The nearly 200 converting professionals on hand in late February for the Packaging & Label Gravure Association Global's 10th Operational Conference in Miami benefited not only from two days of presentations and a tabletop exhibition on how to better “Operate Profitably in a Global Market.” They were treated to a colorful display of winners in the trade group's 2007 Print Quality Awards program.

A 7-color, reverse-printed shrink-sleeve label for 1-liter plastic bottles of Nielson Dairy's The Ultimate Chocolate Milk won Best of Show honors (top). Converted by Alcoa Flexible Packaging (Downington, PA), the 50-micron PVC-substrate label was printed with Sun Chemical (www.sunchemical.com) gravure inks on a Bobst Rotomec (www.bobstgroup.com) gravure press. Judges commented that “the halftones are extremely well produced, and the vignettes are good and clean. The black type is excellent, and the reversed-out type open and clear.”

Overall, eight winners in six end-use product categories were named in the International Print Quality area; 19 winners and six honorable mentions across eight categories were bestowed in the US Print Quality segment. Specialty, technical achievement and innovation category awards were also given to nine entries.

PLGA judges bestowed top honors on two entries in the flexible-packaging segment.

Winning in the paper/film lamination category was the Community Coffee Holiday Pack (above left), converted by Printpack, Inc. (Atlanta). Using Flint inks (www.na.flintgrp.com/packaging/index.html) on a Bobst Schiavi press, the coffee-pouch paper/PET-film construction was printed in 8 colors. Judges remarked that “the images are clean and clear as is the type. Keeping two clean background screen values with metallic ink is difficult, but this is well done. The background 'grey' images lend atmosphere to the sample. The solid red looks good, and the gold, although not the easiest to print, is well done.”

A standup pouch, printed by Alcan Packaging (Joplin, MO) for Keebler's Shrek® Iced Animal Cookies won in the film/film lamination-process category (above right). It was reverse-printed in 8 colors (4 process, 4 line) on a lamination of 48-gauge PET/ink/LDPE/metallized PET/LDPE sealant film using Roto-Lamiall gravure inks from INX Intl. Ink Co. (www.inxintl.com) on a Bobst Rotomec 3000-2 press. “A nice, bright and busy sample and the dramatic use of color adds to the overall effect,” said the judges. “The solid colors are well produced. The images would certainly appeal to the consumer, and the black type is very well produced.”

Details and photographs of all the winners are available at www.plga.com