This incredibly-durable material is placed around the finished basket and heated with specialized equipment to form a snug fit, encasing each design tightly and securely.

Many designers choose shrink wrap to ship a gift basket down the street or around the world.

Shrink wrap is available in three styles:

On a roll
As a bag
As a pre-formed shell

Many designers work with shrink wrap in one or two of these styles rather than all three. Shrink wrap rolls are available in 25-foot lengths which can be used as testers to experiment with your design style before investing in professional systems.

Manufacturers and suppliers sell kits with complete shrink wrap systems consisting of a machine that holds a 500-foot shrink roll, hand trimmer, and heat gun.

You can also choose not to invest in the machine and work exclusively with bags and shells.

Shrink wrap rolls allow you to apply the wrap upward, with a fan on top, or downward without a fan. Shrink wrap bags are applied when you prefer a fan on top, and pre-formed shells are used to close the design without a plume.

In all cases, shrink wrap is available in a variety of sizes that ensures less waste and better control when applying the material around each design.

BASKET BAGS

Photograph from The Gift Basket Design Book by Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. When an order calls for a $15-$30 design, it is styled with as much mastery as a higher-priced gift. But time is a factor.

There�s no way you�ll spend 30 minutes creating this gift, and that includes wrapping. That�s why designers thank their lucky stars for basket bags.

These pre-cut, rectangular bags make gift wrapping quick and easy. Select a bag approximately two to three inches wider than the design and insert the design into the bag.

Add the bow around the bag directly above the finished design, and cinch any protruding sides with tape.

It�s that simple and still guarantees a great appearance.

Basket bags are available in multiple sizes as well as clear or printed styles. Bags are supplied by the same companies that sell cellophane and shrink wrap.

Photograph from The Gift Basket Design Book by Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Designers who purchase this product start with a minimum of three bag sizes, graduating to additional sizes as their design style matures.

The best way to choose which bags are best to buy first is to start with a size that works with a generic container you expect to use regularly. That bag can be considered as the main size you'll always buy.

Then select two more bag sizes, one that�s slightly smaller and one slightly larger. The choice of clear or printed depends on the themes you make and receivers' preferences.

PROPER STORAGE KEEPS WRAPS CLEAN

Your design studio setup determines how you will store wrapping products. The main focus is to ensure that these materials do not collect dust.

Making use of the boxes that originally housed these materials when shipped directly to your studio or purchased at a retail store is one option. Large, flat storage containers purchased from retail or discount stores are another.

Basket bags can be stored folded in half or rolled until needed.

Abaca and netting, also known as tulle, are two more wrapping materials that join cellophane, shrink wrap, and basket bags as choice products that keep your designs looking beautiful and desired by individual and corporate clients.

Here's another wrapping idea from Retail Wraps

Click here for reprint information.

Read the intro