PALO ALTO, Calif., September 30, 2005—HP today announced the winners of its inaugural HP Indigo Ribbon Awards competition, which recognizes HP Indigo press users who are producing the best high-value, offset-quality digital printing in the marketplace. Coinciding with PRINT 05 in Chicago, the awards ceremony was held on September 9 at the House of Blues. “We were delighted with the caliber of entries in the competition,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP. “Using HP Indigo technology, we’ve seen our customers take digital printing to a new level.  Featuring everything from black and white photos to foil labels, many of the entries were indistinguishable from offset printing.” Memphis-based imec earned Best of Show honors for a self-promotional marketing brochure that showcases its imaging capabilities for high-end fashion photography projects.  “Considering the quality and design,” the HP Indigo Ribbon Awards judges wrote, “it exemplifies imec’s excellence in image re-touching and high-quality printing in the cosmetic market.”  The imec self-promotional book also won a Best of Category award in marketing collateral.  Plus, imec took home a Best of Category award, books and manuals, for a dance costume catalog. The HP Indigo Ribbon Awards also included a “Transformational Showcase” award, presented to the entry that exemplifies a breakthrough application in digital printing.  Impaxx Inc. subsidiary AC Label, Fremont, Calif., won the Transformational Showcase award for a wine label printed on foil.  The label is an exact replica of a design that was originally produced on a rotary offset press. AC Label also earned a Best of Category award in packaging and labels for a second high-end wine label printed on foil. Additional Best of Category award winners included: Imagers, Atlanta, in photo specialty; Shutterfly, Redwood City, Calif., in photo specialty: high volume; Worth Higgins & Associates, Richmond, Va., in advertising items; and American Screen Art, Knoxville, Tenn., in specialty: point-of-sale/point-of-purchase. Honorable mention awards were presented to the following: - AC Label, Fremont, Calif. - American Thermoplastic Co., Pittsburgh - B.R. Printing Plates Co. Ltd., Bedford, Nova Scotia - Colorcraft of VA Inc., Sterling, Va. - Digital Marketing, Minneapolis - Dupli-Graphic, Chicago - Fort Dearborn Co., Fremont, Calif. - Global Soft Digital Solutions, Mahwah, N.J. - Graphics Service Bureau, New York - Imagers, Atlanta - Kramer Printing, Westport, Wis. - Lithocraft Inc., New Albany, Ind. - Paper Tiger, Santa Fe, N.M. - Screenprint/Dow Inc., Wilmington, Mass. - Worth Higgins & Associates, Richmond, Va. An online gallery of winning HP Indigo Ribbon Awards entries can be viewed at www.hp.com/go/HPIndigoRibbonAwards.