
The December edition of the GravurExchange
Your source for news for the Gravure Industry!

Season's Greetings!
Lou DeFlaviis and all members of the Gravure AIMCAL Alliance Committee and the AIMCAL staff wish all of our members and supporters a very happy holiday season and wishes for a very prosperous new year! The steering committee also wants to thank all who became active in the association and who were involved in the merger of the GAA into AIMCAL.

Long-time GAA member Bill Warner of Allison Systems discusses the expanded benefits provided by the GAA merging to create the Gravure AIMCAL alliance:
If you had been a member of the Gravure Association of the Americas, you are likely aware of the many benefits that membership provided for you and your company. All the previous benefits of GAA membership are still available, and now the Gravure AIMCAL Alliance provides even more opportunities for education, connections, and growth.
- Conferences and Training: With the expanded resources of AIMCAL, conferences offer a much larger array of information to help improve your operations.
- Industry Information: AIMCAL membership includes access to quarterly market reports which provide research and data on important market trends throughout the year.
- Career Advancement: The AIMCAL website has an active AIMCAL jobs section where employers and job seekers can visit to post resumes, post job opportunities, and view listings of available jobs — all at no charge.
- Networking: Currently, the AIMCAL association has approximately three times the number of member companies of the previous GAA for expanded potential for networking at conferences and other association events.
- Awards: Showcase your company in front of a larger audience by participating in the annual AIMCAL Awards, that are in addition to the Golden Cylinder Awards.
To read the full article from Bill Warner, follow the link: GAA membership includes expanded benefits provided by the AIMCAL alliance
2022 AIMCAL Executive Leadership Conference/Global Summit April 4-5:


The second AIMCAL/GAA combined conference will be held in-person at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. Historically the GAA has held its winter/spring “Summit” event as the business topic-oriented conference. With the GAA merging into AIMCAL, this works out perfectly with the AIMCAL winter/spring event that has the same business theme. The GAA Committee has already started with content ideas that can be integrated into the AIMCAL ELC Conference. For more information: 2022 Executive Leadership Conference Landing (aimcal.org)
AIMCAL R2R “Replay” and the 2021 R2R Asia Conference was held Virtually on December 7th through 9th, Special thanks to our event partners: KRICT, KIMM, Jeonbuk National University, and KIAT:

We understand that many of you were unable to attend R2R USA in-person this year due to many unique circumstances and travel restrictions. This virtual conference included an entirely new AIMCAL ASIA track, live panel discussions and live keynotes that were very informative with great technical papers. Those who registered will continue to have access for three more weeks.

"Employment Opportunities in the Gravure Community – Now and Future" was the theme for the 2021 R.I.T. Rochester Institute of Technology Virtual Gravure Day held Dec. 1
Dr. Bruce Myers, Administrative Chair, Dept. of Graphic Media Science & Technology, College of Engineering Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, opened the program. Mark Glendenning, Chief Executive Officer & President, Inland Packaging, Product Packaging Solutions, Label Printing, presented Gravure Packaging Opportunities – Now and Future. Tammy Polovic, Global Marketing Manager for Laminates & Performance Films, Omnova a Synthomer Business, represented the product-gravure segment with her presentation Gravure Product Manufacturing Opportunities – Now and Future. Representing functional printing was Dr. Bill Ray, Chief Scientist/Founder, Nth Degree Technologies, Inc. His presentation on Additive Manufacturing of Functional Products: The Impact of Hybrid Gravure Processes presented what is possible to manufacture using printing processes as manufacturing methods. Tony Donato of the Gravure AIMCAL Alliance committee presented on The Importance of Being a Member of a Printing Association and How to Get Involved with the GAA.

New features of to the GravurExchange newsletter “Ask the Gravure Experts” and the “Gravure Printing and Converting Corner:'
“Ask the Gravure Experts” is a feature where members from the GAA Committee will review your question and reply directly to you and publish the question and answer in the next GravurExchange. “Ask the Gravure Experts” provides the opportunity to all the readers of the GravurExchange to network. Send your question, subject line “Gravure Experts” to info@gaa.org
“Gravure Printing and Converting Corner:” The feature will have articles explaining or promoting a new technology or production method. They will be written by our members. The first article will explain “Thermal Oil” Dryers by Kevin McNally of BOBST and will be in the January 2022 edition.


