Labels do more than ever to sell dairy products. Whether it’s a roll fed stretch sleeve on a gallon or a single-serve bottle, a shrink sleeve for contoured bottles or in-mold labeling, which may be just around the corner labels have come a long, long way.

Yes, pressure sensitive labels are still used on much of the gallon jugs sold in the U.S., but particularly when it comes to single-serve products, processors have more label solutions to choose from than ever.

Roll-fed stretch sleeves work well with straight sided single-serve bottles and are often used with PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles in pints or other sizes. Roll fed labels are relatively easy to apply, and no heat tunnel is needed. These types of labels allow 360 degree graphics, which is why they have sometimes also been applied to gallons and half-gallons.

Shrink sleeve labels are the best solution for contoured bottles and typical applications are for blowmolded high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles. A shrink sleeve can cover the full body of a bottle and therefore can be designed to provide tamper-evident neck and cap seals while offering maximum graphic space. Shrink sleeves are typically applied to bottles after filling and then shrunk to fit with a heat tunnel.

In-mold labeling presents lots of opportunities for dairy, particularly in the areas of yogurt and ice cream. Packaging that can be manufactured in-house can benefit from the “no-label look” and functionality of in-mold labels.

For more information about label options contact the following companies:

American Fuji Seal Inc. , Bardstown, Ky., offers a broad spectrum of labeling solutions including roll-fed, cut and stack, shrink sleeve and in-mold labeling. The company offers rotogravure, flexo, UV flexo and offset printing in up to 10 colors.

American Fuji Seal Inc.
502/348-9211
Write in 330
www.afseal.com

SleeveCo Inc. , Dawsonville, Ga., claims to be the only company in the industry to house a custom-engineered, 11-color press to serve the sleeve label market.

SleeveCo Inc.
706/216-3110
Write in 331
www.sleeveco.com

The CMS-650 is the newest shrink-sleeve label applicator from Trine Labeling Systems, Fullerton, Calif. Designed with a smaller footprint than most labelers, the new machine can run at speeds up to 400 bottles per minute. It’s a servo-based machine, that’s PLC controlled, and designed for smooth, quick changeovers and maintenance.

Trine Labeling Systems
800/736-4267
Write in 332
www.trinelabelling.com

Flexwrap 175 is a new label from Prime Graphics Inc. , Wood Dale, Ill. The Flexwrap 175 is a printed and laminated two-layer film label that has a greater opacity and a brighter white appearance than the traditional industry standard film used for roll-fed film label applications. The improved whiteness provides excellent opacity and a bright white background for outstanding graphic appeal. It is compatible with HDPE or PET bottles and has applications for single serve and quart containers of juice, milk and water.

Flexwrap film labels are flexographically printed in up to 10 colors. The Flexwrap 175 film label is a thicker film label that provides consistent machinability and can improve your label machine performance especially for newer high-speed labeling machines. Flexwrap 175 has been qualified on all Trine, B&H and Krones roll-fed labeling machines.

Prime Graphics, Inc.
630/227-1300
Write in 329
www.primegraphicsinc.com

ITW Autosleeve, Twinsburg, Ohio, can provide customers with a total container labeling system. In addition to Auto-Sleeve's global sales and service network, the company offers custom graphic design, plate making, 8-10 color flexographic printing, and 24 hour part service.

ITW Autosleeve
800/852-4571
Write in 333
www.itw-autosleeve.com

Seal-It Inc. , Farmingdale, N.Y., is a leading manufacturer, converter and printer of heat shrink PVC, PET-G and OPS films. The company operates out of two technologically advanced printing facilities in offering customers a choice of rotogravure or modified flexographic in up to 10 colors, both line and process.

Seal-It Inc.
516/935-3965
Write in 334
www.sealitinc.com