Christmas and Thanksgiving bring with them an increase in the amount of gift baskets everyone receives. Shrinkwrap is frequently used to wrap these baskets. If you are thinking of creating one, or using shrinkwrap for other purposes, this tip was created to give you some pointers and a better understanding of it.

Before we get started, a brief lesson on what shrinkwrap is and how it works are required. Shrinkwrap is a polymer. When it is created into a sheet, the polymer is stretched and elongated. To understand this, visualize a tangled mess of string. That tangled mess represents the shrinkwrap in its natural state. To create shrinkwrap, imagine the strings pulled out of the mess until they are stretched into a straight line one by one. When the roll is created, all the strings have been pulled apart and laid out in straight rows. When you apply heat, the molecules become active and try to resume their natural state. This is why shrinkwrap shrinks! It goes from being like pulled string back to a tangled mess. This is also why shrinkwrap is actually stronger after heat has been applied.

When you apply heat to shrinkwrap, you can purchase a shrinkwrap gun or a good hair dryer will do the trick. Apply the heat with at least a six inch distance from gun to shrinkwrap. Try to apply heat to all parts of the shrinkwrap. This will ensure a uniform strength around the item you are wrapping. Remember, shrinkwrap that has had heat applied to it is stronger. This will ensure that you have a uniform strength of wrapping around the object.

Shrinkwrap is categorized with our Cellophane. See our Cellophane products.
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Hope this helps!