On Dec. 11, at Central Piedmont Community College “Harper” Campus in Charlotte, NC, the Mecklenburg County Council of the Scouts coordinated by Al Ferrell (long-time member of the local printing community) held its Graphics Merit Badge event to give printing-career awareness and experience to the participating scouts.
GAA members Harper Corporation and Poteet Systems (a Flint Company) provided equipment as well as Sun Chemical provided conductive carbon ink to be used in the half day event to introduce 18 scouts, both boys and girls, to several different printing processes including Screen, Flexo, Gravure and Digital. They also spent time in prepress and platemaking. Zach Blackburn, Graphics Arts and Image Technologies chair, says, “I truly feel like the merit badge event was a great success. The Scouts seemed to have a wonderful time, they were attentive, asked great questions, and were fun to interact with.”
Bettylyn Krafft of the Phoenix Challenge Foundation, Zach Blackburn and Amber Dobbins of CPCC, Josh and Liz Sigmon of Harper Corporation, Perry Stacks of Poteet and Tony Donato of the GAA were the instructors.

If you're looking for new employees or are seeking employment, we encourage you to use the new resources on the AIMCAL website:
Jobs (aimcal.org) Members may post jobs at NO CHARGE. We invite you to see how easy it is to post jobs online today! To maximize your job posting, you should also post on the GAA website at Job Openings | Gravure AIMCAL Alliance (gaa.org)
We want to thank all the GAA/AIMCAL members who have renewed their membership for 2022:
Walter Vail, GAA Chair Emeritus, and Tim Janes, AIMCAL Member Outreach Director, have put together a group from the GAA Committee who will be calling members to answer questions on the benefits of continuing your membership.
Was your company once a member or do you know a past member:
Walter Vail is chairing a committee to reach out to past GAA members to inform them of the expanded benefits now available with the merger. To support Walter, email info@gaa.org subject line “Membership”. This committee is intended to support the GAA Committee mission statement by connecting those who use and recognize the importance of the gravure printing and coating process.
University and College Gravure Day:
We need more Gravure Days! Universities or Colleges with a graphic, printing and or packaging program – we are ready to support you and help you hold a Gravure Day. The program helps your students understand all the industry segments that use the gravure process and give them the awareness of all the careers in printing and converting. Interested in holding a Gravure Day? Email info@gaa.org, subject line “Gravure Day.“

Cylinder Society:
The next class of Cylinder Society inductees will be welcomed into the society at the Executive Leadership Conference. Nominations are still being accepted. Send nominations to gaa@aimcal.org, put in the subject line “Cylinder Society” and the Nominee. An application form will be sent to you.


For the second year in a row, ACiMGA (Italian Manufacturers Assn. of Machinery for the Graphic, Converting and Paper Industry) has joined the GAA Committee as the co-sponsor of the 2022 Golden Cylinder Awards:
Merging the GAA into AIMCAL extended the gravure mission internationally and with ACiMGA’s participation makes the Golden Cylinder Awards truly an international competition. Entries are being accepted until May 7, 2022. To download the entry form, go to: GAA-Golden-Cylinder-Awards-2022-Form

GAA Services, Training and Products:
On-site Training/On-site Consulting:
Will resume as soon as restrictions are lifted. In the interim, we continue to deliver mentored training and consulting, featuring our technical experts, Bob Kikkert and Mike Gaffney. Virtual and hybrid training is also available. Those in need of these services, please contact info@gaa.org, subject line “Consultant Services.”
The Gravure Textbook Sale Continues:
We continue to receive orders for the Gravure Process and Technology and for the Gravure Specifications and Tolerances (GST) textbooks, so we decided to extend the half-price sale through the end of the year. Both books are US$50 each plus freight (FOB Greenville, SC) and in addition to English-language versions, the Process and Technology book is available in Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. Purchase at Shop (aimcal.org)
Gravure Certification:
We are happy to announce that we had two students complete and receive their certificates, and more students started the online training in August. The training consists of lessons, downloads, videos and quizzes. Each student has to pass a quiz that tests what the student learned in each lesson before they can advance to the next lesson. All quizzes and lessons have to be completed before receiving the certification; this ensures students truly earn their certificates.
There are four levels of Certification training available online:
• Level 1 Assistant Certification (suitable for assistants and especially new hires)
• Level 2 Operator Certification (suitable for experienced press operators)
• Level 3 Application Specialist Certification (suitable for non-pressroom personnel and sales)
• Level 4 Master Operator Certification (suitable for press operators with advanced pressroom experience)
Information and registration for all four levels of the certification is available at https://gaa.org/services/training/online-gravure-certification-training/. Special Member pricing has been established for the Certifications. For pricing and to register, email info@gaa.org, subject line “Certification.”
Want to become a member?
Anyone interested in having their company become a member of this dynamic association of companies that are promoting the gravure process, please go to: Become a Member | AIMCAL Questions? Contact AIMCAL Member Outreach Director Tim Janes at tim@aimcal.org