TLMI Label Awards 2024

An esteemed judging panel has chosen MCC Label Paarl as the winner of the coveted Best in Show Award at the 2024 TLMI Label Awards competition. MCC Label Paarl emerged triumphant for its Women of the World entry in the Wine & Spirits – All, including neck label category. In addition to MCC Label Paarl’s winning submission, a diverse group of companies were tabbed as Best in Class winners in the competition. International Label & Printing, Hub Labels, Label King, Amherst Label, an Inovar Co., Berry Global – CPNA, McDowell Label, an RLG Co., ASL Print FX, an AWT Co., Fortis Solutions Group, and AGH Labels LLC garnered Best in Class honors in the First Place category.

Numerous other awards were handed out this year, as well. Philip Coates, UPM  Raflatac’s key account director for the Americas, has been honored with the Supplier of the Year Award. Meanwhile, Marco Acevedo, regional sales manager at Precision Air Convey, was named the 2024 TLMI Volunteer of the Year.

TLMI also recognized three Board members for their years of service to the association.

John Borrelli, COO of Luminer Converting Group, a PLPS Co., John Crosby, vice president of operations at Grand Rapids Label, and UPM Raflatac’s Philip Coates have all received special recognition for serving from 2020-2024. Plus, Tim McDonough, president of Flexo-Graphics, an Inovar Co., has been bestowed with the Chairman of the Board Crystal Gavel Award for serving TLMI from 2022-2024.

Once again, TLMI has acknowledged sustainable innovation with the announcement of the Calvin Frost Sustainability Awards. Crane Consumables notched the Trailhead Award as a supplier, while Nazdar Ink Technologies emerged with the award in the Supplier category. Resource Label Group notched a win for its strong entry for the Journey Award, meanwhile Flexcon was tabbed as the Journey winner in the Supplier category. Finally, Yerecic Label was voted as the converter winner for the Elevation Award, while Henkel Corporation was recognized as the victor on the Supplier side. “The Frosties” recognize TLMI members – at different stages in their environmental journey – for taking significant steps to implement sustainable practices.

The TLMI Annual Awards competition recognizes innovative printing and rewards technical achievement in all areas of the narrow web industry, including tags and labels, cartons, flexible packaging, nonwoven pressure sensitive products and more. The competition distinguishes the finest efforts of the association’s converter members throughout the previous 12-month period.

MCC LABEL PAARL

Category: Wine & Spirits – All, including neck label
Entry: Women of the World
Challenges: The initial supplied artwork supplied consisted of just a photograph of a woman with some gold foiling. MCC Label Paarl suggested to also add a high-build screen to some areas of the picture and also use a matte and gloss varnish to enhance the tactile feel and add some speckled gold foiling to the face of the woman in the picture. These changes not only enhanced the label but added a “wow” factor, which makes the finished product stand out with some added shelf appeal.

INTERNATIONAL LABEL & PRINTING

Category: Promotional & Extended Content
Entry: Laconic Foods Orange Blossom Honey
Challenges: The challenge here was to hold some small, very fine detail and registration while printing the project digitally.

HUB LABELS

Category: Innovation, Single Application, Linerless
& Sustainability
Entry: Wonderland Wax Melt Lid
Challenges: This was another custom design by Hub Labels. A customer approached the converter with the challenge to produce a resealable label to replace the plastic lid on a pack of wax melts, as the industry is looking to reduce the use of plastic. This design utilizes an undercut die, as well as a traditional diecut. It also incorporates print on the adhesive, which added an extra challenge. Hub Labels went back and tweaked the design to create the corner tabs on the undercut die to strengthen the liner as it ran on-press. The label construction and graphics were all created in house.

LABEL KING

Category: Household – UTC
Entry: Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap
(USA - 25 oz.)
Challenges: This particular size/scent is one of the highest quantity items for this customer. In order to maximize efficiency on Label King’s 13" press, these labels run 2-across on 13.375" material. The finished label width is 6.375, so the die journals are modified by 0.25" on either side, the dead band on the anilox has to be 1/16" instead of 1/8", and Label King must run with reduced-width bearer bars to maximize the printable width of the press. There is zero margin for error in plate mounting, because any off-centered plates would cause the image area to be cut off, and this cannot be corrected on-press. Label King also worked with its ink vendor to re-formulate this customer’s ink colors using Super Fade Resistant (SFR) inks.

AMHERST LABEL, AN INOVAR CO.

