Winners All –Polischuk

This year marks the 25th year for packagePRINTING's Excellence Awards competition, so it was fitting that the overall quality of the entries was the real highlight of the show. A total of 91 awards were handed out, but in the end, all those companies that participated—and the package-printing industry as a whole—came out on top. At a time when companies are struggling in tough economic times and fending off a multitude of challenges, package printers demonstrated the core competencies that make this industry so vibrant—creativity, innovation, and skill.

Hub Folding Box Company brought this all together, winning the Best of Show award again this year with its iBAR 2010 Holiday "Instant Bar" package. As the first-place winner in the highly competitive category of offset-printed folding cartons, this entry won out over some stiff competition. Two of the wine label entries made it an especially difficult decision for the judges. Taylor Made Labels' flexo-printed Bergström Homage Pinot Noir 2009 label stood out for its creative use of a watermark, and Collotype Labels' Watermark offset-printed wine label demonstrated what the judges saw as "old-school craftsmanship and attention to detail."

Under a general theme summed up by the judges as, "If I have to pick one...," the top prize ultimately went to Hub Folding Box Company. Several factors stood out: the creative use of UV matte and UV gloss coatings; the innovative use of a QR code; and the skill exhibited by the "phenomenal drop-out blue" reverse printing.

Winning Best of Show honors two years in a row doesn't happen by chance, and part of Hub Folding Box Company's success stems from its involvement early in the design phase. "Every job has its own issues, but being involved from structural design through production helps to make the production smoother, as all the kinks can be worked out before the job goes to press," says company manager, Jack DiRico.

Another category that was hotly contested this year was the Specialty Category for Technical Achievement. Taking first place was the L'Oreal One Sweep Eye Shadow entry from Multi-Color Corp., which included a complex extended-content booklet label with a date code window. Among several unique challenges: the entire job was surface printed; adhesives were designed to ensure the labels didn't open until they were applied to the permanent surface and once opened, to allow for re-closure of the instructions; and perforations were done at two depths to provide tamper evidence at one location and to permit "book-style" opening for the instructions.

For a complete rundown of all the winning entries, see the coverage starting on p. 28.

Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief

We welcome your comments regarding any part of packagePRINTING. 
They can be addressed to Editor, packagePRINTING, 1500 Spring Garden St., 12th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19130, or tpolischuk@napco.com.