1997 TLMI Award Winners

packagePRINTING presents the tag and label industry's exclusive first look at the winners of the 1997 TLMI Awards competition.

By taking Best of Show honors in the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute's Awards competition, a combination offset-printed/foil-stamped front and back label solidified multi-process printing's reputation for adding value and elegance to printed packaging.

Converted by Impressive Labels, Safford, AZ, the "Frescolina" wine label was tagged by the panel of judges as being superior to all 290 entries in this 20th annual competition. Overall, 49 TLMI and 18 FINAT member companies participated.

Cited for its extremely exacting registration of two foils put down one over the other, the "Frescolina" front and back labels also displayed to the panel of judges impeccable 4-color process printing, as well as flawless execution of an intricate diecut pattern.

The "Frescolina" label also earned a First Place—North American, in the Multi-process/Color Process category.

Bob Reinert, a competition judge and managing director of Comco, said the judges were impressed with the number of entries, particularly the amount of flexo and UV flexo work.

"The gains being made in flexo, particularly in regard to prepress and plate capabilities is amazing," he comments. "We even saw examples that demonstrated negative dot gain, and combinations of stochastic and conventional techniques."

Overall, Reinert says the judges, who worked in teams, were delighted with the creativity, design and execution of labels for wines.

Competition judges were: Steve Lee, Rotometrics, chairman; Mike Buystedt, Werneke; John Little, Nilpeter; Dave Kucsma, Fasson; Page Crouch, Clemson University; Jim Reinke, Fox Valley Tech. Inst.; Ferd Rueesch, Gallus; Gordon MacGee, Webtron; Bob Reinert, Comco; Pete Kershner, Mark Andy; and Bud Gray, TLMI executive director, competition facilitator.

1st Place MULTI-PROCESS,

Color process

Impressive Labels; Frescolina front and back label

Extremely exacting registration to foil stamp two different foils in register with 4-color process, especially in an outline format. Also foil on top of foil. Intricate die cut. Fasson collectors reserve material. Flint Ink UV offset inks. Ashwell steel rule die. Shiki F330 press. DuPont plates.

North American —First Place Awards

FLEXO, Line-prime

Label Technology—Ghirardelli Double Dutch Chocolate

Complex registration and heavy coverage on metalized paper made this a tough one. Attempted to match a litho-printed foil-stamped carton. Technicote material. WMI inks. Avis tooling. Polyfibron plates. 10" Rotopress.

FLEXO, Line-nonprime

CCL Label—Eli Lilly Vancocin

A functional IV hanger. Punched oval made end-user activation of hang sling much easier. Rotary punching of thick synthetic material with patterned adhesive application. For end-use functionality, no adhesive can print in hang sling area. Van Leer materials. A1150 Avery platform press. Tools & Production rotary punch unit. Rotometrics dies. Avery hotmelt adhesive. Mobil liner.

FLEXO, Line and screen/tone-prime

Spectrum Label—Myco Logic Rei-Shi-Gen Dietary Supplement

This tight register line job required a difficult-to-reproduce vignette and print fine blue to pink graduating screen in the background with a white image design reversing out of all areas of

the three color graduating screen. Label was printed 3 across. Mark Andy 4120 press. Fasson material. WMI inks. Rotometrics dies. DuPont photopolymer plates.

FLEXO, Line and screen/tone-nonprime

Custom Tape & Label—Kodak Vision 250D

Green Bay Kimdura materials. WIT inks. Rotometrics dies. DuPont plates. Mark Andy press.

FLEXO, Color process, prime

Belmark—Swiss Colony Classic Petits Fours

The challenge was to produce two separate images on one set of process plates printed over BSF stock. Ran 4-color process plus two line colors plus UV coating using 175 line screens. The 50% ghosted background image required the subtle gold tones be just right and the foreground image be a sharper presentation of the actual product. The white ink had to have sufficient opacity to cover the silver foil and allow for a good process print surface. Also, the image required tint foil gold ink to give the label a hot stamp appearance. Registration of black, gold and white was very tight. Fasson bright silver foil stock. Werneke waterbase inks. Northwest Coatings UV varnish. Rotometrics dies. DuPont photopolymer plates. Mark Andy 2200 press.

