Printed Sleeves

Handing someone a branded KitKat is different from handing them a branded pen. The KitKat already has the person's enthusiasm before the sleeve is read. The full colour custom printed sleeve wraps around the existing product. Mars Bars in more than one size, Snickers, KitKat, Cadbury Dairy Milk, and Tim Tams in single and full box options, all carrying any campaign design across the front. The chocolate inside is the retail product, unchanged. The sleeve is where the brand lives. Any colour, any artwork, any message, any QR code. The range covers a spread of products from individual bars suited to event handouts and desk gifts through to full Tim Tam boxes that make a more substantial client gift. All from a modest starting quantity that suits both small team gifting and large-scale event distribution.

A Tim Tam box in a branded sleeve sent to a key client in the first week of December lives on their kitchen or desk until the biscuits are finished. That's several days of brand exposure at a prominent location, not a single moment of receipt and filing.

The sleeve continues to work after the chocolate is eaten if it carries a URL, QR code, or promotional offer. Someone who finds value in what the sleeve links to may keep it. The chocolate is the reason to look; the sleeve is the reason to act.

Technical & Compliance

How does the sleeve attach to the chocolate product?

The printed sleeve slides or wraps around the existing retail packaging of the chocolate product. It is not glued or adhered to the chocolate itself. The original product packaging remains intact inside the sleeve. The sleeve is sized specifically for each product to ensure a snug, professional fit. This means the chocolate product can be removed from the sleeve without damaging either the sleeve or the original packaging.

Is the sleeve food safe?

The printed sleeve is a paper or card sleeve that does not come into direct contact with the chocolate, which is contained within its original sealed retail packaging. The sleeve is a branding layer applied around the exterior. Any inks or coatings used on the sleeve are appropriate for food-adjacent contact applications. For formal food safety certification requirements in specific regulated environments, confirming the specific sleeve materials and inks with the supplier at the time of ordering is the right approach.

Can the sleeve be used to carry a QR code or URL that can be scanned?

Yes, the sleeve surface is a printable substrateable substrate, and QR codes and URLs print and scan correctly from the sleeve surface at normal reading distance. Testing a QR code on a printed proof before the full run goes to production confirms that the code renders correctly at the sleeve's actual size. For a campaign that uses the sleeve as a conversion tool rather than purely a brand awareness piece, the QR code placement should be in a position that's easily accessible without fully removing the sleeve.

What file format is needed for the sleeve artwork?

Artwork is typically supplied as a high-resolution PDF or AI file with all fonts embedded or outlined and images at a suitable resolution for full colour print. The supplier provides a template or die line specific to each product's sleeve dimensions on request. Designing within the template ensures artwork fits within the print area, accounts for any fold lines, and positions key design elements where they'll be most visible on the finished product.