Golden Cylinders Go to Gravure's Very Best

Published: May 01, 2000, By Claudia Hine, Senior Editor

The Gravure Association of America (GAA) started a new tradition when it presented the 2000 Golden Cylinder Awards at its annual convention April 6th in Alexandria, VA. For the first time, judges chose one of the winning entries for its "Best of the Best" award, which honors the one submission said to most represent the qualities that make gravure "the process of choice."

This award was presented to Southern Graphics Systems of Canada and Algroup Lawson Mardon Flexible, both of Mississauga, Ont., for the Atlas Wine Merchants President Cuvee 2000 Canadian Champagne Label. This entry won in the category of Agency, Advertising, and Design for Packaging. The shrink-to-fit label, designed to capitalize on the millennium festivities, required matching a complicated color on foil, film, and board to create a six-color total package.

Detailed below are some of the other winning entries of particular interest to converters.

Packaging Innovation
Taking home the award for Packaging Innovation was PCA Waco-Lux Div., Waco, TX, for Stephen Gould, Farberware. Taking the job from litho to gravure, the converter used cylinders with a circumference of 74 in. and a 24-in. face that were engraved with a 125-deg diamond and a proprietary engraving curve. Due to the large format available with gravure, the finishing process was streamlined when two costly steps were eliminated.

Packaging Paper
Sonoco Flexible Packaging, Hartsville, SC, was honored in the Packaging Paper category. The Mother Parker President's Choice Toasted Coconut Crunch cookies package featured a fresh look of heavy yet evenly deposited ink film, including metallic inks. The substrate supplier was Crown Vantage, Parchment, MI.

Packaging Foil
Lawson Mardon Packaging-Pharma Center, Shelbyville, KY, won in the Packaging Foil category for the Wyeth-Ayerst Sonata, Zaleplon 10-mg sample package. The printer had to flood coat the front side of a noncompressible substrate, then trap a fine vignette over the top with no hard break, and the vignette was cross directional to the web travel. Four inks were used on the front side and three on the reverse. Foil was supplied by Ormet Aluminum Mill Products, Jackson, TN.

Packaging Paperboard
The winner for Packaging Paperboard was Shorewood Packaging, Newport News, VA, for Hershey's Pot of Gold. When this consumer product company chose gravure for its redesign, the challenge was to retain brand identity using a signature spot color, while providing short-run packages to meet eight different designs. The tricky part was adding another custom color when no more print units were available. The solution? Blend the signature custom color with one of the process colors and compensate, where necessary, with adjustments to the remaining process colors. This folding carton also went through heavy, registered in-line embossing that challenged both the equipment and the inks. International Paper, Purchase, NY, supplied the substrate.

Supplier Innovation
For Supplier Innovation in Cylinder Manufacturing, the Gravure Express System from CNW Inc., Cincinnati, OH, was the winner. Partnering with a flexo printer who wanted gravure quality to expand its customer base and a narrow web/short-run press manufacturer, the winner incorporated standard operating procedures for separations; a new, lighter weight cylinder base; special tools to process and engrave shaftless cylinders; and shipping/storage containers capable of holding a complete four-color set that also met Federal Express's next-day delivery guidelines.

Packaging Film
The Packaging Film category ended in a tie between M&W Packaging, Jackson, MO, for Willow Brook Farms' Teriyaki Glazed Wings package, and Sonoco Flexible Packaging for Mother Parker's Higgins & Burke Coffees. The first package, which went from flexo to gravure, was cited for its photographic quality. DuPont, Wilmington, DE, supplied the film.

The coffee package required faithful reproduction of incredibly detailed artwork and was reverse and surface printed. The film supplier was Marubeni America Corp., New York, NY.

Technical Innovation
Schiavi SPA, Piacenza, Italy, a member of the Bobst Group, won in the Technical Innovation for Press category with its Idea Press. This new rotogravure press design is said to compete successfully on even ultra-short runs with features that include pre-sets, self-alignment, sleeve technology, patented blade, dryer hoods, and a touchscreen press management system.

For Technical Innovation-Post Press, Max Daetwyler Corp., Huntersville, NC, was the winner with its Renzmann Washing Systems said to eliminate the need for expensive additional labor through automation and design details.

Judges for the Golden Cylinder Awards included Mary Czarnopys, Lawson Mardon Packaging; Liz Scherer, Sun Chemical Corp.; Bruce Beyer, Tenneco Packaging Lux; Gary Witt, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.; and Tom Allison, Allison Systems.

For more information contact Gravure Assn. of America, 1200-A Scottsville Rd., Rochester, NY 14626; ph: 716/436-2150. Visit GAA at gaa.org.