Sappi Announces 'North American Printer of the Year,' Gold Award Winners

BOSTON—June 3, 2015—Sappi North America announced the North American Printer of the Year and 10 Gold Award winners for its 18th North American Printer of the Year contest. Regarded as the world's most respected accolade of excellence in printed communications, this award recognizes innovation and excellence in print across 10 categories for work produced on Sappi papers. These winners were chosen as the most outstanding print submissions from over 1,500 entries this year.

"The way people communicate is continually evolving, and printers everywhere are reflecting that in the increasingly creative methods they use to inspire and engage people," said Patti Groh, director of marketing communications, Sappi North America. "With our Printer of the Year competition, Sappi recognizes the most brilliant and visionary ideas shaping the future of our industry year after year."

ColorDynamics Inc., a full service printer with digital offset, sheetfed and full web capabilities, is this year's 2015 Printer of the Year award winner. Based in Texas, the printer was selected for its brochure of Big Thought/Creative Solutions' "Portrait of Potential," highlighting their work with adjudicated teens. The portrait was photographed by acclaimed photographer Stewart Cohen and printed on Sappi's McCoy Gloss paper. According to judge Lauren Eliot, principal of Wicked Good Print Production, the piece stood out for a number of reasons. "From start to finish every aspect of this year's winning submission was innovative, complex and flawless. Overall the piece was creative and impactful. ColorDynamics' printing execution was sharp, clean and balanced as a whole while utilizing a unique format, binding technique, foil stamping and blind debossing. Truly an outstanding piece."

ColorDynamics submitted a brochure highlighting Big Thought/Creative Solutions' work with adjudicated teens.

ColorDynamics will receive $20,000 to support brand and marketing initiatives, as well as up to 5,000 pounds of Sappi paper and the opportunity to print a Sappi job. The Gold Award winners, each chosen for their dedication to craft and meticulous eye for detail, will receive 5,000 pounds of paper and a spot on the list of preferred Sappi printers.

A panel of highly regarded print professionals selected the winning entries based on the overall impact of the piece, degree of difficulty in printing techniques and technical excellence. The winners of Sappi's North American Printer of the Year award competed in a variety of categories, including Books, Brochures, Direct Mail and Cross-Channel Communications. The following companies represent the best the world of printing can offer:

Sappi's McCoy Gloss paper was used to print the winning selection.

To ensure the highest possible standards and integrity, this year's judging panel was comprised of Lauren Elliot, principal of Wicked Good Print Production, a print and digital advertising consulting company; Malcolm Keif, professor in the Graphic Communication Department at California Polytechnic State University; Ken Lantz, studio producer at Ashfield Healthcare Communications; and James Tenorio, professor emeritus in the Cross-Media Graphics Management Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout Wisconsin's Polytechnic University.

Sappi's North American Printer of the Year winners will also gain increased visibility with current and potential clients by being featured on their own page in Sappi's Printers of the Year Online Resource. This unique and searchable database for designers, print buyers and corporations provides information about the award-winning printers and their capabilities, printing equipment and location. The database is available here.

About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and paper group Sappi Limited, is the market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of its four diversified businesses—high quality Coated Printing Papers, Specialized Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging—is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Its high-quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising.

The company is a  leading manufacturer of Specialized Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods and the world's leading supplier of Release Papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Its Specialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world.

Source: Sappi North America.