By CQ Staff
The Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI) announced the Best in Class winners of its 2025 Printing Excellence Awards during TLMI’s Annual Meeting, the association’s largest annual event for label and packaging professionals. The meeting was held October 25–27 at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, bringing together converters, suppliers, and industry partners for education, collaboration, and recognition of printed label and packaging work.
The Printing Excellence Awards program recognizes printed labels and packaging across a wide range of applications. Entries are reviewed within their respective categories, with Best in Class distinctions awarded to selected projects. The 2025 Best in Class winners represent work produced for wine and spirits, beverage, food, personal care, wellness, industrial, promotional, and sustainability-focused applications.
Wine & Spirits (including neck label)
Bù Pinot NoirPrinted by ASL Print FX, an AWT Company
The Bù Pinot Noir project was recognized in the Wine & Spirits category, including neck labels. The label features highly refined image reproduction that challenges traditional expectations of flexographic printing. The dot structure and screening approach produce exceptionally smooth tonal transitions, with fine highlight detail that creates an appearance more commonly associated with digital print. The result is a cohesive label set with a precise, controlled visual presentation across multiple components.
Beverage – Alcoholic
360 Madagascar VanillaPrinted by Phenix Label
his label demonstrates careful process control to maintain visual consistency across the design. Attention to registration and impression supports smooth screen rendering throughout the background and decorative elements, allowing fine detail to remain intact across the label surface. The result is a balanced presentation in which background imagery and floral graphics are integrated cleanly without visual disruption.
Beverage – Nonalcoholic
Benjamin BluePrinted by McDowell Label, a Resource Label Group Company
The label incorporates currency-inspired graphic elements as part of its overall visual approach. Careful control of impression and alignment across processes supports consistent detail throughout the design, allowing multiple embellishments and printed elements to work together cleanly. The result is a cohesive presentation in which decorative components remain clear and visually integrated.
Food
Bird-Friendly Mexico CoffeePrinted by Hub Labels, Inc.
Through its overall material and print presentation, this label communicates a natural brand message. A soft-textured substrate supports the intended look and feel, while careful control of ink coverage allows for clean, bold reproduction without spotting. Together, these elements maintain visual clarity while reinforcing the product’s natural positioning.
Personal Care & Cosmetics
Green Tribes – Current Body Glow Mist, Tropical DreamsPrinted by Amherst Label, an Inovar Company
Recognized in the Personal Care & Cosmetics category, the label’s visual presentation relies on controlled tonal transitions in the background artwork, creating a smooth, continuous appearance. Fine text elements are supported through the use of opaque white, contributing to contrast and readability. The finished label also includes a compact barcode rendered with clear definition, maintaining legibility at a small scale.
Wellness, Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical
RYSE – GodzillaPrinted by McDowell Label, a Resource Label Group Company
A highly decorated visual presentation integrates multiple printed and decorative elements across the design. Careful alignment between typography and imagery supports consistent registration, while solid black areas are rendered with strong density and clarity. Additional decorative elements contribute depth and dimension, resulting in a vivid overall appearance with clear, legible messaging.
Industrial & Automotive
Formula 1Printed by Flexo-Graphics, an Inovar Company
Recognized in the Industrial & Automotive category, the Formula 1 label was produced for applications where clarity and durability are important considerations. Dense solid areas and fine text are rendered with clear definition, supporting legibility across the label’s printed content.
Promotional & Extended Content
GLBC Peel N Play Contest – Distillery FocusPrinted by Great Little Box Company
A multilayer construction supports this interactive game-piece label, combining solid ink coverage with a textured surface. Careful alignment across layers enables a peel-back panel that reveals underlying content, allowing the interactive element to function cleanly within the overall design. The finished piece maintains visual clarity while accommodating the structural demands of the promotional format.
Innovation, Single Application, Linerless & Sustainability
Perdue Harvestland Linerless LabelPrinted by Hub Labels, Inc.
Dual-sided printing is supported through solid coverage of high-opacity white, providing effective separation between printed surfaces. Careful attention to registration and impression contributes to a clean overall image, maintaining clarity and consistency across the linerless label construction. █
To learn more about the TLMI Printing Excellence Awards, visit tlmi.com/awards-scholarships/tlmi-printing-excellence-awards.
