The holidays may be over, but the SkinnyPop brand’s holiday-themed snack pack is still around—and for good reason.
The print job, executed by International Paper, appeared in the 2022 FTA Excellence in Flexography Awards competition, where it wowed dozens of flexographers on its way to earning gold and Best of Show honors. “Really great design—Just look at it! The use of gray instead of black created softer tones and yields a very nice transition,” said judges in the preprinted linerboard category. “A very well-executed sample that deserves the Best of Show award.”
Then, last month, its win was announced on stage at FORUM 2022’s Awards Banquet on March 13, and seen by INFOFLEX 2022 attendees in the exhibition’s Awards Gallery. And for the foreseeable future, the print will hang on International Paper’s wall of fame, where all the FTA member’s award winners are on display. “Customers as well as printers love to see their designs show well in the marketplace,” says International Paper Indy Preprint. “Who doesn’t love winning?!”
Here, the printer answers questions about the SkinnyPop job, from customer demands to prepress and on-press details.
FLEXO Magazine: How did this job begin? What were the concerns and demands the customer brought to you?
International Paper Indy Preprint: Amplify designed the package for a club store. The customer supplied a poly bag of each flavor of popcorn. The goal was to have the print on the box match the poly targets.
FLEXO: In evaluating the job, what did you identify as potential obstacles or difficulties?
International Paper Indy Preprint: The obstacles were all the small details that had to be in perfect registration on a wide web press. We had a very specific color match for the bags, along with all the brand colors. Multiple screens of brown necessitated a modified process strategy, and several stages of internal spectroproofing. Coupled with the customer’s necessary brand colors and a faux-metallic simulation, we quickly ran short on print stations and wound up only using magenta and yellow for traditional process.
FLEXO: How did your press operators go about executing the job and meeting the customer’s requirements?
“Customers as well as printers love to see their designs show well in the marketplace. Who doesn’t love winning?!”
International Paper Indy Preprint: Our press operators did an excellent job holding the tight registration required by the small detail on the bags, and our Specialty Ink Team held sensitive colors in-spec for modified process. Nearly every print station had a combo plate in a rich color, requiring a heavy anilox. Despite those challenges, our press crew did an excellent job holding screens open and achieving rich solids.
FLEXO: Talk about some of the significant technologies used in printing the job: What press was used? What plates and imaging equipment were used? What inks and substrates were used? What screening technology was used? Were any special effects or embellishments added? How did you apply targets and tolerances to the job? Did you run to FIRST (Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerances) practices and methodologies?
International Paper Indy Preprint: For proofing, we used GMG Opencolor, scanning our spot colors from ink swatches. The swatches were generated with our Specialty Ink Team utilizing the Kemi substrate we were using on press. This gave us a proof with great color accuracy for our modified process images.
We utilized Esko Automation Engine software to generate LEN files to be burned on a CDI Spark 5080. The plates were DuPont ESM, which is flat top dot technology. Our new Allstein mounting system was instrumental in supplying a great mount of all eight colors plus varnish. Protein-type inks were used on 38# Kemigraph clay-coated, kraft-backed substrate. The final product was run on a Fischer & Krecke 98-in. central impression (CI) press.
The tearsheet was signed off in two pulls that adhered to FIRST specifications to produce this exceptional print.
FLEXO: Running the actual job: What speed did you run the press at? Were there any notable aspects of makeready and setup?
International Paper Indy Preprint: The press speed for the job averaged 850 fpm. The print matched the color quickly and ran the order without stopping.
FLEXO: Examining the final print: How did your team feel about its color and consistency? What about its future repeatability and predictability?
International Paper Indy Preprint: The print looked great from the start. We were very happy with the color match. We scanned each color into the system and recorded all ink measurements, so repeating the process wouldn’t be an issue.
FLEXO: What was the customer’s reaction to seeing the printed job?
International Paper Indy Preprint: They were very happy with the product match to the poly bags, and the quality of the print.
FLEXO: How can recognition in the FTA Excellence in Flexography Awards help to win new business?
International Paper Indy Preprint: We have a wall of fame in our building showcasing all the FTA awards throughout the years. Customers as well as printers love to see their designs show well in the marketplace. Who doesn’t love winning?! These awards show our customers that we have the expertise and equipment to help their products stand out and sell in the marketplace.
See all the 2022 Excellence in Flexography Awards recipients.