FLEXO, Color process, nonprime

Valley Forge Tape & Label—Springhouse Sold Here

This job printed on clear static cling vinyl, over-laminated with white vinyl for opacity. It was prepared electronically and had to match the colors on art with tint builds and blends. Waterbase inks, 133 line screen. Preston dies. Water Ink Technology inks. ARC anilox rolls. DuPont plates. Mark Andy 4150 10" press. Flexcon vinyl.

SCREEN PRINTING, Line/prime

Spear—Labatt Ice

New beer that emphasizes white and silver to represent the frigid ice. Label clarity allows for condensation to appear snowy and frozen when contrasted with the silver and white. Metallic inks in combination with thick lay down of white and red inks, create trapping and innercoat problems. Dark brown bottle intensifies the ink opacity. Kammann press. Flexcon material. Rotometrics dies.

SCREEN PRINTING, Nonprime

Dow Industries—Colgate back Label

It was critical that all of the copy remain clean and open. Norcote inks. Kammann press. Fasson Fasclean substrate. Rotometrics dies.

LETTERPRESS, Rotary color process/prime

Package Service—Stuart Hall Camellia

This label was graphically challenging with the highlight dots. The quality of the finished label had to compare to the offset quality that the label had previously used. Fasson material. Toray plates. INX inks. ADT dies. Nilpeter B200 press.

LETTERPRESS, Rotary color process/nonprime

Promo Edge Div., Menasha—Butterflies Stickers

Used in schools for educational activities and rewards. Must be removable. Multiple die cuts create stripping problems, repeated images on the same sheet make color consistency important. Brown Bridge stock. Nobel inks. Rotometrics dies. Toray plate material. Gallus press.

OFFSET, Color process/prime

Gar-Doc—Country Rich Syrup

Difficult register, vignettes, cleanness important. Fasson. Rotometrics. Howson. UV offset press. UV inks.

OFFSET, Line and screen/tone/prime

National Label—Sucrets For Kids

OTC cough drops for children. Leaflet inside provides for the child's name to be written in by the consumer. Offset printed, sheet die cut and folded (printed line screen). Inset to similar letterpress printed base label.

MULTI-PROCESS, Line/prime

Spear—Sutter Home Fre

Alcohol-free wine converted from paper label due to the success of the clear labeled regular wine. Package is helping to create attention for this new wine category. Screen printing needed to provide opaque vibrance for brand identification, yet maintain subtle elegance. Superior adhesive clarity and varnish required due to wet labeling environment. Kammann press. Flexcon film. Kuntz hot stamp foils. Rotometrics dies.

MULTI-PROCESS, Color process

Spear—Estate Cellars—Inglenook

Popular-priced wine geared toward novice wine drinkers that purchase product based on graphic appeal. Distribution has expanded considerably with the new package. Fine process registration, tight stamping, and opaque screen inks all must be maintained to produce this 90's label. Difficult combination work that was originally supplied with a competitor's over-laminated label. Flexcon film. Kurtz foils. Gallus rotary screen/letterpress equipment. Rotometrics dies.

EDP LABEL

Custom Tape & Label—Kodak Vision 250D

Line and screen on piggy back plus back printing. Fasson material. WIT inks. Rotometrics dies. DuPont plates. Mark Andy press.

GRAVURE, Color process/prime

Package Service—Hershey Chocolate Milk Mix (Japanese)

This label used a 250 line screen to print the special characters in the various languages, which were a very small font size. Dunsirn material. INX ink. IVA cylinders. Chesnut 150 press.

COUPON

Promo Edge Div., Menasha—Bud Bowl 97 Game Piece

Applied to packages of Anheuser-Busch beer. Multiple 4-color process images, multi-layer folded construction, multiple game scores printed in one pass. Fasson, Dunsirn and Brown Bridge stocks. Werneke and INX inks. Rotometrics dies. DuPont Cyrel plate material. Nilpeter press.

COUPON

Universal Label—100ml Prestone ProClean

This coupon/label is used as an introductory promotion. Client wished to have the original prime label on the product after their retail customer peeled off the coupon. Coupon layer printed 4-color process plus an overprint varnish on top with one color on reverse. P/S layer printed 4-color process plus a release coating and

peelable adhesive. Labels produced in one pass on a 12-color press with 600 line ceramic anilox and reverse-angle doctor blades, .067 photopolymer plates and .020 cushion sticky-back. Webtron 750 12" color press. Fasson material. Lowe Graphics plates. Rotometrics dies.