2007-11-16

Rolling Stones on Invercote

The Rolling Stones have chosen a 100% Swedish cover for the exclusive version of their latest CD, Rolled Gold +. The packaging solution, JakeBox, was developed by the Swedish company of the same name. Strand Grafiska in Malmö printed the cover on Invercote from Iggesund Paperboard.

When the Rolling Stones’ latest hits compilation, a double CD, is released it will be a breakthrough for the Swedish company JakeBox and its innovative CD packaging of the same name.

Rolled Gold + is being issued in a special limited edition in two JakeBoxes contained in one slipcase. To the Rolling Stones a limited edition of 200,000 copies might not be that big, but for JakeBox this is by far its biggest order to date. The Swedish company hopes the order will also be a large step towards widespread market impact of the JakeBox concept.

Made of 100% paperboard, the JakeBox holds a CD or DVD disc in place with an ingeniously designed folded "claw". This claw releases the disc when the cover is opened and secures it back in place when the cover is closed. Jakob Skarin, CEO of JakeBox and the inventor of the packaging design, has worked in the packaging field for a number of years. His concept has met with a lot of interest but for a long time the manual stages of the production process made it impossible to achieve large production runs.

"The dominant kinds of covers in the music market are made in such huge series that it was impossible for us to compete in terms of price," Skarin says. "We were forced to try to find a better solution."

Together with the experienced packaging printers Strand Grafiska and the HJ Mek company in Eslöv, southern Sweden, he began intensive development work a couple of years ago to create a machine that could reduce the costs of producing the JakeBox. Today that goal has been reached, and it is possible to process up to 1,800 CDs or DVDs per hour. The fact that the Rolling Stones have chosen JakeBox for the exclusive version of their album is definite confirmation that the innovative design can now handle large production runs.

The cover of Rolled Gold + is made of Invercote G 300 g/m2 in the cover itself and 180 g/m2 in the interior claws that hold the discs.

"The choice of material is crucial, especially for the folding claw," explains Bengt Strand of the printers, Strand Grafiska. "Since the construction is flexed and folded when the cover is opened and closed, you have to choose a paperboard that won’t crack from the repeated folding. That’s important for both the function and the appearance. The paperboard that best copes with these demands is Invercote from Iggesund."

Information about the company: Holmen Iggesund Paperboard AB