Excellence Awards : Photo Finish

This year's Excellence Awards competition was tough. It started out that way and got tougher and tougher as the day went on. The overall quality of the entries was fantastic and led to very close contests for first-place honors in many categories. One of the first categories to be judged wasn't resolved until the end of the day and was the source of much discussion and "loop analysis" throughout the day.

The superior quality of the first-place entries culminated in a difficult selection process for Best of Show honors. After "nitpicking" all day, the judges, Peter Menzian, DuPont; Joe Hamway, Mark Andy; and Bob Waddington, Nazdar, had to work even harder to find flaws with in the finalists. The four finalists included: Rennie Estate Winery, by ASL Print FX; Ben Franklin Press & Label's Coppola Rosso & Bianco Chardonnay; Luscious White by Collotype Labels of California; and Spear's Bacardi Oakheart.

Rennie Estate Winery was described as "beautiful, artistic." Luscious White was a "great label," and Bacardi Oakheart incorporated "impeccable screen and flexo."

To stand above this competition was a real accomplishment, and Ben Franklin Press & Label's Coppola Rosso & Bianco Chardonnay did just that. Menzian described it as a "magnificent, clean, sharp-looking label." Waddington noted its very fine detail; it's small, clean font; and easily defined dots. Hamway praised the registration of the print and secondary processes, and called the density of the black solid, "phenomenal."

Getting it just right

According to Paul Sturgis, sales and marketing manager for Ben Franklin Press & Label, the award-winning label is an update from a previous design. "What remains from the original is the vineyard scene (reduced in size 35 percent) framed by what appear to be theater curtains." It was printed on a Sanjo combination press that can incorporate a wide range of processes all in one pass.

"We sought to execute the new design by applying treatments that our waterless offset press was uniquely able to do," says Sturgis. "[This includes] using stochastic screen technology and spot gloss silkscreen to accurately reproduce the now smaller four-color image on uncoated paper; applying a graduated shading to the embossed filigree to render a bas relief effect; and tightly registering hot foil stamping to bring out the wine varietal name."

The combination of waterless printing and stochastic screen technology resulted in minimal dot gain. "This allows the four-color image to print sharply on uncoated stock, and it makes the shading of the embossed areas look almost airbrushed," he says. "The flatbed silkscreening—as opposed to rotary—provides tight registration for the spot image, and the use of flatbed embossing and foil stamping dies maximizes the impact and clarity of those processes."

The label required the use of all the printing units in the Sanjo press. A flexo unit laid down a cream tint and was followed by the six offset colors. "The four-color process image and the shading of the embossed area was done with stochastic screens," notes Sturgis. "Next, we hot stamped gold foil, applied a spot gloss silkscreen to the four-color process image, brass die-embossed the border and filigree, and applied an overall aqueous coating to scuff protect the label. Our client was very pleased that we could accomplish all this in one pass on the press."

According to Sturgis, the most difficult aspect of producing the label was getting each of the processes just right to provide the desired cohesive look. "The dense black brings out the brand name; the glossy vignette framed by gold foil and the embossed filigree draws you into the heart of the label; and the foil-enhanced varietal name allows the wine to be identified without detracting from the hierarchy of values in the overall design."

Dennis Franklin Patterson, owner of Ben Franklin Press & Label, places print quality at the top of the priority list to ensure customer satisfaction. Located in the heart of northern California's wine country, this focus has helped the company earn a position as one of the premier printers for wineries in the region. Winning Best of Show honors in this year's Excellence Awards competition is just one more feather in its cap. pP