ALGOMA, Wis.--March 26, 2002--WS Packaging -- CALabel of San Luis Obispo, California just announced that it has once again garnered awards for its outstanding quality in the label printing industry. WS Packaging -- CALabel specializes in the printing of pressure sensitive labels that incorporate foil stamping, embossing, texturizing, and bronzing along with specialty die cutting to enhance the appeal of the product. Entering quality and printing competitions helps to determine how a company's quality stacks up against that of its rivals. WS Packaging -- CALabel has an enviable track record, having earned awards every year. 2001 was no exception. It was recently learned that of seven entries submitted to the Flexographic Technical Association's (FTA's) annual competition, five earned awards. This is no small feat when one considers the level of the competition and the persistent escalation of industry quality year after year. WS Packaging -- CALabel is an expert in the designing and printing of high-end "Prestige'' labels primarily for the California wine industry, notoriously the label industry's most demanding customers. Wine buyers typically spend a good deal of time studying the labels of the wines they will buy and each label must be perfect in color and detail. A wine label must not only attract the prospective customer, but must reflect, by its own subtle nuances, the quality and uniqueness of the product within. The ultimate level of competition is reached at the World Label Association Awards Competition. In the contest, the first-place winners in individual label competitions held by Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI), the Japanese Federation of Label Printers (JFLP), and FINAT, which represents European label converters, are judged against one another in a variety of categories to determine the "world's best labels.'' Just one award can be given in each category; no "Best of Show'' is awarded. In this year's competition, 22 world awards were presented, six of them to U.S. printing companies. WS Packaging -- CALabel won two of the six, a testament to their outstanding quality commitment. WS Packaging -- CALabel was formed in 2000 as a joint venture between WS Packaging Group, Inc. and Blake Printery. In 2002 WS Packaging Group acquired Blake Printery thereby absorbing the CALabel name. Although the same quality commitment and capabilities remain, the new company name will be WS Packaging -- Blake Printery.