The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) was founded in 1958 and its purpose remains the same—serving the package printing and converting industry by connecting like-minded individuals, providing flexographers the resources needed to expand their skills, and continuing to drive flexography to package printing dominance.

“The flexographic industry today is vastly different that it was back in 1958,” said Mark Cisternino, FTA president and 2016 Hall of Fame inductee. “The technology is different, the people are different, the world is different. But one common element hasn’t changed, an ideal which has led to the unprecedented growth of the industry and the long-term success of FTA as a vibrant, member-supported technical society: Progress through collaboration! Over the years, thousands of people have contributed to that growth.” 

FTA membership continues to grow. The printer demographic alone is up by 5 percent in the past year. Fifty-seven percent of FTA’s members are printers, making this segment the majority of the membership population. Many of the association’s newest members are label printers. This trend is attributed to the merging of the segment’s current printing presses with the flexographic printing process.

The January issue of FLEXO Magazine includes the article “60 Years Strong,” wherein a group of flexographers comment on the evolution of FTA.