Franklin Park, Ill. - Tukaiz, a leading marketing services production company, is proud to announce that it has won three awards from the Great Lakes Graphics Association’s 2014 Graphics Excellence Award (GEA) program. Most notable is winning Best of Category for the company’s image personalized calendar, which also won Best of Category in 2013. The GEA program is one of the nation’s largest printing competitions and this year received more than 1,000 entries. 

The three entries that received the GLGA’s Award of Excellence were:

• Best of Category for Diaries and Desk Calendars: The personalized Throwback Calendar was named to the highest level of Best of Category. This calendar features classic imagery paired with inspiring taglines. Earlier this year, the Throwback Calendar was named a “Latest and Greatest” promotional item from the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo. 
• Award of Excellence for 4-Color Programs: Tukaiz’s 4-color program was created for the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame’s 5^th Annual Rocky Marciano Boxing Tournament. It was designed by Tukaiz’s creative department, produced on soft-touch material, and featured Scodix SENSE technology.
• Certificate of Merit for 4-Color Invitations:  Tukaiz’s striking invitation created for the USO New York Armed Forces Gala was printed using Scodix Ultra digital technology, a unique digital production process that registers a clear polymer to imagery in varying levels of thickness. This process allows the recipient to experience life-like sensory perception of the USO logo printed on the front. The invitation provided modern elegance and class for a prestigious event. 

“While, obviously, meeting and exceeding customer expectations is our motivation, it’s always extremely gratifying when the quality of our work is recognized by those in our industry who understand the technological and aesthetic capabilities Tukaiz has in place that make it possible to stand out in a crowded marketplace,” said Frank Defino Jr., vice president and managing director of Tukaiz.

Each entry in the Great Lakes Graphics Association’s 2014 GEA program is reviewed by a panel of judges with extensive experience in the printing industry, who base their determinations on a number of key technical features including registration, image and color quality, choice of ink and paper, finishing and bindery, and overall visual impact.