Category: Beverage - Alcoholic
Entry: 13 Below Cold IPA - Baxter Brewing Co.
Challenges: Amherst Label needed to ensure that white opacity was high while in tight registration to the areas of light and dark areas of this artwork. In addition, laying down a high tactile textured UV varnish to give the customer the overlook and feel of “cold” was an added challenge.

BERRY GLOBAL - CPNA

Entry: 250ml John Frida Detox + Repair Conditioner
Challenges: This item is direct printed on a laminate substrate as opposed to printing on film and laminating to the substrate. The laminate sheet increases difficultly in printing due to substrate variation in thickness and surface quality. The laminate sheet has greater stretch than film, affecting registration tolerances. This sheet contains PCR, which might result in black or colored markings in the sheet. This is not a printing default but part of the process of incorporating PCR. This uses a combination or hybrid type press that prints a max width of 13.25" at approximately 150 fpm. The substrate is a .015" polyethylene blend, and Berry Global used a UV ink system with flat mounted plates and a chambered doctor blade metering system type.

MCDOWELL LABEL, AN RLG CO.

Category: Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical
Entry: Creatine Burst Arctic Blast
Challenges: The special challenges unique to this label are the photographic reproduction criterion required for the founder’s mugshot, the blue raspberry arctic blast script and splash effect, as well as the solid use of spot colors, the feature of soft touch, a pattern gloss varnish, and tactile doming elements. All these elements were used to invoke depth and volume.

FORTIS SOLUTIONS GROUP

Category: Beverage – Nonalcoholic
Entry: Prime Strawberry Banana Scented Shrink Sleeve
Challenges: This project was a collaborative effort between the brand, its creative team, the Fortis operations and prepress teams, and industry partners to achieve an innovative package. Fortis first optimized the plate technology to go from 100% to 1% dot without noticeable transition areas while controlling dot integrity throughout the transition of colors. The converter then developed a proprietary, premium soft-touch matte coating to create the look and feel specified and preferred by the brand featured on this project and all other projects with this brand. Fortis created a distortion map to hold the desired element shape in high shrink areas to maintain graphic integrity after the shrink process. A rub-and-smell feature was incorporated into the artwork, too, which was also included in the distorted element area. 

ASL PRINT FX, AN AWT CO.

Category: Industrial & Automotive
Entry: East Penn Traveller’s Choice RV Care
Challenges: Traveller’s Choice label is printed using CMYK inkjet, then diecut and laminated off-line. Challenges faced included the tight tolerances around diecutting due to the date circles on the image.

AGH LABELS LLC

Category: Food
Entry: Salsa De La Viuda Hot Sauce

First Place
MULTI-COLOR NORTH AMERICA WINE & SPIRITS
Category: Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label
Entry: Castello di Amerosa - Serata

First Place
TURNER LABELS
Category: Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label
Entry: Paradisse Fassionola Liquer

First Place
BLUE LABEL PACKAGING COMPANY
Category: Food
Entry: Spice House | European Peppercorn

First Place
MACARAN, A NEXTGEN LABEL GROUP CO.
Category: Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label
Entry: Howler Head for Heros

First Place
INLAND PACKAGING
Category: Beverage - Alcoholic
Entry: Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout

First Place
INLAND PACKAGINGLABEL KING
Category: Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical
Entry: Grizzly Peak Greatful Dave Hybrid

First Place
G3 ENTERPRISES LABEL DIVISION
Category: Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label
Entry: Lucky Day Gold Moscato

First Place
MCDOWELL LABEL, AN RLG CO.
Category: Personal Care & Cosmetics
Entry: Love & Aloha 

TLMI 2024 First Place Award Winners

MCC Label Paarl
Women of the World
Best in Show
Wine & Spirits – All, including neck label

International Label & Printing
Laconic Foods Orange Blossom Honey
Best in Class
Promotional & Extended Content

Amherst Label,
an Inovar Co.
13 Below Cold IPA - Baxter Brewing Co. Best in Class
Beverage - Alcoholic

Berry Global - CPNA
250ml John Frida Detox + Repair Conditioner
Best in Class
Personal Care & Cosmetics

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Creatine Burst Arctic Blast Best in Class
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

Label King
Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap (USA - 25 oz.) Best in Class
Household – UTC

ASL Print FX, an AWT Co.
East Penn Traveller’s Choice RV Care Best in Class
Industrial & Automotive

