, and Pharmaceutical Labels. The company serves markets including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics & personal care, consumer goods, and tire & automotive. The company provides services such as Product Selection Guidance, rapid prototyping, customer support and Custom Manufacturing.
Specialty Printing & Processing, established in 1961 and headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, is a manufacturer of Printed Graphics. The company specializes in screen printing on diverse materials like apparel, textiles, and plastics, yielding various designs. Additionally, the company also covers embroidery, intricately sewing thread onto fabric for logo and design creation. The company holds an ISO 9001:2015 certification, and also offers other services which extends to efficient fulfillment solutions, encompassing packaging, and shipping.
FOCUSales, pronounced as "Focus Sales," was established in 2004, in North Carolina, to cater to the evolving printing technologies and individual customer requirements. The company provides an extensive range of printing solutions, successfully serving clients in various industries, including personal care and beauty, food and beverage, and manufacturing goods. The printing of labels also expands to retail as well as custom products for varying sizes and shapes. The company expands its printing solutions to folding cartons, flexible packaging, shrink sleeve labels, and thermal ribbons, and also deals in sustainable solutions such as Compostable Labels.
Sun Packaging Technologies, Inc., is a complete packaging solution provider company, founded in 1991. It is a family-owned company in South Florida with headquarters in Pompano Beach and businesses throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. Products and services of Sun Packaging Technologies, Inc. include bagging, cartoon sealing, corner protection, food packaging, and form-fill-seal. Other products of the company are inkjet printing, material handling, pallet covers, PPE products, protective packaging, and used equipment.
Zion Packaging & Printing, founded in 2009 and located in Corona, California, is a supplier to beverage packaging aficionados. The company offers a range of products that include shrink sleeve labels, pouches, bags, and can labeling. The general use of the company's products includes wrapping around beverage containers, packaging beverages designed to adhere to beverage cans, and enhancing branding and product information. Zion Packaging & Printing primarily caters to the beverage industry, providing packaging and labeling solutions.
GUNZE Limited was founded last August 1896, in Meiji, Japan, and first started in the clothing industry. This company has an Engineering and Plastics Division established last 1958 in their Gangnam Plant and what was known as Engineering Business Plastic Center. This division of GUNZE Limited was in charge of manufacturing and selling automation equipment like copiers and printers, and functional parts used in the manufacturing processes in the industrial field. Presently, the company has two offices specializing in plastics engineering, one local affiliate office, and one international overseas affiliate office for this division located in Hong Kong.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation was founded in 1933 and has a head office in Tokyo, Japan. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation provides products including chemicals, industrial gases, and health care products to customers globally. Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s performance products division manufactures and distributes. functional food materials, electronic and electrical components, specialty chemicals, and other products. Mitsubishi Chemical health care products include pharmaceuticals, drug discovery solutions, diagnostic reagents, and instruments for medical use. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation also provides other services such as engineering, information systems, logistics, and consulting.
Resource Label Group, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in label and packaging solutions for every application and industry. The company’s extensive portfolio includes pressure sensitive, cut & stack, RFID, smart labels, shrink sleeves, and more. The company offers flexographic, digital, thermal, and other printing solutions as well as custom label designing. Their products cater to all industries including consumer products, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, electronics, and more. With over 30 locations across the U.S. and Canada, Resource Label Group offers personalized solutions and support. The company holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 15378:2017 certifications.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Blue Label Packaging Company |
14.9%
|
2 | Horizon Label, LLC |
8.8%
|
3 | Ameri-Seal, a Formosa Packaging Company |
8.4%
|
4 | Traco Manufacturing, Inc. |
6.3%
|
5 | Century Label. |
6.3%
|
6 | Pack Leader USA, LLC. |
6.3%
|
7 | Zion Packaging & Printing |
5.9%
|
8 | FOCUSales, Inc. |
5.6%
|
9 | Resource Label Group, LLC |
5.4%
|
10 | Label Systems, Inc. |
5.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the shrink label page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 14 | 87.5% |
Japan | 2 | 12.5% |