Eleven North American printers recognized for creativity and technical excellence

Boston, Mass. – Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and dissolving wood pulp, today announced the 11 Gold Award winners of its final North American Printer of the Year contest. Regarded as the world's most respected accolade of excellence in printed communications, this award recognizes superior innovation and creativity in print for work produced on Sappi papers. The 2018 winners were chosen as the most outstanding print submissions from over 1,500 entries.

"Over the last 20 years, we’ve received more than 50,000 individual entries from over 8,500 North American printers. We’ve seen some of the most innovative and inspiring printing in our industry,” said Patti Groh, Director of Marketing Communications, Sappi North America. "We want to thank all of our printing partners for their enthusiasm and dedication to the craft of printing. While this marks the end of our Printer of the Year program, we’re excited to bring new resources to the market for printers and creatives for many years to come."

Classic Color, a world leader in pre-media, digital artistry and innovative printing, is the 2018 Printer of the Year. Based in Broadview, Ill., this printer was selected for the book “Baron Wolman Presents: The Rock & Roll Revolution”, featuring photographer Baron Wolman, best known for his work with Rolling Stone photographing concerts in the late 1960s. The book, designed by Ogilvy Chicago, highlights his collection of images shot during the pivotal time in the music industry. Printed on Sappi Opus Gloss Text, the book features candid photos of some of America’s greatest rock stars.

Longtime judge Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Operations at FCB Health Network, remarked: “It was such a close competition this year for the overall winner. ‘Baron Wolman Presents: The Rock & Roll Revolution’ was the complete package. The printing of the photography was flawless and the use of varnish and UV coating on the cover made you feel like you were holding a vinyl record album.”

More details about the Gold winning entries along with a full listing of the Silver winners can be found here.

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. Entrants competed in a variety of categories, including Books, Brochures, Direct Mail, Activated Print and Catalogs. The following companies represent the gold winners of this year’s competition.

To ensure the highest possible standards and integrity, this year's judging panel was comprised of judges from recognized print institutions and trade professions, including: Lauren Elliot, Principal of Wicked Good Print Production; Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Operations at FCB Health Network; Dr. James K. Tenorio, Professor Emeritus in the Cross-Media Graphics Management Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University; and John Tenwinkel, Program Manager at Shutterfly.

Sappi's North American Printer of the Year winners will continue to gain increased visibility with current and potential clients by being featured on Sappi's Printer 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.

To learn more about Sappi, please visit www.sappi.com.