June 2, 2003 -- Boston, MA - Sappi Fine Paper North America has announced the six Gold Award winners for 2003 in the company’s annual Printer of the Year competition. Regarded as the best in North America, these printers will go on to compete in October for the Sappi International Printer of the Year Award, the only global honor of its kind that recognizes excellence in printing craftsmanship. "Every year, I am dazzled by the creativity and innovative techniques showcased in the Printer of the Year entries," said Kathy Walters, Sappi Fine Paper North America President and CEO. "Printing is an art form, and a lot of hard work goes into the finished products we see when we pick up a magazine, or calendar, or other printed piece. It’s a privilege to honor the imagination and technical expertise that result in these great works of art." Nearly 600 printers from across North America submitted more than 3,100 entries in this year’s competition. One Gold Award winner was chosen in each of six categories. The winning printers were announced at a gala dinner on 17 May 2003 at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort and Golden Door Spa in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 2003 Sappi North America Printer of the Year Gold Award winners are: Category Printer Entry Sappi grade Annual reports Allied Printing Services Manchester, CT Timberland 2001 Annual report Strobe Dull Books Meridian Printing, East Greenwich, RI 100 Years of Harley-Davidson Porcelain Dull Brochures Classic Graphics, Charlotte, NC [Know] McCoy Gloss, McCoy Uncoated Catalogs Quebecor World Jonesboro, AR Division SAKS’s September 2002 Opus Web Dull Magazines Quebecor World Effingham, IL Division Vogue, December 2002 Somerset Web Gloss General Woods Lithographics, Phoenix, AZ The Nitrous Oxide of Digital Photography McCoy Silk General* MagnaPrint, Enfield, CT Artist Feature Calendar 2003 McCoy Silk *Judges’ Award for excellence in printer self-promotion "We are thrilled and truly honored to receive such a prestigious award," said Steve Woods, Woods Lithographics. "It’s rewarding to be recognized for the work you do, especially by a company like Sappi that understands the vital role that both printers and quality paper play in bringing ideas to life on the most lasting medium of all – the printed page." At the Sappi International Printer of the Year event, a single North American Printer of the Year will be announced. In turn, the chosen North American winner, along with the South African, Sappi Trading and European Printers of the Year, will be judged to select the 2003 Sappi International Printer of the Year medallion recipient. In 2002, this honor went to Belk Printing Technologies of North Carolina. Sappi Printer of the Year has been held annually in South Africa since 1979, in Europe since 1993, and in North America since 1996. The award recognizes printer excellence and innovation for work printed on Sappi papers.