Multi-award winners hailed at Queensland PICAs

Several Queensland printers are walking with a spring in their step after taking home gongs at the state’s PICA awards.

Some 126 medals were awarded across the categories, with Stafford-based print and packaging specialist Platypus Graphics the toast of the evening, collecting nine gold awards and 23 prizes in total.

Inprint Brisbane also came out tops in web offset printing (heatset); embellishment; binding and finishing; books (perfect or burst bound); and entry by an apprentice. Inprint, Heaneys PIP and Platypus also shared in the booklets, catalogues, brochures and magazines (saddle stitched, plus cover) category.

Northgate print house Cornerstone Press took out awards for calendars; postcards and greeting cards; impact or sensory mail; and annual reports and prospectus; and joined Platypus Graphics and PMP Ltd with gold in the booklets, catalogues, brochures and magazines (saddle stitched, self cover) class.

Multi-Color QLD claimed a gong for flexo printing and labels (roll fed), Impressworks for limited edition prints or art repos and Bayfield Printing for stationery. Mr Labels and Heaneys PIP jointly claimed digital printing (non inkjet), and Print Approach the booklets, catalogues, brochures and magazines (wiro or coil bound).

Neal McLary, Queensland state manager of the PIAA, says entries were up for this year’s awards, as was the morale of the industry. He tells Australian Printer, “The level of interest and support was good and the number of entries was slightly up on last year, although the number attending was slightly down.

“Industry consolidation was a common theme running through the whole evening, but I think generally the level of optimism in the industry was better this year than last year. There was a sense of more substance to the market than what there was twelve months ago, which was nice to hear.”

This year’s Queensland PICA presentation followed a cocktail-style format, giving plenty of opportunity to mix and mingle throughout the evening. McLary says, “We decided to break with tradition and went with a format that gave more opportunity for engagement between people attending.

“It was a trial that I believe has gone well and created a relaxed environment where guests could be more social and take their time to chat and to examine the exhibition of entries. We think in some ways the new structure of the evening reengaged the industry in the PICA process. We thought it was extremely successful.”

Three more state PICA awards are coming up this year; Victoria on November 8, South Australia and the Northern Territory on November 15 and New South Wales on December 6.

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