Welcome to the best of packaging

The first edition of the PrintWeek Awards in 2009 saw the entries sent by Utility (now Utility-Manipal Technologies); which had all the ingredients of being a winner

The ‘pearl calming and healing kit gift pack’; as one of the jury said, “The simplicity and elegance of the execution set this piece apart, along with the combination of print colours, gloss, texture effect and also embossing.”

Universal Print Systems in Chennai bagged the Label Printer of the year Award in 2009. The job produced by the firm showcased the pre-press efforts to enrich the fine effects and immaculate registration. Also, the post-press die-cutting was also up to the mark

The year 2010 saw Pragati Pack bagging the Packaging Printer of the Year. With the entries sent, Pragati demonstrated the holy trinity of print, packaging and client brief all coming together to create a truly original and outstanding finished piece

The judges were particularly taken in with the Printer’s Black Dog 18 Years carton complete with flocked thermoforming tray moulded to the bottle’s size and pasted in the box.

Sivakasi-based Sel Jegat won the Label Printer of the Year title in 2010 for its illustrations and the overall attention to details. For example, the golden colour on the cigarette’s filter tip was conspicuous and so was the smoke on the ‘No Smoking’ label

Utility PrintPack (now Utility-Manipal Technologies); showcased its core strength of cartons for luxury packaging and bagged the Packaging Converter of the Year 2011, after winning the Award in this category at the inaugural edition in 2009

The fabrication on Shahama carton played the azaan every time the box was opened. The multi-level 3-D embossing effect achieved using special brass dies on Bobst die-cutter

The sharp window patching of a heart shape seen on the Yardley Valentine gift set had the judges title Utility as “master of precision” in 2011

Finishing techniques like satin matt lamination for the Hair Man carton provided a luxurious tactile feel to the package. The entries were printed on a range of multicolour Heidelberg presses to achieve quality print result

Manohar Packaging in Goa had the judges admiring the immaculately produced crisp print of even the small sized text on the four samples for liquor labels. According to Manohar, the winner in 2011; overprinting on labels to create special effects is an art which enables it to deliver the exacting standards demanded by the client

Pragati Pack followed up its win in the packaging category in 2012, after winning in the packaging category in 2010. The four varied samples produced by Pragati drew tall praise from the judges

The Seven Islands carton had an octagonal shape, which according to Pragati, is quite unique. The outer pack is printed on metallised PET with online texture and gloss. While the inner is made specially with a soft compressible foam and wrapped with metallised matt gold PET

The packs produced by Pragati were printed on a Mitsubishi Diamond 1000 UV press with double coater in CMYK plus special colours. The CTP plates were fired at 200lpi screening

New Delhi-based Any Graphics and Hyderabad-based Pragati Pack were judged as the joint winners in the labels category in 2012. The Jordan Labels printed by Any Graphics were printed on a six-colour plus inline coater with an interdeck UV, letterpress printing machine

All the labels, by Pragati Pack were produced on the eight-colour full UV MPS EC 330 press using Dupont plates outputted on Esko CDI HD Flexo platesetter. The judges liked the combination of spot holography along with the raised UV in the branding area which enhanced the label

Any Graphics won the Label Printer of the Year Award, for the second year in a row in 2013. All the samples were printed on different substrates like metallised polyester (Kent Supreme and Seven Islands). The judges appreciated the samples for its overall aesthetic appeal and quality

Noida-based International Print-o-Pac bagged The Packaging Converter of the Year Award (FMCG) in 2014. The firms pedigree for FMCG packaging can be seen by the huge print-run and diversity of their entries

The entries of Pragati Pack, which bagged the Packaging Converter of the Year (Luxury)in 2014,completely fulfilled the criteria laid down for the category and epitomised high-value luxury printed packaging

The Singleton 12 Years carton produced by Pragati was produced on a Mitsubishi Diamond 1000 UV press. Special print techniques like making cases with curved edges and intricate patterns of raised UV were used for value-addition

The Akshaya brochure box was printed on a Mitsubishi Diamond 1000 followed by post-press applications like strategic embossing, die punching to create the intricate design

The Raghavendra Rathore box was printed on a Mitsubishi Diamond 3000 UV press. Post-press applications like soft touch lamination, intricate laser cutting and thermoformed flock inner tray were used to create the luxurious feel to the package

Any Graphics has made winning the Label Award a habit since bagging the Prism in 2012. The New Delhi-based labels and mono cartons specialist bagged the Award for 2015.

The submission of labels in 2015 impressed the judges. “These are simply stunning prints. The crafting is beautiful,” exclaimed the judges

Esko Workflow, Esko’s CDI and Kodak platesetters were used to fire plates for narrow-web label presses using combination printing, and Heidelberg seven-colour UV press with inline coater by Any Graphics. The print run ranged from 10,000 to one lakh pieces.

The company’s entries, had various effects like the high raise thick UV coating done through screen then kiss cut, combined with the use of special gold on self-adhesive metallised polyester film and other on self-adhesive white PE to enhance the shapes of the products

Mumbai-based Parksons Packaging bagged the award in the Packaging Converter of the Year (General) category in 2015. Parksons won the Award for all-round excellence in packaging printing and finishing

The Cadbury Silk gift pack, printed at Parksons' had exceptional graphic design, which showcased Parksons’ printing expertise resulted in effective differentiation on the shelf

Pragati Pack’s entries encompassed high-value luxury and with it the Award for Packaging Converter of the Year 2015. The Teachers Origin was a tall rigid box with perfection of matching the copper band and 3D embossing of the brand name.

The Grants Whiskey’s large spot UV tree in metallic red livened up the print on metpet with matt lamination, spot gloss UV and embossing, elevating the look of the pack. “The judicious use of embellishments like embossing, spot UV, gold and silver colours speak of a luxury element that is pleasing,” enthused a Jury

All the packaging buyers can join us for the Packaging Buyers' Forum.The half-day event will be held on 30 October (Friday), 2015, at the ITC Grand Central, Parel, Mumbai. The event will commence at 9.30 am. With technology and ideas playing such a critical role in packaging perception, the forum will be a platform for packaging enthusiast to reflect and discuss the latest trends