Diamond Packaging won three awards, including Best of Show, in the 27th annual packagePRINTING Excellence Awards Competition, the competition recognizing the highest level of printing quality and technical achievement across the full range of packaging segments —  tags and labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons and corrugated cartons. Winners were chosen from hundreds of entries submitted in over 40 different categories. Entries were judged on print quality, functionality, and secondary converting and finishing attributes.

Diamond won Best of Show and first place in the Technical Achievement category for its 2013 Carousel Calendar.

The judges were impressed with the creative graphic presentation and the number of elements incorporated in the calendar. “It was impeccable and hit all the marks,” remarks Joe Hamway of Mark Andy Inc. “Everything was well put together — embossing, varnish, diecutting and a great design,” adds Bob Waddington, Nazdar.

Diamond’s three-month corporate calendar is a long-standing company tradition and popular promotional item given to customers and suppliers. The 2013 carousel-themed calendar illustrates many of Diamond's capabilities, including creative design, Liquid Metal brilliant metallic UV specialty coating, UV gloss spot coating, multi-level embossing and intricate die cutting.

The header depicts the carousel at historic Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, NY. The carousel was built in the Philadelphia Toboggan Company tradition, featuring hand-carved horses and chariots that have created lasting memories for generations of families.

Multi-level embossing creates a sense of texture and depth while a decorative die cut pattern aims to convey the energy and movement of the carousel.

The graphics were enhanced with four color process inks, UV matte coating, UV gloss spot coating (carousel, horses, poles, paisley accents) and Liquid Metal silver metallic specialty UV coating.

Diamond also won first place in the Sustainability category for Procter & Gamble's Gillette Venus Embrace Razor Cartridges carton.

The new Embrace packaging is the latest iteration in Gillette's Venus family of products. The new packaging also embraced the latest sustainable production methods.

The design works to complement the Venus brand with smooth, radiant graphics. Soft, rounded corners and oval shapes dominate the structural design, aiming to give the packaging a unique and elegant look representative of the fluid nature of the products.

The carton was offset printed with specialty spot colors, process inks and Top Star silver metallic ink, with UV gloss coating and Cast and Cure holographic effects.

Cast and Cure is a key component of Diamond's Green Chic packaging model, which delivers “Beauty without Compromise” through the use of more sustainable converting methods. Cast and Cure technology is a cost effective, inline process that produces high-gloss, holographic finishes through the use of UV coatings and specialty film.