A friendly guide to picking the convenience feature your flexible package really needs — and how Sealstrip adds it to the line you already run.

When you’re adding a convenience feature to a flexible package, the first question isn’t which tape or applicator to order. It’s simpler than that: does your product need an easy-open feature, a resealable feature, or both? The two solve different problems and suit different products — and Sealstrip makes both. Here’s how to tell them apart and narrow the decision.

What is easy-open packaging?

Easy-open packaging gives people a clear, low-effort way to get into a package the first time — no scissors, no teeth, no wrestling with the film. It doesn’t need to close again afterward. Sealstrip builds this in with a pull tab, a wide grip area, or a reliable tear point, so the package opens the same clean way every time.

Easy open is the right fit when:

• The product is single-serve or used up soon after opening
• Tamper evidence matters — medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and OTC products
• The package is discarded after use, so reclosing adds nothing
• You want a consistent, repeatable opening that keeps customers happy

Sealstrip’s easy-open systems include Peelwrap (a wide grip tab over a perforation that peels most of the film away in one pull — works on shrink and non-shrink film, and a favorite for medical device kits and single-serve foods), Shrinktape (a narrow, cost-effective pull-tab tape for shrink film that barely touches your graphics), Teartape (a hermetic, color-coded open that’s ideal for medical overwrap and pre-filled syringes), and OpenEasy.

What is resealable packaging?

Resealable packaging lets people close the package again after that first open — keeping the product fresh, tidy, and useful for as long as it lasts on the counter or in the pantry. Where easy-open is a one-time event, a reseal is made to work over and over. Sealstrip’s reseal features use pressure-sensitive tape, so there are no zipper tracks to line up — the package closes the first time, every time.

Resealable is the right fit when:

• The product is enjoyed over several sittings — snacks, shredded cheese, baked goods, pet food
• Freshness matters once the first seal is broken
• Reclosability is part of the experience you want your brand to deliver
• You’d like a lighter, faster-running alternative to a mechanical zipper

Sealstrip’s resealable systems include Sealstrip, Peel&Seal, FreshPak and Stand Up Pouch Reseal, and SealAcross, SealAcross for Trays, and Roll&Seal, plus dedicated stand-up-pouch reseal solutions.

Side-by-side: easy open vs. resealable

Can a package have both? Absolutely.

Plenty of products are better with both — an easy-open first access plus a reseal for everyday use. Think crackers, cookies, and pet treats, where the first opening should be clean and tamper-evident and the product is enjoyed over several days. Because Sealstrip designs the whole system — tape and applicator together — both features can be applied in-line on the same package.

Three quick questions to point you the right way

1. One sitting or several? One sitting leans toward easy-open. Several sittings makes a reseal well worth adding.

2. Does it go stale once opened? Chips, crackers, cheese, dried fruit — a reseal protects the product your customer already paid for.

3. Is tamper evidence a must? Medical, pharma, and many OTC or personal-care products want a clear first-open indicator — a natural fit for an easy-open feature, with or without a reseal alongside it.

Adding either feature to your existing line

Here’s the part packagers like best: with Sealstrip you usually don’t need new wrapping equipment. Every Sealstrip system pairs the tape with a retrofit applicator that mounts to the wrapper you already run — VFFS baggers, flow wrappers, L-sealers, and continuous-motion wrappers. The tape applies in-line at your line speed, uses less film, and adds very little weight, and the applicator can be bypassed anytime you need to run without the feature.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between easy open and resealable packaging?

Easy-open packaging gives you a clean, reliable way to open a package the first time — it doesn’t need to close again. Resealable packaging lets you close and reopen the package repeatedly to keep the product fresh over several sittings. Many packages use both: an easy-open feature for the first access and a reseal for ongoing use, and Sealstrip can add either or both in-line.

Does resealable packaging cost more than easy-open packaging?

It depends on the feature. Sealstrip uses pressure-sensitive tape across its whole line, so a tape-based reseal is often comparable to an easy-open tape feature — and can cost less than a rigid zipper, since it uses less material and runs at higher line speeds.

Can resealable tape replace a zipper closure?

In many applications, yes. Sealstrip’s pressure-sensitive reseal tape is a proven alternative to a plastic zipper — lighter, less film, faster on the line, and with no tracks to line up, so the package closes the first time, every time.

Do easy-open and resealable features need different packaging equipment?

Not necessarily. Both are added with Sealstrip retrofit applicators that integrate into your existing wrapping machinery — VFFS baggers, flow wrappers, L-sealers, and continuous-motion wrappers — rather than requiring a full equipment replacement.

Is tamper evidence part of resealable packaging?

Tamper evidence is most associated with easy-open features, since it shows the package hasn’t been opened before purchase. A reseal is about post-purchase convenience and freshness — but a single Sealstrip package design can include both.

About Sealstrip

Sealstrip Corporation has spent decades engineering easy-open and resealable convenience features for flexible packaging — pairing pressure-sensitive tapes with retrofit applicators built to fit the line you already run. Sealstrip is a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, and manufactures in the USA in a facility certified under the GFSI-recognized IFS PACsecure standard.

Not sure which feature fits your product? Sealstrip will help you figure it out — and can add an easy-open or resealable feature to a sample of your own packaging so you can see it for yourself. Call 1-888-658-7997.