TLMI Awards: Hardworking Labels & Tags Reap Their Reward
- Published: October 01, 2001, By Claudia Hine, Senior Editor
Vibrant colors and clean, smooth highlights on the Stamp Out Hunger entry caught the attention of the judges at the 2001 Tag & Label Mfrs. Institute (TLMI) awards competition. The entry, submitted by Valley Forge Tape & Label Co., Exton, PA, earned the company the Best of Show award and a First Place in the Flexography/Color Process/Nonprime category.
Highlight areas were critical on the promotional label, which was printed water-based flexo, so Valley Forge used digital plate technology at 175-lpi screen.
Suppliers included Mastergraphics, Water Ink Technology, RotoMetrics, and Mark Andy.
TLMI presented a total of 47 First Place awards and 26 Honorable Mentions at its annual meeting October 7-10 at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. This year TLMI added a new category to the competition and presented 26 Second Place awards as well.
Here are details on a few of the winners.
Adhesive Specs Create Sticky Challenge
Mail-Well Label, Englewood, CO, earned one of four First Place awards for its Ortega and Smooth Taco Sauce entry in the Coupon category. The two-ply promotional label is not pressure-sensitive; it was designed to be used as a detachable coupon and to be applied by high-speed labelers using wet glue without flagging or jamming.
The label was printed on a combination ten-color press using gravure, offset, and flexo in seven colors plus coating and adhesive at a running speed of 450 fpm. It was sheeted in-line, guillotine-cut, then die-cut.
The challenge was to get the adhesive, once peeled, to be removed with a zip and not re-stick after it has been exposed to air for a short period. It could not leave an unsightly residue on the bottom face label or bleed onto the sides of the die-cut stack. When used as a redeemable coupon, it must not cake together when collected by the merchant.
Mail-Well also was honored for its United Distillers Gordon's London Dry Gin label entry in the Non-Pressure-Sensitive/All Processes/Color Process/Prime category; its Licorerea Flor de Cana Grand Reserve Imported Rum label entry in the Non-Pressure-Sensitive/All Processes/Line & Screen/Tone/Prime category; and the Kraft Easy Squeeze Mayo Light label entry in the Flexography/Line & Screen/Tone/Prime category.
Multiple Awards for Multi-Process
Tapp Technologies, Langley, B.C., Canada, took home four First Place awards, three of which were in multi-process categories. In the Multi-Process/Color Process/Nonprime category, the company earned a First Place award for its W. Weinstock wine bottle neck label.
Using UV waterless offset lithography, the label was printed four-color process at 4,046 dpi plus gold foil stamping. It was die-cut and aqueous coated in-line.
Suppliers included Jac Canada, Foilmark, and ITW.
Tapp Technologies also was honored for its Rodney Strong Symmetry wine label in the Multi-Process/Line/Prime category; and its Mission Hill Family Estate wine label in the Multi-Process/Line & Screen/Tone/Prime category.
R&D Work Pays Off
Spectrum Label Corp., Hayward, CA, won three First Place awards. Its Mondavi-Woodbridge Winery entry won in the Specialty Decorated Products category.
Using flexography and hot stamping, the project reportedly was extremely difficult due to the tag substrate surface. The hot stamp foil transfer required extensive research and development to achieve acceptable quality for the wine cork cap.
Suppliers included Fasson, RotoMetrics, Ikela, Mark Andy, and Astor Foil.
Spectrum Label's other First Place awards were for its Lotus Bakery-Bee Clarity.com entry in the Non-Pressure-Sensitive/All Processes/Line/Prime category and the Vermeer Dutch Chocolate 750-ml back label in the Flexography/Line & Screen/Tone/Nonprime category.
International Entries Honored
Collotype Labels Pty. Ltd., Adelaide, Australia, was a big winner with four First Place-International awards. In the Multi-Process/Color Process/Prime category, the company was honored for the Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon wine label.
The label was printed four-color process with two special colors (purple and gold ink), matte and gloss spot varnishes, and rotary hot stamp foil. It was produced in one pass at 125 fpm, 200-line screen.
Suppliers included Spicers Mirrorkote, Flint Ink, Wink, Fuji, Kurtz, and Fine Cut Intl.
Collotype's Eroica wine label entry in the Multi-Process/Line & Screen/Tone/Prime category was a First Place winner, as were its Paul Thomas Riesling wine label in the Offset/Color Process/Prime category and Corella Ridge wine label in the Multi-Process/Nonprime category.
New Anilox Technology Proves Itself
Aladdin Label, Waukesha, WI, took First Place in the Promotional category for the Ruffles “Get More” game pieces, which were inserted into bags of snack food in Latin America.
The piece had a thermochromatic back and a six-color process Hexachrome front. Hexachrome color separations were utilized to match the customer-supplied Chromalin and to reproduce the diverse images on the sticker side of the piece. Color separations were done at 175-line screen and imaged onto digital plates.
Test runs were performed in conjunction with the company's color separator to create proprietary Hexachrome density targets and ranges prior to the actual press run. New technology in anilox rollers was utilized to print fine dots, vignettes, and large, nearly solid areas, all on the same anilox roll.
Multiple layers of 39 deg C water-based thermochromatic inks were utilized on the game piece side. Custom auxiliary dryers were installed to provide drying for the thermochromatic inks.
The 72 million individual sheet pieces were run at 250 fpm, then trayed and packaged per customer specifications. All components of this construction were required to pass rigorous sensory testing.
Suppliers included 3 Sigma, ACPO, Arcar Inks, Interactive Inks, Chromas, Harper, RotoMetrics, OEC Graphics, Enercon, and DuPont.
Judges for this year's TLMI awards were Steve Lee, RotoMetrics; J. Page Crouch; Gordon E. MacGee, Roto Press Intl.; Robert J. Smithson, Trinity Graphic USA; Terry Trexler, Gallus; Mike Buystedt, Akzo Nobel Inks; Patrick Hague, Water Ink Technologies; Robert Reinert, Comco Intl.; Paul Teachout, Chromas Technologies; and Roy A. Webb, Mark Andy.
For more information contact TLMI, 40 Shuman Blvd., Ste. 295, Naperville, IL 60563; ph: 630/357-9222; fax: 630/357-0192; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; web site: www.tlmi.com.
