Multiple color gradations. A hot-stamped look without the hot stamping. Matching the texture and color of a front label with a back label made of a different material. And bug stickers that retain the detail in the bugs' legs.

Overcoming these and other technical challenges, and delivering a beautiful result, is what wins awards. This year's Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) competition winners were announced at the awards dinner Oct. 22 during the association's Annual Meeting in Henderson, NV. A total of 94 winners were recognized from 264 entries, which were submitted from 46 different converters (40 in North America and six international companies). Awards judges represented several leading label printer suppliers, ink suppliers, and label-converter communities.

(For a complete list of all 2002 competition winners, go to www.convertingmagazine.com)

Dow Industries (Wilmington, MA) took home this year's Best of Show award for its UV-flexo and rotary screen-printed label for Gillette Series Clear Gel. According to the entry, the challenges overcome in creating the label included: "multiple gradients interacting into each other, multiple gradients dropping off to zero percent, and achieving the aesthetic look desired by the customer." In addition, very tight registration was needed for the nine-color job, plus varnish. Suppliers: FLEXcon—silver polypropylene; Sericol—inks; RotoMetrics—dies; Dupont Cyrel® —plates; Gallus—.067 NOW screen; Arsoma—press.

Among multiple first-place winners based in North America was Impressive Labels, Inc. (Safford, AZ), which won awards in the following categories: Offset/Color Process-Nonprime; Offset/Line & Screen/Tone-Nonprime; and Multiprocess/Line-Prime. Its offset-printed wine label for Holy Cross Abbey presented a particular materials- and color-matching challenge. The customer's front label for the bottle was already designed, and was screen-printed using clear polypropylene. The label converter was to select a material for the back label that would blend with the front. This included color-matching the UV screen-print PMS blue, and metallic gold inks, with offset water-based inks. Using an estate paper with four-color process, the printer flooded the label with a light tan, simulating a lighter metallic gold from the front. A texture appearance was also created on the back label with the plates, to match the texture on the front label. Color consistency was maintained by placing color bars across the width of the stock in between each repeat. Suppliers: Fasson—material; Akzo Nobel & Angstrom—inks; In-house—plates; Alpha—dies; Shiki—press.

Both offset and gravure techniques for prime labels earned Multi-Color Corp. (Cincinnati) two first-place awards, in both the Offset/Color Process-Prime and Gravure/Color Process-Prime categories. One award was for a promotional coupon label for Hershey Syrup. The UV offset-printed primary back label included a removable portion to allow the consumer to enter a Hershey promotion. The print job involved process printing on a proprietary BOPP IML substrate, back-printing the label in register, plus perforating and diecutting in register. Supplier data not available, based on patented IML coupon tech-nology.

Spear (Mason, OH) placed first in both the Flat Screen Printing/Prime and Nonprime categories. In Prime, a six-color label for MacLIZARD's Lemonade presented a challenge in registration for the teeth, eye, and checkered cap of the stylized lizard. Suppliers included FLEXcon; Avery Dennison; Sun Chemical, ADT; Kamman. Winning first place in Nonprime was a Canadian Club CC&G neck label. Matte/glossy black contrast and inner-coat adhesion were technical challenges. Suppliers included Kamman; FLEXcon; Avery Dennison; Kurz foil; Sun Chemical; ADT.

Scoring three first-place finishes was Spectrum Label Corp. (Hayward, CA) in the categories of Non-Pressure-Sensitive/Color Process-Prime; Flexography/Color Process-Nonprime; and Wine & Spirits/Color Process-Prime. Spectrum's whimsical bug stickers for Paper House used 7-color flexography plus a one-color backprint and CDI direct-to-plate technology to achieve an effective result. The print job required a backup of two bumps of white on polypropylene to give the bugs depth and definition in the final image. The clarity of the clear film around the beetles provided a strippable matrix without compromising the detail in the insects' legs. Suppliers: Mark Andy; RotoMetrics; Praxair; Environmental Inks: Akzo Nobel; DuPont CDI.

In the Tags/Industrial and/or Systems category, Standard Register Co. (Dayton, OH) won one of its two first-place awards for a warranty card/form with pocket, which combined three webs into the press for front-and-back flexo printing. These were a web of 100# tag stock, 24# bond to form the pocket, and a repositionable transfer tape for sealing and resealing. Patterned adhesive was also required to create the pocket. No supplier data available.

Collotype Labels Pty. Ltd. (Adelaide, Australia) continued its dominance in the market segment of wines and spirits with three first-place awards (Line-Prime; Line-Nonprime; Line & Screen/Tone-Prime). Typical of the label converter's efforts is its Encore wine label. A silver screen (several were tried before one was deemed suitable) adds luster, and tight registration was achieved between the screen gloss and black print. Processes included rotary-offset UV, UV-flexo coating, and rotary silk-screening. Suppliers: Avery Dennison—paper; SICPA—inks and varnish; Kocher & Beck—dies; Nilpeter USA—press.

Continuing its strong international showing in the TLMI competition is UK-based The Label Makers Ltd. One of its impressive list of four first-place finishes was in the Wine and Spirits/Line-Prime category, for front and back labels for SIN Sparkling Chardonnay. The label combines two litho colors, spot-screen printing and hot-foiling. The customer's requirement for a matte-black background made hot-foiling a problem, but the label shows the effective use of a simple line design. The converter also won first-place awards in the Offset/Color Process-Prime, Wine and Spirits/Color Process-Prime, and Multiprocess/Line-Prime categories. Suppliers: Gallus—T250 litho machine and screen material; Akzo Nobel—gloss varnish; Fishburn—litho inks; Scorpio Horsell—litho plates; Palatine—hot foil block; Ashwell Label—diecutter; Manter Tenkoretto Gesso 90—material; Kurz—gold foil material.

Germany-based Schreiner GmbH & Co. KG took home three international awards, including Tags/Industrial or Systems; Self-Adhesive Pressure Compensation Seal; and Flat-Screen Printing (Roll Fed Only)/Line-Prime. Its entry in the Tags category was a flexible cardboard transponder ticket, used as a "smart" admission ticket for an exhibition, and four-color flexo-printed on both sides. Automatic integration of a 13.56-MHz RFID inlay was accomplished by a transponder dispensing machine running at up to 8,000 cycles/hr. Control of the dispensing unit was correlated with the inline diecutting press, which must be prevented from kiss-cutting the antennas of the tag. The printed upper web was controlled by means of a register and correlated with the feed of the diecutting press (controlled loop). Suppliers: Profi-Label—Gloss-printing substrate; MACtac—adhesive; Phillips—chip; KSW—inlay.

Converting congratulates all the winners. For more information on the competition, as well as how to enter next year's contest, contact TLMI at 630/357-9222, fax: 630/357-0192, e-mail: office@tlmi.com, www.tlmi.com