Consumables

Global excellence in printing celebrated: 10 Sappi International Printers of the Year announced

Wednesday 31. October 2012 - Commitment to excellence in printed communication...this is what the Sappi International Printers of the Year awards, held every second year, is all about

The 10 winners for 2012, in the world’s most prestigious printing competition, were announced today in Johannesburg, South Africa by Ralph Boettger, Chief Executive Officer Sappi Limited.
The Sappi International Printers of the Year awards recognise the best printers from around the world; those that continually raise the bar for print excellence as new technologies and techniques have allowed them to continue to produce printed communication that grabs the attention of their intended audience despite the media clutter of our fast-paced modern world.
The international winners were chosen from 33 regional gold finalists in the following categories: annual reports, books, brochures, calendars, catalogues, digital print, general print, magazines – sheetfed, magazines – web, packaging and labels and printer’s own promotion. The independent panel of judges worked to a strict set of technical criteria, focusing on production qualities (overall appearance, quality of finishing and general difficulty of the print job, as well as factors such as dot sharpness, ink density, registration, sheet size, paper weight, screen ruling, stitching and die-cutting), whilst taking into account the overall balance and appeal of the printed work and whether the combination of design, finishing and the choice of materials was appropriate. With all the finalist entries being of such a high standard, the ultimate winners were those that stood out for the judges as having that extra appeal and attention to the finest detail.
During the announcement, Ralph Boettger commented, “we honour the winning Printers of the Year for their commitment, creativity and expertise in producing printed works which push the boundaries in terms of technical mastery and innovation.
“Awards such as these celebrate the achievements of the past two years, but they also point the way forward into the future. They do so by establishing a standard of excellence which others will strive to meet. Sappi is proud to honour these achievements.”
Each winner will be presented with a cast bronze elephant trophy, specially created by world renowned sculptor Donald Greig for the Sappi awards. The elephant symbolises Sappi’s South African heritage as well as the qualities of strength and courage.
Over 5,500 entries were received from participating countries in this year’s qualifying regional Printers of the Year competitions in Africa, Europe, North America and the Sappi Trading region of Australasia, Asia and South and Central America.
The International panel of judges consisted of: Cynthia Morton (Africa), Bernhard Nahm (Europe), Malcolm Keif (North America) and Kai Hagenbuch (South America).
The 10 overall winners are –
Category/Winners Title Paper Country Region

Annual Reports
EBERL Print Gildemeister Annual Report 2010 ProfiSilk 250g/m(2) and Algro Design
Duo 360g/m(2) Germany Europe

Books
Continental Colorcraft “Eye for the Sensual” McCoy Silk Cover 100lb/270g/m(2) and
Text 100lb/148g/m(2) California, USA North America

Brochures
Boeijinga L’Oreal Professionele Hello Silk 170g/m(2) and 250g/m(2) The Netherlands Europe

Calendars
druckpartner Druck -und Artenschutz 2012/Species Conservation Presto Bulk 250g/m(2) and Algro Design
Medienhaus 250/300/400g/m(2) Germany Europe

Catalogues
Lechte Mix Trends Issue 25: Autumn Winter
2013/2014 ProfiSilk, Profigloss 250g/m(2) Germany Europe

Digital Print
druckpartner Druck -und
Medienhaus Victor Limited Edition Hello Hot Silk 170g/m(2) and 300g/m(2) Germany Europe

General Print
ColorDruck Leimen MEWA Markenhandbuch LuxoArt Silk 250g/m(2) Germany Europe

Magazines – Sheetfed
Color Gruppe München Occhio Magazine Hello Silk 135g/m(2) and 250g/m(2) Germany Europe

Magazines – Web
Fry Communications STYLE.COM Spring 2012 Opus Gloss Web Text 70lb/104g/m(2) Pennsylvania, USA North America

Packaging and Labels
NO WINNER IN THIS CATEGORY

Printer’s own Promotion
Offset Alpine Offset Alpine Printing – Capabilities+ HannoArt Satin 250g/m(2) Australia Trading
The announcement of the Sappi International Printers of the Year awards via the Sappi website is in keeping with Sappi’s continuous updating of the Printers of the Year programme. This latest change ensures that the great work being done by printers across the globe can be recognised and celebrated with a far larger audience than the traditional awards event allowed. By using the power of the Web to celebrate the power of printed communication Sappi is showing how print and electronic communication will co-exist into the future as well as create valuable awareness for these committed printers.