ERA PACKAGING GRAVURE AWARD 2015 CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND PROCEDURES

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1 CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND PROCEDURES The ERA Packaging Gravure Award 2015 Competition is sponsored by the ERA (European Rotogravure Association) to encourage the very best packaging gravure production (both within Europe and overseas, among both members and non-members of ERA), to promote gravure as the key printing process for packaging, and to encourage and recognise technical innovation and achievement in gravure production technology. 1. Competition categories Entries may be made for gravure production within the following categories The product categories are based on substrate type: A Flexible packaging paper (with no plastic or metal component) B Flexible packaging plastic film (including film-film laminates: no paper, no metal) C Flexible packaging paper-plastic film laminates (with no metal) D Flexible packaging metallized film, metallized laminates and metal foil-plastic film composites (with or without a paper component) E Flexible packaging unsupported aluminium foil, paper-foil composites (with no plastic) F Shrink-wrap sleeves G Cartonboard (of all types: tobacco, cosmetics, drinks etc.) H Labels (paper or film) S Speciality and security etc., including intelligent packaging such as printed RFID tag aerials, over-temperature sensors etc. There are two additional categories: I Innovation prize for new techniques or fields of application (this could be an innovation in process, material, environmental or any other aspect, and is also open to suppliers of equipment and materials) W Workflow prize for the best use of a standard data format (e.g. PDF/X) in the workflow between brand owner, designer, repro, cylinder engraver and printer In each category, one or more European Gravure Award trophies and Certificates of Excellence may be presented. Commendations may be awarded to other entries of merit in each category. Additionally, a special Newcomer s Prize may be awarded to the best entry from a company which has not previously participated in the competition.

2 2. Who may enter All product categories are open to all packaging gravure printers, engravers, suppliers (of equipment, inks, substrates etc.), buyers, designers, in fact any person or company involved in the creation or manufacture of the product. The Innovation Prize is also open to suppliers of equipment, materials, software etc. in prepress and printing. There is no limit to the number of entries from a company. Several entries may be made within each category, if wished. 3. How to enter the competition Each company wishing to enter the ERA Packaging Gravure Award 2015 Competition must submit: a) a completed application form (3 pages) for each entry, together with b) the printed samples (see 4 below), or c) for the Innovation Prize, a detailed description in English explaining the innovation, together with printed samples if appropriate (see 4 below) d) for the Workflow prize, a diagram of the workflow, together with proof of its use (e.g. sample PDF/X files by or on CD-ROM or DVD, flight check reports, and related printed samples) to: ERA Packaging Gravure Award 2015 Competition c/o European Rotogravure Association (E.R.A.) e.v. Swakopmunder Strasse 3, Munich, Germany 4. Samples submitted The samples entered for the competition must have been produced during 2014/2015, using the gravure process. The samples must be extracted from a commercial production run. Samples: for flexible packaging, complete, un-slit web of approximately two metres in length for other non-reel-to-reel processes, ten samples of the package, flat if possible (note: if the package is filled, the content must be non-perishable!) In cases of doubt about appropriate samples, please contact the secretariat. All entries will be coded by the ERA Secretariat and kept anonymous until the jury has performed its function and the winners have been nominated. Samples will not be returned. Please pack your samples carefully so that no damage is incurred. 5. Cover charge payment The cover charges must be paid in euros, by bank transfer, cheque or PayPal. For the first entry, a cover charge of EUR 200 is required. For each additional entry, the cover charge is EUR 150 per entry. On receipt of entries, an invoice will be raised and sent to you, with details of how to pay.

