Colbert Packaging, Lake Forest, Ill., has developed a new BlisterGuard® package for Topps Co. baseball cards that incorporates International Paper's Everest® Safe-Pak bleached board. Topps now packages four lines of its premium collectible baseball cards in the tamper- and pilfer-resistant packaging at a substantially lower cost than the plastic clamshell packaging it previously used, the company says.
The package incorporates the Everest Safe-Pak fold-over bleached board, a new heat-sealable, tear-resistant paperboard laminated with a multi-layer, three-mil Valeron® film. The board encapsulates a custom designed blister from Brookdale Plastics. The entire package has a tear-resistant hanger hold for durability.
This is the first commercial application for Everest Safe-Pak. "This proprietary bleached board has up to five times the tear resistance of current fold-over boards on the market," says Erin Rotonde, IP marketing manager. "Additionally, the new material enables shorter dwell times and lower temperatures for efficient sealing of the filled blister packages."
"We are quite pleased with the switch," says Peter Sawkins, Topps' marketing director for sports. "The high-end brands contain one autographed card per pack as well as other cards. We needed to be sure the package isn't tampered with and the cards aren't pilfered. We also wanted our package to help sell the product. The new BlisterGuard package works well on both counts."
(Reprinted from the January 8, 2005 issue, Official Board Markets. All Rights Reserved.)