Spring 2005                    return to newsletter contents page

FPPA, Flexo Market News Honor 2005 Award Winners

Tim Moore of Southern Graphic Systems (left)  accepts the Technology Innovator of the Year award from FPPA Awards Chair Bill Ceperich, The Pitman Company.

FPPA recently presented its annual awards during its February 27-March 1 meeting held at the Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, Florida.

The Technological Innovator of the Year award recognizes achievement within any production or administrative area of the pre-press process. The concept of innovation includes enhancement of profitability, improved productivity, operating efficiency and product quality. Eligibility for this award is open to the entire membership of FPPA. Established in 2000, this award recognizes companies that have made significant contributions to the 

advancement of the flexographic prepress industry through the application of innovative technology.

Southern Graphic Systems was the recipient of the 2005 Technological Innovator of the Year award for The Box Acquisition System (BAS). Tim Moore accepted the award for Southern Graphic Systems from Award Chair Bill Ceperich of The Pitman Company.

The Box Acquisition System (BAS) automates the process of quoting jobs and communicating box graphics to the plate supplier. This large format Box Scanning system combined with automated software allows corrugated converters to receive real time quotes and fast turn around graphics and plates without the need and expense of a sales person calling daily.

Tom Roddy (left) and Bob Sutton (right) of Creo accept the Innovator of the Year award from FPPA Awards Chair Bill Ceperich.

Creo’s HyperFlex™ plate resolution enhancement software was selected as the recipient of the 2005 FPPA Technology Innovator of the Year award for Supplier members. Tom Roddy and Bob Sutton, Creo flexo channel managers, were pleased to accept the award on Creo’s behalf. This is the second FPPA award for Creo. In 1999, Creo won the Technology Innovator of the Year award for the ThermoFlex^® flexographic platesetter.

HyperFlex resolution enhancement is a Creo technology that makes

flexographic platemaking and printing more predictable, reliable and consistent. HyperFlex software allows small highlight dots to be formed and held on a photopolymer plate throughout the print process.

The FPPA Award represents the third industry award for this one technology. In 2003, HyperFlex received the GATF InterTech™ Technology Award, followed by the Flexographic Technical Association/Flexo Market News Technical Innovation Award in 2004, and now the 2005 FPPA Technology Innovator of the Year award. “We are extremely pleased with the recognition we have received for HyperFlex,” said Steve Miller, Creo product manager, packaging workflow solutions. “To win one award for a product is an honor. The fact that three distinct industry associations have selected HyperFlex to be the recipient of their annual technology awards, really points to the uniqueness of the technology and the value it brings to the flexo industry.”

HyperFlex was initially developed to complement Creo Maxtone™ hybrid screening and has been installed at flexographic trade shops, converters and label printers across the globe. More recently, an advanced version was introduced that can be applied to normal AM screening in addition to Creo Maxtone hybrid screening. Currently undergoing field testing, this new and improved version will be demonstrated at upcoming packaging industry events.

Tim Moore of Southern Graphic Systems accepts an award from Greg Kishbaugh of Flexo Market News.

Michael Daum (right) accepts awards for Temple Inland from Greg Kishbaugh of Flexo Market News.

Mark Barnard and Robert Smithson of Trinity Graphic USA accept awards from Greg Kishbaugh of Flexo Market News

Jack Fulton (left) and Steve Barry (right) of Printron Engravers accept  their awards from Greg Kishbaugh of Flexo Market News.

In addition to the annual Innovator award, FPPA distributed its Excellence in Flexo Prepress Awards, sponsored by Flexo Market News. The Excellence in Flexo Prepress awards recognize the combination of skills by the prepress company and printer to produce a high quality printed product. Areas in which entries were judged were match to proof, text clarity, substrate difficulties, vignette/screen quality, registration tolerances, screen ruling, image contrast/sharpness, reverse copy quality and prepress complexity.

The winners of the 2005 awards, by category, were:

Flexible Packaging - Process Category

Southern Graphic Systems for the Clux Delux with Chicken Breast Strips entry

Corrugated-Line Category

Printron for the Point Amber Classic Beer entry

Corrugated-Screen Category

Printron for the Pacific Western Antioxidant Health Drink entry

Corrugated-Process Category

Printron for the Gallo/Burlwood Cellars Entry

Preprint Linerboard-Process Category

Temple-Inland for the Lexmark Inkjet Printer entry

Preprint Linerboard-Screen Category

Temple-Inland for the Anheuser Busch Bacardi entry

Narrow Web -Line Category

Trinity Graphic USA for the Hawkeye Vodka entry

Narrow Web -Process Category

Trinity Graphic USA for the Citra Suds entry

Narrow Web -Screen Category

Trinity Graphic USA for the Cain Able Dog entry

Folding Carton-Process Category

Trinity Graphic USA for the Ultrabrite entry

Technical Achievement Award

Temple Inland for the Resource Brochure

The Richard Godfrey, “Best of Show” Award, the entry voted to be the best from all 5 categories was awarded to Printron for the

Gallo/Burlwood Cellars Corrugated-Process Entry

Start saving those samples for this year’s awards program. More information will be sent in the Summer and judging will again take place in the Fall. All awards will be presented at next year’s convention in New Orleans.