3 6. Timetable All entries must be received by Monday 31 August 2015 at the ERA Secretariat. Upon receipt of the completed application form and payment, with all details enclosed as listed above, the ERA Secretariat will send a confirmation of participation in the ERA Packaging Gravure Award 2015 Competition, together with the invoice for the entry fees. The awards will be presented at the 2015 ERA Packaging and Decorative Conference, to be held in Izmir, Turkey, in early November Jury The international jury will be selected from recognised professionals with in-depth knowledge and experience in the packaging gravure printing industry. 8. Judging criteria Printed samples will be judged according to various aspects of product quality, e.g. register, tone (density, gradation and colour balance), detail, evenness of print (missing dots, moiré etc.), job complexity, and absence of printing faults (such as scumming, doctor-blade lines etc.). The Innovation Prize is particularly intended to recognise developments which will benefit and advance the gravure process. It will be judged according to the following criteria: addresses a serious customer requirement, meets a general need (not a one-off product), increases demand for gravure, is integrable, is revolutionising, is in use (not a prototype), gives economic (cost or time) benefits, improves or stabilises quality, advances gravure, stimulates further process development, shows innovation (not a foreseeable enhancement of an existing product by a vendor), has environmental benefits. The Workflow Prize is intended to honour companies which are using a workflow based on international standards such as the PDF data format and the PDF/X-plus specifications of the Ghent PDF Workgroup Packaging Subcommittee. Evidence of successful implementation of the workflow will be required, and the more process steps covered, the better the prospects. 9. Rights reserved All rights to entries and submitted materials shall become and remain the property of the European Rotogravure Association (E.R.A.) e.v., which shall have the right to promote and display the entry, in any meeting or publication, as an example of gravure technology. The entrant shall obtain any necessary permission from clients or suppliers before submitting an entry. The jury reserves the right to reclassify an entry if this is considered to be in the best interest of the entrant, who will be notified of any such change. All decisions of the jury shall be final in all respects

4 COMPETITION ENTRY FORM Note: Each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry form (please make copies of the blank form as required). Please fill in all three pages of each form. Page 1 of 3 (information on this page will not be given to the jury) Participant details: Company name:... Address:... VAT number (for EU countries):... Contact Person(s):... Telephone:... Telefax: We agree to the conditions of entry and procedures of the competition, and we confirm that the samples submitted are printed by gravure: (signature) (date).. Please check one of the following: this is the first year we have entered the competition we have already entered the competition in previous years All rights to entries and materials submitted shall become and remain the property of the European Rotogravure Association (E.R.A.) e.v.

5 Page 2 of 3 (information on this page will not be given to the jury) Production information: companies and equipment Design studio/agency... Prepress/repro company... Cylinder engraving company.... Printing company... End-user/Brand owner/customer... Ink manufacturer... Substrate manufacturer... Press manufacturer... Model... Production information: methods Was monitor proofing ( soft proofing ) used for approval at any stage in the production process? If so, where?... What type of contract proof was agreed by the customer?... What type of proof was used by the press operator?... For a PDF or PDF/X-plus based workflow: what Distiller job option settings (or equivalent) were used?... what flight check software was used?... what flight check profile (parameter list) was used?...

6 Page 3 of 3 (information on this page will be given to the jury) Please indicate the category of the entry: A B C D E F Flexible packaging paper (with no plastic or metal component) Flexible packaging plastic film (including film-film laminates: no paper, no metal) Flexible packaging paper-plastic film laminates (no metal) Flexible packaging metallized film, metallized laminates and metal foil-plastic film composites (with or without paper) Flexible packaging unsupported aluminium foil, paper-foil composites (no plastic) Shrink-wrap sleeves G Cartonboard (of all types: tobacco, cosmetics, drinks etc.) H Labels (paper or film) S Speciality and security etc., including intelligent packaging e.g. printed RFID I Innovation prize for new techniques or fields of application (please give details of the innovative aspects of the entry, in English, on a separate sheet of paper). W Workflow prize (please include a workflow diagram and the standard file (e.g. PDF/X) from which the printed sample was produced, e.g. on CD-ROM or DVD) Please give the following information about the entry: Short title or reference name of entry:... Number of copies printed/print run length:... Substrate material (e.g. BOPP):... Basis weight ( grammage, g/m²) and/or thickness (µm) of substrate (include all webs for laminated entries):... Printed web width (mm):... Number of inks and/or varnishes used (number of printing units)... Type of inks used (solvent/water-based/uv/combination)... Please indicate if only water-based ink/varnish was used Which cylinder engraving process(es) was/were used? traditional carbon tissue/pigment paper + chemical etching electromechanical engraving (diamond stylus) coating + laser image + chemical etching (e.g. Schepers, Think) coating + laser image + electrolytic copper removal (e.g. Creo-Acigraf) direct laser ablation engraving (e.g. Dätwyler, Hell, Wetzel) Please indicate if the job has any additional features: inline coating (e.g. cold seal/pvdc/other) lamination inline embossing (rotary or flatbed) Please describe any points of particular interest in the job (use a separate sheet if necessary):