2006 SAPPI EUROPEAN PRINTERS OF THE YEAR OF THE YEAR

Stockholm (Sweden) - Sappi has named nine printers from seven European countries as this year's winners of its prestigious Sappi European Printers of the Year awards.
Stockholm (Sweden) - Sappi has named nine printers from seven European countries as this year's winners of its prestigious Sappi European Printers of the Year awards.

08.08.2006 News

Stockholm (Sweden) - Sappi has named nine printers from seven European countries as this year's winners of its prestigious Sappi European Printers of the Year awards in Stockholm, Sweden. Sappi announced the winners of the 2006 awards at a gala ceremony on 10 June, attended by some 350 guests including the winning printers and their paper merchants, in the magnificent Renaissance-inspired City Hall. In total, 38 printers were honoured with gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition's nine award categories.

The nine 2006 Sappi European Printers of the Year gold award winners are:

Annual Reports: Raff, Riederich, Germany
Books: Emico, Wommelgem, Belgium
Brochures: AV + Astoria Druckzentrum, Vienna, Austria
Calendars: Lechte Medien, Emsdetten, Germany
Catalogues: Artes Gr ficas Palermo, Rivasvaciamadrid (Madrid), Spain
General Print: Werbedruck Petzold, Gernsheim, Germany
Magazines: Farbendruck Weber, Biel, Switzerland
Packaging and Labels: CardMasters, Hook, United Kingdom
Printer's Own Promotion: Fontegrafica, Cinisello Balsamo (Milan), Italy.

The independent panel of five judges from the print industry chose the winners out of more than 2,050 entries submitted by printers from 31 countries across Europe and the Middle East. The judges stated that the standard of this year's entries in many of the award categories was exceptional and that it had been a "privilege" to judge them.

Praising the winning printers, Wolfgang Pfarl, Sappi Fine Paper Europe's Chief Executive Officer said: For print to continue to be a value-added form of communication, printers and papermakers must be totally committed to creating the very best products they can. This year's Sappi European Printers of the Year award winners have clearly demonstrated their commitment. We salute them for their remarkable creativity and expertise.

The nine gold award winners will be now invited join other gold award winning printers from Sappi regional competitions in North America, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Central and South America at the Sappi International Printers of the Year Awards in Budapest, Hungary in October. There, the best printer in each of the nine award categories will be chosen as a Sappi International Printer of the Year, one of the global printing industry's highest accolades.

The Gold Awards
The European gold award winning entries demonstrate an increasing variety of high quality printing and finishing techniques including the use of special screens, different combinations of solid, spot and UV varnishes, metallic inks, foils, embossing, precision die-cutting and special binding and folding.

Annual Reports: 'Hugo Boss Gesch ftsbericht 2004' - Raff
The pinstriped cover of Raff's 'Hugo Boss Gesch ftsbericht 2004' opens to reveal a clean, clear text interspersed with photographic sections featuring the company's operations, retail outlets and clients, including its 10 years in China. Raff printed the report in full colour sheetfed offset, with metallic inks, spot UV varnish and foils, on Profisilk 150g/m2 supplied by Karl-Heinz Geiger Papiergro handlung. According to the judges, the report is "a brilliant example of high quality design, reproduction and printing. It's high ink density and many types of matt and gloss coating are used to great effect".

Books: 'Schreeuwen' - Emico
Emico's entry 'Schreeuwen' (scream) features intimate black and white close-up portraits of local personalities by photographer Govaert de Roos. Emico printed the book in tritone sheetfed offset on Hello Silk 200g/m2 supplied by Proost en Brandt. The book's cover was printed on Hello Gloss135g/m2 with spot UV varnish. The judges commented that many of this year's books made ingenious use of enhanced screening, varnishes and speciality finishes, which, combined with particularly good binding, brought them to life. They said that they "struggled to pick the best of the best, but felt that 'Schreeuwen' demonstrates an overall standard and consistency that puts it above the others. It is an outstanding example of a quality book!"

Brochures: 'Yaretti' - AV + Astoria Druckzentrum
AV + Astoria Druckzentrum used hot foil stamping, metallic inks and a selection of varnishes in its boxed set of suede covered brochures promoting the luxury of YM6 Yachthandels' Yaretti motor yachts. The printer produced the brochures in four colour sheetfed offset on Hello Silk 250g/m2 and 350g/m2 supplied by PaperNet. According to the judges, the entry is "an excellent piece of work. Its printing and finishing is totally in accord with the luxury of the superyachts presented and not usually expected in this category."