Fortis Solutions Group
Prime Strawberry Banana Scented Shrink Sleeve
Best in Class
Beverage – Nonalcoholic

AGH Labels LLC
Salsa De La Viuda Hot Sauce Best in Class
Food

Hub Labels
Wonderland Wax Melt Lid Best in Class
Innovation, Single Application, Linerless & Sustainability

Amherst Label, Inovar
All Times Sparkling Cider - Citizen Cider
Beverage - Nonalcoholic

ASL Print FX, an AWT Co.
Balderson Aged Cheddar
Food

Macaran, a NextGen Label Group Co.
Brewers Coalition
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

RR Donnelley
Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch Stamp Sheets
Household - UTC

Multi-Color North America Wine & Spirits
Castello di Amerosa  - Serata
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Cocomo
Food

Multi-Color North America Wine & Spirits
Don Gato Tequila
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Inland Packaging
Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout
Beverage - Alcoholic

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Electric Lemonade
Innovation, Single Application, Linerless & Sustainability

Label King
Elum Designs Disco
Cowgirl Boot
Household - UTC

Columbine Label Company
Falafel King - Baba Ghanoush
Food

Label King
Grizzly Peak Greatful
Dave Hybrid
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

Amherst Label, an Inovar Co.
Gusto - Seven
Birches Winery
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Macaran, a NextGen Label Group Co.
Howler Head for Heros
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Isolate Vanilla Buttercream
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

Label King
Kavahol Alcohol- Free Kava Spirit
Beverage – Nonalcoholic

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Love & Aloha
Personal Care & Cosmetics

G3 Enterprises Label Division
Lucky Day Gold Moscato
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Fortis Solutions Group - Napa
MacDonald
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

MCC Label Paarl
OXYGIN
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Turner Labels
Paradisse Fassionola Liquer
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Podium Summer Series
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Pretty As A Beach
Personal Care & Cosmetics

Fortis Solutions Group - Napa
Pyramid Scheme
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Schreiner Group L.P. (Division: Schreiner ProTech)
Schreiner Group L.P. - Identification Label with Harness Functionality
Industrial & Automotive

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Slay All Day
Personal Care & Cosmetics

Blue Label Packaging Company
Spice House | European Peppercorn
Food

Inland Packaging
Sputnik Whole Bean Coffee
Food

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Strixhaven
Industrial & Automotive

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Super Coffee - Hazelnut Latte
Beverage – Nonalcoholic

RR Donnelley
Super Tech Motor Oil  Prime Label with RFID
Industrial & Automotive

G3 Enterprises Label Division
Twin Oaks Shiraz
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Inland Packaging
Warheads Sour & Sweet Fruity Chewy Candy
Food

TLMI 2024 second Place Award Winners

Flexo-Graphics, an Inovar Co.
BBG 12 Volt
Industrial & Automotive

ASL Print FX, an AWT Co.
Monalisa Amaretto
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Amherst Label, an Inovar Co.
Essential Vermont Hopped Gin - Appalachian Gap Distillery - Switchback Brewing Company
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

AWT Labels & Packaging
Thymes - Frasier Fir - All Purpose Cleaning Wipes
Household - UTC

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Proton Plasma
Innovation, Single Application, Linerless & Sustainability

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Prideful Goat
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Reishi Mushroom
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

Brook + Whittle – Maumee
Islandjon Vodka
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Macaran, a NextGen Label Group Co.
SAP JACK
Food

Label King
Hydropro Chocolate Whey Protein
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

KDV Label, LLC
Pineapple Cover-Up
Food

Multi-Color America’s Wines
19 Crimes Cali Rose Gold
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Super Thermo
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Beyond Frosty Big Apple
Wellness, Pharmaceutical, & Nutraceutical

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Oxyshred Ultra Energy - Frosty Big Apple
Beverage - Nonalcoholic

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Ghost Energy - Chicago Cubs Edition
Beverage - Nonalcoholic

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Clyde May’s 110 Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

McDowell Label, an RLG Co.
Woodborne Gin
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

RR Donnelley
Australian Gold Magnetize
Tube Wrap
Personal Care & Cosmetics

Capital Label Company
California Love
Beverage – Alcoholic

Blue Label Packaging Company
Shelter Distilling | O’pinyon Gin
Wine & Spirits - All, including neck label

Blue Label Packaging Company
Maria Juana | WeldWerks
Brewing Co.
Promotional & Extended Content

AGH Labels LLC
Nido Powder Milk
Food