At the Center of It All: FLEXO Magazine’s 2016 Year in Review

Robert Moran & Brad Pareso

If you considered yourself a practitioner of flexography in 2016, chances are you went to one of the many industry events this year. With Forum & INFO*FLEX coming early in March, followed by drupa in May and June, Labelexpo Americas in September and Fall Conference in October, if you weren’t at a show, you were either recovering from one or preparing for another.

And at each event, a familiar theme emerged: Flexography not only as the most dominant print process, but also as the one which printers are building their futures around. It isn’t the only way to produce a box, or a label, or a pouch; but it never has been. What flexography is, is the most efficient way to print them.

From Fort Worth, TX, to Düsseldorf, to Rosemont and at numerous stops in between, we saw digital printing—as a supplement to flexography; gravure and offset—as add on decks in a flexo press; smart packaging and plenty of new ways to embellish—through finishing equipment tacked on to a flexo machine.

Perhaps even more important than being the most popular, flexography is emerging as the central focus of package printers, now and into the future.

Industry Happenings

Package printers the world over came together for two of the biggest ongoing industry events. drupa 2016 spanned 11 days and brought more than a quarter of a million people to roam the halls of the Messe Düsseldorf Fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. More than 1,800 exhibitors filled its 19 halls, showcasing products and services not only for flexography, but also digital, offset, gravure, screen and multiprocess printing.

Later in the year, Labelexpo returned to U.S. soil for its Americas iteration. Ground Zero for narrow web print types like flexible packaging, shrink sleeve, folding carton and—yes—labels, nearly 17,500 individuals trekked to Rosemont, IL for the three day show. With digital printing’s impact being strongly felt in the segment, there was much to see from the more than 400 exhibiting companies.

Several package printing veterans passed away, each leaving behind a storied career that affected not only the flexographic industry but also the association that serves it.

  • Joe Trungale, 87, an FTA Flexo Hall of Fame member who volunteered as a committee chair, board member, speaker, author and publication contributor, as well as a mainstay at Forums until the year before his passing
  • Andy Anderson, 96, one half of the duo who founded Anderson & Vreeland 55 years ago with partner Howard Vreeland
  • Tom Cassano, 61, a huge FTA supporter who regularly penned articles for FLEXO, spoke at Forums and Fall Conferences, and took a keen eye to print samples in the Excellence in Flexography Awards competition

Much like in recent years, acquisitions were seemingly weekly—at times, even daily—occurrences. Some of the headline making activities included:

FLEXO Features

Everyone’s favorite packaging magazine had a birthday, and it was a big one—FLEXO turned 40. To celebrate, to reminisce and to follow its evolution in tandem with the industry it serves, the FLEXO Flashback was born. Each month, Publisher Robert Moran took a trip down memory lane, examining the magazine at different points in the last four decades, the advancements seen by the likes of presses, aniloxes and other cornerstones of the print process, and coverage of crucial FTA events.

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

To deliver the value of FLEXO to even more readers, the magazine moved to a “Qualified/Free” circulation model within North America. As outlined by Publisher Robert Moran in January’s issue, the goal was to “seize the opportunity to gain additional exposure to the magazine—both within and beyond FTA circles.” All existing FTA members kept their subscriptions, while non members based in the U.S., Canada and Mexico can receive FLEXO by filling out a form.

A new feature was born in the FLEXO Flash Poll. The non scientific surveys asked a series of questions to a subset of FTA members. Four Flash Polls appeared in 2016, with more planned for next year:

  • Printers were asked, “What specific pieces of equipment, including the printing press, would you list out as converting’s new necessities?” in January’s poll. Color management software led all responses, slightly edging out print inspection systems
  • A preview of what INFO*FLEX exhibitors would have running machinery on site, and what that machinery would be, was published in a FLEXO Show Daily email at the start of the event
  • Post drupa, FLEXO asked FTA printer members who were in attendance for feedback on the show. More than half felt digital presses had the greatest impact, while three in five made purchasing commitments for plates, sleeves and plate making/ imagesetting devices
  • October’s poll asked corrugated converters to weigh in on print processes for retail packaging or POP displays, typical run size and greatest benefits of direct print corrugated

Only two months removed from its last cover project, January’s issue showcased the power of metallics and special effects. A variant of the cover was printed at The Printing Plant in Cincinnati, OH as a label insert. The Plant’s Brad Schlenk and Tod Leonard produced the job on a Nilpeter FB 16-in. press with materials from Avery Dennison and Environmental Inks. Prepress work including color management and design/illustration was handled by Color-Logic, with team members including Mark Geeves and Richard Ainge (who wrote the accompanying article dissecting the cover’s creation)

Once again, FLEXO shone a spotlight on various FTA printer members with Q&A profiles that highlighted their histories; thoughts on standards, multiprocess printing and CPC demands; and overall views of the package printing and flexographic markets heading into the future. This year, they included:

Seeking to uphold its slogan as “The Flexographic Technology Source,” FLEXO launched the Tech Talk Webinar Series to deliver crucial information in a new format. Hundreds of listeners turned out to each webinar for the opportunity to hear educational discussions of new technologies and key processes, straight from the mouths of experts who know them best. Four Tech Talks were held:

  • Michael Hunter, from Lean Scheduling International, discussed production tools for printers
  • Bill Myers and Matthew Condon, from Domino, discussed integrating digital printing as a complement to flexo
  • Sara Jennings, from Phoseon Technology, Joshua Black, from Nazdar, and Juanita Russell, from Central Valley Label, discussed why label converters are switching to LED curing
  • Denis Kuhlke, Avery Dennison, discussed the productivity gains to be found in updating pressroom consumables

There was a lot to say about drupa 2016—so much that a 36 page supplement was appended to July’s issue. The supplement was also distributed at Fall Conference 2016, to tie into the opening presentation from FTA President Mark Cisternino and Education Director Joe Tuccitto, discussing the highlights the pair saw in Düsseldorf.

In its second year, FLEXO iQ continued its charge to cover the world of multiprocess printing and converting. It featured articles detailing the integration of rival print processes—digital, gravure, screen—as decks or supplements to flexographic presses, finishing and decorative options, and ways to keep environmental impact to a minimum.