June 2, 2008, Niles, IL -JohnsByrne Company, an award-winning, national provider of innovative custom print solutions is pleased to announce they have been named Sappi's North American Printer of the Year. JohnsByrne Company won for the "Printer's own Promotion" category with their self- promotion titled "Reality UV". This entry will now go on to compete for the distinguished Sappi International Printer of the Year title to be held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2008.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have received one of our industry's highest honors by such a distinguished group of industry peers" says Corey Gustafson, President/CEO of JohnsByrne Company.  "We work with our clients to innovate in a compelling way to solve their problems; 'Reality UV' is another great example of our solutions at work".  Mr. Gustafson was on hand to receive his Company's award at the May 17th awards gala in Dallas, Texas.

The Sappi Printers of the Year awards competition recognizes print excellence and innovation for work produced on Sappi papers. 'Reality UV' was printed primarily on Sappi McCoy Gloss and Mohawk Superfine papers as well as a variety of exotic substrates including plastics, cotton velour paper and foil board. The JohnsByrne Company partnered with Komori Corporation to produce the book which highlights the benefits of UV printing by way of the reality television genre. Over the past several months the self promotional book has received high marks by the creative, marketing and advertising communities across the nation.

This year's entries were judged by a distinguished panel that included Constance Sidles, Constance Sidles Consulting; Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Creative Services, DRAFTFCB; Bill Garno, Director of Printing Applications Laboratory, RIT; and Dr. Malcolm Keif, Professor of Graphic Communications at Cal Poly University. The judges have extensive expertise in the field and hold themselves to the highest standards of quality and integrity.

"Recognizing quality print and craftsmanship has always been important to Sappi, said Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America. "These awards not only recognize the industry's best work, but they also give us an opportunity to stand back and appreciate how significantly print and design impact our daily lives."

The Sappi International Printers of the Year competition, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on October 2 - 4, 2008, is a global competition of the winners from the regional events in North America, Central and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa

From this prestigious field, judges will select nine individual recipients of the Sappi International Printers of the Year awards -- the only global honor of its kind to recognize excellence in printing craftsmanship.

If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the "Reality UV" book please contact Doug Still, Director of Marketing Services at JohnsByrne Company. Doug can be reached at 847-647-2211 or via e-mail at [email protected].