awards  printing - sheetfed 
Printers from 18 countries competed in 25 print categories in the third annual Asian Print Awards, with 24 receiving Gold awards, 25 Silver and 31 Bronze awards at a presentation dinner in Bangkok. More than 500 industry guests from across the region gathered at the award presentation night held November 16 in the Grand Ballroom of Bangkok’s Dusit Thani Hotel to pay homage to the best printers in the region.

Awards chairman, Paul Callaghan, says udges were amazed by ’fantastic works’ that were highly creative and innovative, and for some almost impossible to produce outside of Asia due to labour costs. But when it came to the wire, the awards were decided on by the quality of print and the level of difficulty of the jobs, no matter how creative, innovative, or fantastic the content was.

In addition to the 80 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, seven special Sponsor Awards were given in recognition of the best in certain categories of printing.

The biggest winner of the night was Hong Kong’s C&C Offset Printing Co, taking home two Golds for Self Promotion and Book Printing (less than four colours), two Silvers for Innovation in Printing and Speciality Printing, and three Bronzes for One-, Two- or Three-Colour Printing, for Catalogues, Booklets and Brochures, and another for Book Printing (less than four colours).

Their Silver winning entry in Innovation in Printing for client Dainippon Kaiga Co Ltd also bagged the Phoenix Sponsor Award for Best in More Than One Production Process.

C & C Security Printing Co Ltd also took home the Gold in Digital Printing Electrographic /Laser for their job for clients Da Chung Advertisement & Publishing Company, as well as the Fuji Xerox Gold Award for Best Innovative Use of the Printing Process for the same entry.

C&C Offset Printing Co Ltd (Guangdong) clinched the Bronze for Web Offset (Coated Stock) for their job for Autonews Publications.

Singapore’s Colourscan Co. Pte Ltd, Singapore, was again a big winner with three Golds for Leaflets, Flyers and Folders, for Postcards and Greeting Cards, as well as Colour Proof. Their colour proof submission for client, Takashimaya, also won the Epson Sponsor Award for Best in Digital Proofing. Colourscan also won a Bronze for Posters, Showcards, Card Constructions and Mobiles.

Times Printers Pte Ltd, Singapore, grabbed two Golds for Web Offset (Coated Stock) and Web Offset (Light Weight Coated). Their winning entry in Web Offset (Coated Stock) for SPH Magazines also took the UPM Sponsor Award for Best in Web Offset. They also won a Silver in Web Offset (Coated Stock).

As is usual practice, strict judging criteria meant that awards were only given out if entries were deemed worthy and this meant that the One-, Two- or Three-Colour Printing categories had neither a Gold nor Silver winner.

Two Silver awards were given for Speciality Printing as the judges felt the entries were of a high quality and were deserving of the award. Likewise, in six categories, two Bronze awards were given.

Callaghan says the competition was ’xtremely competitive”’and congratulated not only the Gold and special Sponsor Award winners, but also the Silver and Bronze winners for making the grade amid such fierce competition.

As all the winning entries were put on display, everyone had the opportunity to see the winning entries for themselves, and to know what it took for the entrants to win.

According to the judges, many entries didn’t make the grade because printers were careless in submitting copies of their print job for entry into the competition. Avoidable flaws such as hickies, misregistration, scuffing, roller marks and page alignment prevented a few printers from very possibly taking home the Gold.

Chairman of judges, Alf Carrigan, took time out to illustrate what the judges meant with visual examples. He advised printers to spend a few more minutes going over their entries to be submitted next year. “Due to the large number of entries, entries with obviously avoidable flaws will not even make the first cut,” Carrigan says. “Judges can only judge the samples which are submitted.”

Apart from Carrigan, who is also independent director, CRC Smartprint, Monash University Australia, and immediate past chairman Australian National Printing Awards, the judgeing panel comprised: Rod Urquhart, director of CRC Smartprint, Monash University Australia and chairman of judges, Australian National Printing Awards; Phadej Rattanalin, vice secretary, Thai Printing Association; Bob Lee, immediate President of the Print & Media Association, Singapore; Chairat Usavangkul, deputy managing director of TPN FlexPak Thailand and foremost educator in the Thai graphic arts industry; Major Wong Wing Kwong, immediate past president of the Institute of Printing Singapore, and member of the Institute of Printing UK; Koh Yeo Chye, trainer and examiner in printing, Institute of Technical Education Singapore, and member of the Institute of Printing Singapore; and Robert James, chairman of judges, Australian Flexographic Awards, and judge, Australian National Printing Awards.

In summary, Callaghan says, “Asian printers have raised the bar to greater heights in terms of print quality.”

He revealed that in 2006, title rights for the Asian Print Awards will be taken by Pack Print International (PPI). This recently announced regional packaging and printing exhibition to be held in Bangkok April 26-29, 2007 is jointly sponsored by the Thai Printing Association, the Thai Packaging Association and Messe Düsseldorf Asia. In 2006, the PPI Asian Print Excellence Awards will be held in Shanghai, China. Printers are encouraged to start early in preparing their entries for submission.

The organisers thanked sponsors Epson, Fuji Xerox, GMG, Heidelberg, Kodak, Phoenix Xtra and UPM, as well as patrons Agfa, Asian Printing Equipment, Bottcher, C Melchers, Canon, Deutsche Post, EFI, Flint Ink, GBC, Gretag Macbeth, HP, IPP, KBA, Komori, technotrans and Varn for getting behind the regional awards.