Mondi has won the DFTA’s 2011 prize for high-definition flexo printing, awarded at the ProFlex conference in Stuttgart on 20 September 2011. The submitted flexible packaging for the premium brand cat food Smilla, produced by zooplus, won plaudits for its attractive, high-quality print design.

"And the winner is…" On 20 September 2011 the DFTA award was bestowed for the first time at the ProFlex meeting, held in Stuttgart. Mondi Lindlar, a German producer of plastic- and paper-based packaging and laminates for a range of industries, took first place in the ‘Flexible Pet Food Packaging’ category, and is setting new standards in high-definition flexo printing. Stefan Gutheil, managing director of Mondi Consumer Packaging, commented: "Thanks to the excellent quality of the high-end design and the wide range of design options, the products of our customer zooplus are particularly attractive at the POS and have high recognition value."

The jury assessed the reclosable plastic bag, produced at the Mondi plant in Lindlar, North Rhine-Westphalia, based on the following criteria: print quality, complexity and degree of innovation. Compared with conventional flexographic print methods, the new high-definition print technology for flexible packaging achieves more brilliant colours and sharper outline definition, while at the same time offering a high degree of flexibility. Using special flexo printing plates and by optimising the print process, it has been possible to roughly double print resolution and significantly increase quality. "The fact that Smilla packaging was nominated for the DFTA award shows that the high-definition printed images fulfil all expectations in terms of top-class results," noted Gutheil.

At the ProFlex conference, the DFTA bestowed the prize for the first time, in recognition of outstanding flexo packaging with particularly high print quality or a high level of innovation. Awards were given in 11 categories, in the areas of flexible packaging, corrugated board, labels and special flexo applications.