Meet Proto Blister, Sappi’s New Paperboard Product

After Sappi completed the comprehensive rebuild of Paper Machine 1 at Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine, in 2018, we launched a broad range of high quality paperboard products to meet customer demand for renewable paper-based packaging. These products can reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging.

Our products Proto®, LusterFSB® and Spectro® are now established brands in the folding carton, foodservice and commercial print segments. To build on the success of these grades, Sappi recently introduced a specialized paperboard developed for blister packaging applications. Proto Blister is the newest offering from Sappi’s expanding paperboard line.

“Blister pack” describes packaging that uses a translucent thermoformed pocket or cup that covers the product, which is then heat-sealed to an adhesive coated paperboard card (blister board). The blister board is then expected to separate within the fiber layer, yielding fiber tear onto the heat-sealed “blister” cup when it is torn away from the substrate upon product removal.

This fiber-tear performance gives the consumer confidence that the product has not been tampered with prior to purchase. This packaging is often used in products that rely heavily on visual marketing, such as health and beauty products, personal care products, office products and others that are often showcased in an in-store rack.

Recent advancements in this packaging category paint a bright future for Proto Blister, as technology has been developed to use paperboard instead of plastic for the pocket. Blister packaging that uses only paperboard greatly facilitates recycling and reduces plastic use.

Proto Blister was developed to provide the same superior print surface as Proto, but with added functionality for demanding blister packaging applications. The product provides both reliable fiber tear and strong anchorage to the pocket to prevent product leakage during transport, storage and store display.

Proto Blister is the first of many products to launch as part of our next generation of paperboard as we look to expand our innovative paperboard offering with another capacity expansion at our Somerset Mill.