Sappi honours printers and their pursuit of print excellence

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At the glittering event hosted by Master of ceremonies Jo-Anne Strauss and entertained by the group NUBIA, this year's theme of Future Imprint was emphasised by Executive Director Marketing: Sappi Paper and Paper Packaging South Africa, Dinga Mncube: "This year, Sappi not only wants to honour the craft of printing and the legacy of the industry, but also the resilience that businessmen and women in your position have exhibited during the tough economic environment of the last two years."

A total of 345 entries, in 11 categories, were received from the Africa and Indian Ocean Islands region. After a rigorous two days of judging, 9 Gold Awards, 19 Silver Awards and 33 Bronze Award winners were selected.

The panel of judging experts consisted of Johan Swanepoel (Seriti Printing), Richard Nichols (Multiprint Litho), Natalie Rogers (Investec), Erich Kühl (PIFSA), Barry Roberts (Pro-Print) and Ian Shepherd (Ian Shepherd Consulting).

The judges commented on the good finishing and in particular the die-cutting. and varnishing applied in the winning entries which were of a very high standard, with good attention to detail and striking use of colour. Entries were also praised for print innovation displayed and the overall visual appeal and choice of substrates.

Dinga Mncube further commented: "Print is a total experience. It is our excellence and craft that can influence minds and help speed a recovery back to the heights of previous times." Dinga also explained how Sappi was refreshing its commitment to profitability by merging two of its southern African divisions, Sappi Fine Paper South Africa and Sappi Kraft, into a new division called Sappi Paper and Paper Packaging South Africa (SA). "By consolidating our businesses we are ensuring that we remain well positioned to respond effectively to our customer needs, and to drive the key message that paper and paper packaging have a strong future and remain the best choice for many applications," Dinga said.

2010 Award winners

Nine gold awards were presented to the following recipients:

Annual Reports - Ince
Books - Trident Press
Brochures - Pro-Print
Calendars - Trident Press
Catalogues - Seriti Printing
Digital - 24 Hour Photobooks
General Print - Colors
Magazine Sheetfed - Paarl Media Paarl
Packaging and Labels - Masterpack

A list of all the winners - Gold, Silver and Bronze - will be available on www.sappi.com


About Sappi
Sappi is a leading global, producer of coated fine paper, as well as of speciality packaging, label and release papers. Its South African paper brands include locally produced Triple Green Print, Web and Label, Typek as well as text and cover grades, Enigma, Sovereign Select, China Embossed and Reviva Plus, which are specified by customers worldwide for high quality publishing, promotional and packaging applications.