Leading Russian print for packaging Group, Alaska-Poligrafoformlenie, has won the main award in the All-Russia contest for printed packaging. The Grand Star of Russia was won with an entry in the Packaging for Foodstuff category. It was presented at the recently held Rosupak 2006 exhibition for international manufacturers of technology, equipment and materials in the packaging market, and the winning entry was produced on Alaska’s new 16” Comco ProGlide flexo line.

Accepting the award on behalf of the St. Petersburg based company, Alaska’s general manager, Michael Belousov said, “The winning product is typical of the work we are producing on the Comco. It moves us into a new era of eye-catching packaging that enhances on-shelf appeal and strongly promotes any brand, giving it a premium quality image.”

Alaska’s award winning design is a composite twin skin container which, by retaining an air gap between the board and plastic layers, allows hot foodstuffs to be kept at a constant temperature of 50°C without any discoloration to the packaging or degradation of the product. Various production techniques are available in combination to enhance the appearance, including UV inks and varnishes, including matt, mother-of-pearl, and fragrances, as well as foil and blind embossing, holograms, and reverse side printing.

In addition to the Comco ProGlide, Alaska has a Mark Andy LP3000 flexo line for its self adhesive label work. Installed in 2004, the Mark Andy is a 17” (430mm) wide press, with six print stations, hot air and UV combination drying, with special features for tea tag production. It will shortly be joined by a second Mark Andy LP3000.