Reach out and buy

Two-time TLMI Best of Show/World Label Awards winner, ASL Print FX accredits its success to creating artistic and elaborate label constructions. Danielle Jerschefske reports

‘Labels and packaging are about creating identity for the brand,’ says Charlie MacLean, president and CEO of ASL Print FX.  ‘Here we take a prime label and turn it into a value added product that connects with the consumer and increases usage.’

Pelee Island Winery is a testament to the value that ASL adds to brands. The company’s Monarch Vidal brand is one of the best-selling white wines according to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), and ranks in the Top five of the Vintners Quality Alliance, a Canadian regulation group that authenticates wine quality. Darryl MacMillan, sales manager at Pelee Island Winery, says, ‘The Vidal varietal tends to be less understood by consumers so we needed to create some intrigue with the brand design, keeping it clean, interesting and making it pop on shelf so it stands out.’

The winery redesigns the Monarch label every few years to keep its label looking fresh and interesting to consumers walking the aisles. The brand must stand out to stay on top. Over the years, Monarch redesigns have been printed on both clear and paper stocks. The most recent label was printed on uncoated paper stock by ASL Print FX, featuring specialty foil and textured treatments that bring the Monarch butterfly to life.

‘The print technologies that ASL recommended helped us to express the personality of our Monarch wine, celebrating the terroir of the Pelee region, its unique flora and fauna. They know the future trends in print,’ MacMillan continues.

Winning strategy

ASL Print FX, based in Toronto, Canada, combines print technology and ingenuity. The multiple layers and interesting effects that the converter applies to enhance a label’s design are, quite simply, radical. The converter uses what it calls HDFX printing techniques including high definition CTP plate equipment combined with foiling, 3D coatings and flashy varnishes, layered with specialty inks and combined with exclusive materials to give the most depth and feel to a label.

‘We like to help our customers do something different with their product decoration,’ explains Stacy Daly, VP of operations at ASL Print FX. Using non-traditional materials in a mature category like wine is a perfect example. ‘With a traditional wine we might use an uncoated stock, bringing in new world flavor yet maintaining integrity within the category.  We have the ability to bring packaging to life with printing technology.’

For ASL, the ideal workflow begins not with the designer, not on the shop floor, but with selecting the right client. Says MacLean, ‘ASL participates in markets where brandowners care about the image of their packaging. We jointly assess if their values match ours and if there is a good fit. We like to work with brands that understand continuous innovation is important to the enhancement of the brand. This is one of the ways we’ve avoided the commoditization of our products.’

Production

Once ASL has reached a common understanding with clients, the firm works closely with designers to help them enhance each label and package in the most effective and creative ways. The various front of house teams – customer service, sales, pre-press – focus on key market areas:  wine and spirits, promotional, and consumer goods.

The converter has invested in a customized technology profile they refer to as 'HDFX screening' through pre-press, which Daly describes as a clean, smooth process because the system produces stellar quality and communicates effectively between stations. Proofing is carefully done by comparing a PDF to the proof of the plate. Each pixel for every job is reviewed.

Once the pre-press department gives the green light, their peers in the prep kitchen prepare everything that the press needs to complete the job, streamlining time to press. During plate mounting the quality is reviewed one final time and errors, if any, can be tracked effectively to reveal where mistakes have been made.

Complex constructions – instant redeemable coupons, three-panel label on label, extended content booklets and repositionable labels – are produced on combination process machines built for flexible configuration. Capabilities include up to 12 print stations using multi-level screening to enhance contrast and clarity, raised and specialty varnishes, foiling and embossing, all in a single pass. The advanced machinery allows operators to change over and move into a new job on the fly.

Daly says, ‘The technology allows for the quick change manufacturing required to bring innovation at a competitive price. It’s easy to want innovation. Execution is a different story altogether.'

Jeff Anderson of Colgate-Palmolive Canada recently worked with ASL Print FX on a project for Mennen Speedstick. He says, ‘The ASL team was asked to provide a solution to a promotional challenge for Mennen. With a tight delivery date, the team provided a turnkey solution for a sticker that met all the criteria. This was a complex die line with perforations and back splits that used an adhesive that was approved skin safe. This was achieved on time and on budget. Our experiences with the team are that they have a passion for complex challenges, and stretching technology that achieves unique offerings to retail.’

In addition to the various opportunities for layering processes for the most impact on a label substrate, ASL Print FX has a proven track record with thermochromatic and color shifting inks, pearlescents, glitter, glow in the dark and scratch and scented inks that increase the depth of the label and the attention it can grab on the shelf.

Recently the converter started sending one of its main press operators on client visits with customer service, which enhances communication and knowledge-sharing on how best to design shelf-dominating labels.

When it comes to digital printing technology, Daly says, ‘Digital printing advancements are challenging conventional leaders to be more flexible in their print disciplines. We are pleased with the capability and flexibility of our equipment and have the ability to keep the integrity of a brand’s color no matter which substrate, press or other variables involved that can affect the outcome of a high quality label.’

Vision systems provide 100 percent inspection on the press and again in rewinding and fulfillment so that every label that is printed and converted is quality approved.

Training for associates is conducted every two weeks, featuring new topics for specific responsibilities such as sales, warehouse efficiency and Lean tactics. The converter says over 95 percent of employees attend each session.

It’s clear that when brand owners are looking to protect their image and improve the shopping experience for consumers through their brand’s label and packaging, that ASL Print FX has the skills to support such needs. Technology, ingenuity, excellent associates and a willingness to think beyond the ordinary is what makes the ASL name stand out to dynamic brands looking to differentiate in the North American market.

Pictured: ASL World Label Award winning productions

This article was published in L&L issue 3, 2012