Sometimes, as the old axiom declares, seeing truly is believing. On July 20, 1969, when the world held its breath as Neil Armstrong made his historic leap to the face of the moon millions of people watched the event partially for its enormous historic and scientific significance. But just as many surely watched because the only way they could comprehend such an astounding event-one that only a few years earlier belonged in the realm of science fiction-was to see it first-hand.

The buzz around the corrugated and folding carton industries for some time now has been the blurring of the lines between the technologies and techniques involved in making boxes and producing cartons. But this buzz has, at times, been received with as much skepticism as excitement. Much of this, conceivably, can be attributed to the aforementioned axiom: Many converters have still not seen, first-hand, the types of printing that is being done on corrugated substrates, and so they do not believe it is possible.

As Boxboard Containers International's landmark report on small-flute corrugated in the July issue, entitled Small-Flute: The Wave of the Future, made clear, this is a dynamic and exciting time in both industries. Graphics on corrugated have reached a level of excellence that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago, and converters flush with success are starting to believe that this is just the beginning.

On pages 20-21 of this issue, BCI spotlights the winners of this year's Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) packaging competition. The competition was held in a huge outdoor tent at the recent AICC meeting in San Antonio. As I walked across the parking lot toward the tent under the the glare of the hot Texas sun I was prepared to see some spectacular examples of craftsmanship, but it was quickly apparent that I had underestimated the level of expertise that many converters have reached (I use the word "converters" instead of "boxmakers" because several folding carton companies that are doing work with small-flute corrugated had entries this year).

The photos on pages 20-21 provide a small glimpse of what could be seen at the competition, but they do not do justice to the immense amount of creativity and workmanship that was on display. Different printing methods combined with various substrates and seemingly endless configurations produced some positively stunning visual products.

As I walked through the display, a friend from a large integrated company said to me, "I wish that everyone in this industry could see this display. It would be great for morale." This gentleman was correct; no one could witness the excellence of these products and not feel pride in their industry. But just as importantly, it allowed many people to see first-hand the kinds of things that are possible today with corrugated.

Because not everyone could journey to the AICC meeting and partake in this event, every box and cartonmaker should be encouraged to carefully read the list of winners in this issue and to call them. They will not want to release any proprietary information but certainly they would be willing to talk about their winning entry and the kind of energy and enthusiasm that went into creating it.

Or call the AICC and ask how the competition was judged and how your company can compete in the next packaging competition. Every manager sets goals for his company; perhaps your next corporate goal could be to win a packaging award at the next meeting.

If seeing is believing, then everyone associated with the corrugated and folding carton markets should believe that the levels that can be reached with corrugated packaging have only just begun to be examined. If any skeptics remain, all they must do is examine the work of their peers to realize that a huge sea change is occurring in the box/carton industries and the naysayers are in danger of being thrown overboard.