2011 TLMI Awards: The Best in Tag and Label Printing

High-quality and innovative tag and label printing was on display again this year at the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute's (TLMI) annual Label Awards contest. Each year, printers in North America and those international members from around the world show off some of the best printing and converting techniques that the industry has to offer. A total of 78 awards were presented this year, with 55 first-place winners and 21 second place awards.

Coming out on top again this year as the 'best of the best' was Vaughan, Ontario-based ASL Print FX, winning the Best of Show honors for the second year in a row (last year under the moniker, ASL Group–All Stick Label). Its Red Tile Chardonnay entry came in first in the Wine & Spirits - Flexography/Letterpress, Color Process-Prime category and then went on to beat out stiff competition for the top honors. "The Best of Show turned out to be a long process, as there were a number of very good choices from the first-place winners," says RotoMetrics' VP Steve Lee, who serves as TLMI's Label Awards Committee chairman. "The Judges took great care and extra time to pick the winner."

ASL Print FX used multiple processes on 11 stations in the label construction, including several silkscreens, hot stamping, UVC treatments, and multiple varnish coatings. Twenty micron stochastic screening was used for the process image. Suppliers used by ASL Print FX for this award winner include Gallus, Kodak, Harper, Kocher + Beck, Avery Dennison - Fasson, and Sun Chemical.

Several companies in the North American category had multiple award-winning entries. McDowell Label & Screen Printing topped the list with a total of 16 winners, including 11 first-place finishers. Multi-Color Corp. came away with 10 awards that included seven firsts. Collotype Labels USA had three first-place winners and two second place awards.

In the International category, Collotype Labels International Holdings Pty Ltd outdid its North American counterpart. It brought six awards 'down under' with four firsts and two second-place awards. Germany-based Schreiner Group GmbH & Co. KG also had a strong showing with three first-place awards, plus the prestigious Innovator Award for its Needle Trap entry (first place winner in the Flexography - Line/Non-Prime category). The design included several novel features that help address needs in the pharmaceutical market. The plastic needle trap secures the blood-contaminated needle after injection to help prevent accidental needle-stick injuries. In addition, detachable label parts enable reliable and efficient documentation of the administered injection. pP