Printers Across the US and Canada Are Invited to Submit Their Best Work for Industry Recognition and Celebrate Two Decades of Printing Excellence

Boston, Mass. – Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, today opened the 20th and final North American Printer of the Year Awards call for entries. As with previous years, winners will be recognized for print excellence and innovation across eleven categories for work produced primarily on Sappi paper and paper-based packaging. The Sappi Printer of the Year Awards program has been regarded as the printing industry’s most respected accolade for the past two decades, making its last iteration bittersweet for organizers.

“We are so proud of the work that has been accomplished using Sappi products over the last 20 years. Printers continue to surprise us with new and innovative ways to show the power of print in our lives through their work,” said Patti Groh, director of marketing communications, Sappi North America. “We are grateful for the ongoing commitment and excitement from our customers that has allowed this program to run for so long. As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue our evolution and introduce new resources for printers and creatives.”

Over the course of the program, Sappi received 48,995 individual entries and 8,841 North American printers participated in the awards.

“I am so honored to have judged this program for many years. I, along with the other judges, am continually impressed by the caliber of the entries and my eyes have been opened to all the possibilities of print,” said Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Operations at FCB Health Network. “It’s a powerful medium and printers are consistently finding new ways to emphasize this. While I am sad to see this wonderful program go, Sappi continues to look to the future and I’m excited to see what other resources they will bring to the industry in the years to come.”

To enter, printers can submit any work printed predominantly on Sappi paper and paper-based packaging in the U.S. or Canada between January 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018 by June 8, 2018. For each entry, six copies of the printed piece must be submitted by mail, along with one copy of the entry form. Each printer may submit an unlimited number of entries, but each entry must be accompanied by an individual form.

Award Categories
North American printers may submit entries in eleven categories, which include: Brochures; Books; Catalogs; Digital Print; Direct Mail; Magazines (sheetfed); Magazines (web); Printer's Own Promotions; Packaging; Activated Print; or General Print, which can be any printed material not included in the given categories.

Awards and Rewards

• The Silver Award: Award winners are chosen in each of the eleven categories and will receive a framed certificate for themselves and their client(s).
• The Gold Award: Winners represent the top entry from each category and are entered as finalists for the Printer of the Year Award. The eleven Gold Award winners will receive up to 5,000 pounds of Sappi paper as well as framed certificates.
• The Printer of the Year Award: Selected from the top eleven Gold Award recipients, the Printer of the Year will receive esteemed recognition, 5,000 pounds of Sappi paper and $20,000 in support of future marketing and branding initiatives.

All winners’ entries and contact information will be featured on Sappi’s Printer of the Year online resource for ultimate exposure to designers, print buyers and corporations.

Judging
All entries will be judged on overall impact of the piece, degree of difficulty in the printing techniques and technical excellence. A panel of judges was chosen from recognized print institutions and trade professions, including: Lauren Elliot, Principal of Wicked Good Print Production; Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Operations at FCB Health Network; Dr. James K. Tenorio, professor emeritus in the Cross-Media Graphics Management Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University; and John Tenwinkel, program manager at Shutterfly.

For a downloadable version of the entry form, please click here or contact Sappi at 1.800.882.4332. For more information on the Printer of the Year Awards, please visit: https://www.sappi.com/printer-of-the-year.