Calendars: 'Xact 2006' - Lechte Medien
The first of a selection of large, brightly coloured images, the back of the painted head of an African warrior, can be seen through the transparent plastic cover of Silfox Group's 'Xact 2006' calendar. Lechte Medien printed the calendar in full colour sheetfed offset, with metallic inks and solid, spot and UV varnishes, on Sappi's new grade Next Generation 12C Gloss 250g/m2. "The entry's extremely fine FM screening, metallic inks, UV varnish, spot coating and heightening effects, coupled with its interesting design, gives it real competitive edge," said the judges. Lechte Medien also won the gold award in the calendars category in last year's competition.

Catalogues: 'Novios Colecci n 2006' - Artes Gr ficas Palermo
The large ring-bound catalogue 'Novios Colecci n 2006' for Cardenal Internacional features a series of powerful photographs showing off its Giovanni Valdi menswear collection. Artes Gr ficas Palermo used a stochastic screen to produce the pages in full colour sheetfed offset on Hello Silk 300g/m2, supplied by Uni n Papelera. The catalogue cover and case were printed on silk. The judges commented that the entry "has fine and sharp FM screening, with powerful images using a great depth of ink coverage to great effect. The special silk 'packaging' adds to its impact."

General Print: 'Omega Baselworld' - Werbedruck Petzold
'Omega Baselworld' from Werbedruck Petzold consists of a boxed set of five small promotional packs for Omega watches and jewellery, each of which fold out to reveal photos of the product and a promotional CD. Petzold used FM screening to print the packs in four colour sheetfed offset, with solid and spot varnish, screen-printed UV varnish and foils, on Hello Gloss and Hello Silk 250g/m2. The box was printed on Hello Silk 115g/m2. Deutsche Papier supplied the papers. According to the judges, the category "is a wonderful print showcase! Omega Baselworld successfully harnesses suitable technologies to produce a product of quality and consistency that is head and shoulders above the other entries".

Magazines: 'Herm s' - Farbendruck Weber
Farbendruck Weber produced the high profile Herm s lifestyle magazine, featuring articles and fashion from the company's autumn-winter collection, in four colour heat-set web offset on Sappi's Royal Roto Matt 115g/m2 and Presto Silk 300g/m2 from Fischer Papier. The judges commented that many of the magazines entered, especially from the web sector, showed critical reproduction and registration. They said that the Herm s magazine "has clean and vibrant colour reproduction for a sharp overall result with an excellent image register. It is a great piece of printing."

Packaging and Labels: 'Nokia 3250 Box' - CardMasters
The ingenious black 'With a Twist' display box from CardMasters highlights the multi-functionality of Nokia's 3250 combined cell phone, camera and music player. CardMasters printed the box in four colour sheetfed offset, with spot UV varnish, on Hello Silk 150g/m2 supplied by the Robert Horne Paper Company. According to the judges, the ever-pressing need to give products prominence was leading designers to devise new types of die-cut packaging. This was evident in CardMasters' entry, where the box's "remarkable design and execution greatly adds to the quality of the print".

Printer's Own Promotion: 'Alice 2006' - Fontegrafica
Fontegrafica's large 13-month multi-colour lunar calendar, based on the different moods of Alice in Wonderland, featured almost every type of printing and finishing technique, including a pop-up cover containing a brochure and a CD. Fontegrafica produced the calendar using sheetfed offset, flexo and screen printing, with a variety of special screens, embossing, foils, fragrances, holographic lamination, metallic inks, spot, solid and UV varnishes and special die-cutting, binding and folding. The calendar was printed on several papers including Hello Gloss and Hello Silk 250g/m2 supplied by Polyedra.

The judges said: "The entry successfully overcomes many technical challenges. Every sheet provides an ever-greater sensation and the different design and printing processes from one sheet to another make the calendar very prestigious." Fontegrafica also won gold awards in the brochures and general print categories In last year's competition.



For further information please contact:

Sue Griffin
Marketing Communications Manager
T: +32 2 676 9761
F: +32 2 676 9665
E: sue.griffin@sappi.com



 
About Sappi
Sappi is the world s leading producer of coated fine paper. Its fine paper brands include the graphic papers Next Generation, Magno, HannoArt, Presto and Royal, as well as the merchant brands Hello and Profi, and the label and packaging papers and boards Algro, Leine and Parade. Customers in more than 100 countries worldwide specify these for the highest quality publishing, promotional, labelling and packaging applications.

Sappi is Icograda's Official Paper Partner
Stockholm (Sweden) - Sappi has named nine printers from seven European countries as this year's winners of its prestigious Sappi European Printers of the Year awards.
Stockholm (Sweden) - Sappi has named nine printers from seven European countries as this year's winners of its prestigious Sappi European Printers of the Year awards.

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