WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Southern Lithoplate, Inc. is proud to count two veteran commercial printing companies that benefit from SLP’s digital plate solutions among the multiple award winners in the ninth annual Excellence in Print competition. Sponsored by the Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA), the competition recognizes printing and graphic communications providers throughout Maryland, southern Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

ColorCraft of Virginia, Inc. earned four Best of Category awards and 15 Awards of Excellence. The Sterling, Va.-based printer submitted entries in 27 categories. Chroma Graphics, Inc. in Upper Marlboro, Md., won two Best of Category awards and 11 Awards of Excellence out of 16 entries. ColorCraft and Chroma Graphics both print with Integra 830 P™ positive-working, no-prebake thermal CtP plates.

ColorCraft received Best of Category awards in the Catalogs, Folders/ Brochures and Magazines categories. Known for devising award-winning solutions to challenging high-end projects, ColorCraft is one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s top printers. The company caters to government agencies, educational institutions, associations, health care providers and midsize businesses. A mix of 40-inch sheetfed presses and digital printers is responsible for colorful annual reports, brochures, promotional pieces and posters.

“ColorCraft is on its second year with Integra plates after using plates from different manufacturers for many years,” said retired President/CEO Jim Mayes, who now works as a consultant for the business he headed from 1987 through 2012. “Southern Lithoplate makes a superior product. ColorCraft doesn’t change equipment often, but the quality, value and service with Southern Lithoplate were too great to pass up.”

Chroma Graphics took home Best of Category awards in the Folders/Brochures and Programs categories. Occupying a 50,000-square-foot-facility staffed by 53 employees, Chroma Graphics delivers a wide variety of multicolor brochures, marketing pieces and catalogs for corporate clients, ad agencies and graphic design firms located throughout the Washington, D.C., region and around the country.

“We assemble copies of our best work printed over the course of the year,” said Rusty Coolidge, President. “This contest provides an opportunity to showcase our customers’ projects, as well as to demonstrate the quality we are capable of producing. Integra plates have been good for the company, the press operators and customers. They are very forgiving plates. They offer outstanding latitude and on-press performance. We are able to print sharper images.”

The Excellence in Print competition is open to commercial printers, binders, finishers, designers and others in the industry. An independent judging team reviews hundreds of entries and selects winners based on qualities such as precision of color reproduction, use of design and level of difficulty.

This year, there were 71 Best of Category winners and 154 Awards of Excellence presented during an awards gala on March 21. Southern Lithoplate was a sponsor of the event, attended by more than 200 people.

“We heartily congratulate ColorCraft and Chroma Graphics and all of this year’s winners,” said Steve Mattingly, Southern Lithoplate’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “These companies set the standard for printing nationwide. We wish good luck to the participants in next year’s competition.”