Nine Sappi International Printers of the Year for 2006 Announced

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY—Commitment to excellence in printed communication. That is what the Sappi International Printers of the Year competition is all about. The nine winners for 2006 in the world’s most prestigious printing competition rose to the challenge and were recognised for the exceptionally high standard of their entries in front of their peers from all over the world.

For the past 10 years Sappi has recognised the best printers from around the world through the Sappi International Printers of the Year competition. In their drive to deliver top quality print jobs, printers have continuously raised the bar for excellence as new technologies and techniques have allowed the printer to produce printed communication that grabs the attention of its intended audience.

The nine Sappi International Printers of the Year for 2006 were chosen from 33 finalists in the following categories: annual reports, books, brochures, calendars, catalogues, general print, magazines, packaging and labels and printers own promotion. Held annually, this year the awards attracted more than 7,000 entries from all over the world. The judges worked to a strict set of technical criteria, focusing on production qualities, 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 high standard, the ultimate winners were those that stood out for the judges as having that extra appeal and extra attention to the finest detail.

Winners were announced in the city of bridges, Budapest, Hungary, on Friday 27 October 2006 at a gala event held at the Museum of Applied Arts and attended by industry representatives from all over the world. The avant-garde museum is one of Budapest’s best-known landmarks. Built at the end of the 19th century, it was widely regarded at the time of construction as pushing the boundaries of art and architecture. Against this backdrop, it was an appropriate venue in which to announce and honour the nine Sappi International Printers of the Year and honour all the finalists.

Commented Eugene van As, Chairman, Sappi Limited, “we honour the 2006 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.”

Each winner was 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.

“Awards such as these celebrate the achievements of the past year, 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. The winners in the Sappi 2006 International Printers of the Year awards have set new standards of exceptional quality in print and Sappi is proud to honour their achievements.”

The Sappi International Printers of the Year 2006

Annual Reports
Region: Europe
Printer: Raff

Area: Riederich, Germany
Entry title: Hugo Boss Geschäftsbericht 2004
Printed on: Profisilk 150g/m2

Books
Region: Europe
Printer: Emico
Area: Wommelgem, Belgium
Entry title: Schreeuwen
Printed on: Hello Gloss 135g/m2 and Hello Silk 200g/m2

Brochures
Region: North America
Printer: Cenveo Anderson Lithograph
Area: City of Commerce, California
Entry title: 2006 Cadillac XLR Brochure
Printed on: McCoy Gloss Cover 80lb (216g/m2)

Calendars
Region: Europe
Printer: Lechte Medien
Area: Emsdetten, Germany
Entry title: Xact 2006
Printed on: Next Generation 12C Gloss 250g/m2

Catalogues
Region: Trading
Printer: Pragati Offset Pvt Ltd
Area: Hyderabad, India
Entry title: Omega Watches
Printed on: Magno Satin 170g/m2
General Print
Region: Europe
Printer: Werbedruck Petzold
Area: Gernsheim, Germany
Entry title: Omega Baselworld
Printed on: Hello Silk 115g/m2 and 250g/m2 and Hello Gloss 250g/m2

Magazines
Region: North America
Printer: Nahan Printing, Inc
Area: St Cloud, Minnesota
Entry title: Bergdorf Goodman Magazine Resort/Holiday 2005
Printed on: Opus Dull Text 70lb (104g/m2) and Opus Dull Cover 100lb (270g/m2)

Packaging and labels
Region: Europe
Printer: CardMasters
Area: Hook, United Kingdom
Entry title: Nokia 3250 Box
Printed on: Hello Silk 150g/m2

Printer’s own promotion

Region: Europe
Printer: Fontegrafica
Area: Milan, Italy
Entry title: Alice 2006
Printed on: Hello Gloss 250g/m2 and Hello Silk 250g/m2

More about the Sappi Printers of the Year competition

The Sappi Printers of the Year competition was first started in South Africa, Sappi’s home country, 28 years ago. Since then, the group has expanded into a truly global company, with global shareholders, assets and brands. Today the competition comprises four regional competitions and the international awards. The regional competitions occur in Sappi’s African, European, North American and Trading (comprising Central and South America, Asia and Australasia) regions.

During the first stage of the competition gold, silver and bronze awards are made in each category in each of the four regions. Regional gold award winners are then invited to a spectacular awards ceremony in one of the world’s great cities, where the final international awards are made.

More about Sappi
Sappi is the world’s largest producer of coated fine paper that has a multitude of end-uses ranging from glossy magazines and catalogues to books, direct mail and general commercial print. The company’s customers are primarily merchants, publishers and printers.

Coated fine paper represents approximately two-thirds of Sappi’s total sales. Sappi also has significant businesses in pulp, coated speciality paper, packaging grades and uncoated fine paper. Sappi Forest Products, the pulp, packaging and newsprint business based in South Africa, is the world’s largest producer of chemical cellulose. Chemical cellulose is used primarily in the manufacture of viscose fibre, household and pharmaceutical products.

Sappi is a global company with over 15,000 employees. The group has production facilities (in nine countries, on four continents and customers in over 100 countries worldwide) able to produce five million tons of paper and 3.5 million tons of pulp per year.

The group is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and maintains listings on the JSE Securities Exchange (SAP), the New York Stock Exchange (SPP) and the London Stock Exchange (SAZ).