Hidden Ink and Flexo Excellence Earn Awards for Printpack

Printpack Photochromic Bag won a silver award for technical innovation in the FPA Achievement Awards.

Printpack, a manufacturer of flexible and specialty rigid packaging, earned a silver award for technical innovation in the Flexible Packaging Association's (FPA) Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards, for its ability to apply photochromic ink to a flexible film, which is a challenge that has tested the industry for years.

The first-of-its-kind packaging application allows for photochromic ink to be hidden within standard graphics and remain invisible until exposed to sunlight. The innovation, which debuted late last year at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, has generated a new packaging category, providing brand owners with a unique way to genuinely interact and engage with their customer base.

The application is made possible through a novel and proprietary process invented by Printpack’s research and development team. The process allows for the application of photochromic ink on a flexible film while still upholding the integrity of the package design and graphics to the highest standards.

Winners of the 60th annual FPA Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards were announced on March 1 at an awards ceremony in Naples, Fla.

“We are very honored to receive this recognition from the FPA,” Mark Brogan, director of technology and innovation at Printpack, said. “It is truly exemplary of our team’s dedication to innovation and driving the industry forward.”

Printpack also recently won a silver award for wide web flexographic printing in the Flexographic Technical Association's (FTA) Excellence in Flexography Awards for its Purina Pro Plan True Nature Cat Food Bag. Winners for the FTA's 2016 Excellence in Flexography Awards were determined during a three day competition. During that period, 30 judges objectively evaluated hundreds of print samples.

The FTA Excellence in Flexography Awards honor print jobs that deliver vividly sharp images, tight registration, consistent repeats, proof to print matching, attention to detail and stellar overall execution.

Printpack won a silver award in the FTA Excellence in Flexography Awards for its Purina Pro Plan True Nature Cat Food Bag.

"The tonal range is excellent, the registration is exceptional and the printer maintained the neutral gray throughout the HD dot,” a judge from the FTA noted in regard to the Printpack sample.

Each entry was meticulously graded by FTA judges on a wide set of criteria, including level of execution, image sharpness, ink coverage, registration, dot/screen/vignette, consistency, degree of difficulty, substrate printability/ink compatibility, registration tolerance, plate/printing complexity, fineness of print or screen, tonal range and defect detectability. Individual grades for each category are summed up and a print’s total score is established.

"This is an award everyone in our company can take great pride in," Brogan said. "We are committed to maintaining the highest quality in all of our work and it takes a complete team to make that possible."

Source: Printpack.