“Amazing” Screen Print Take Supreme Award

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Supreme Winners L-R: Warren Fenning, Cyril Southan and Greg Nash of Original Screen

New Zealand Pride In Print Awards 2008

“Amazing” Screen Print Take Supreme Award at Pride In Print

The 2008 Pride In Print Supreme Award has gone to Penrose company Original Screen for a poster produced for Wella Koleston that judges hailed as being of “amazing” quality.

The “Hair Comes Alive In Our Hands” poster was rated as being “an absolutely superb example of a large-screen format screen print. Beautiful shadow, midtone and highlights created an excellent result.”

The poster, depicting a model with swirling long blond hair and penetrating blue eyes, was an “amazing result” said senior Pride In Print pre-press judge Bill Ashworth.

“This job was done with an extremely fine screen ruling. It is very difficult to get such smooth flesh tones with such a fine half-tone frequency.

“A remarkable thing about the final printed result is the similarity between the digital proof of the artwork and the final poster.

“It shows no scuffing or marks of any kind. There is no fault at all.

“The degree of difficulty would have been very high and the judges viewed the final result as exceptional.”

Amazingly, this is the second time Original Screen has taken the Supreme honours in only handful of years, having won also in 2004.

Cyril Southan of Original Screen said that the company initially had some doubts about entering the poster because of a perceived problem with an original file that was supplied, but decided to go ahead after further consideration.

“The awards manager Sue Archibald said to us ‘look – you have just gone over and cleaned up in the Australasian awards, so you have to enter ours!’,” he said.

“We are especially pleased because it was produced entirely in-house and was done by two of our apprentices, which is a great achievement. As a company this is the second time we have won this award so this is a really big deal for us.”

The “Hair Comes Alive In Our Hands” poster was printed on Yupo stock on a Thieme 5070 press supplied by Uni-screen, using inks supplied by Blue Print.

Raspberry Rush “Shines” in Gravure

Innovative use of silver ink was one of the features of the Mizone Rapid – Raspberry Rush label that took out the Pride In Print Gravure Category award.

The entry from Petone’s Gravure Packaging Ltd, printed for Frucor Beverages, won the judges’ approval as best of category with its excellent ink lay down and general excellence of the print quality.

However senior gravure judge Leo Caunter said the label also took the eye because of its clever use of metallised ink.

“Rather than print on a metallised substrate they have used a silver ink which not only produces cost savings but also means that it can be picked up by a metal detector. That is very useful for recording numbers on the packing line.

“The Mizone Rapid – Raspberry Rush label shone in the gravure category,” he said

Greg Chapman of Gravure Packaging said the label was a particularly difficult job because of the laminates.

“It is difficult to get registration correct and then hold it. Then there was silver ink used in there which had an environmental benefit because it reduced the amount of waste material. We are really pleased about that and in some ways perhaps we should also have entered it for the environmental category.”

Mr Chapman said Gravure Packaging was a big supporter of Pride In Print and had enjoyed a number of successes over the years – “We are running out of wall space!” he quipped.

“However we are very pleased because the previous supplier was a flexography printer and we have talked up the benefits of gravure for a number of years, so this is our reward!”

The Mizone Rapid – Raspberry Rush label was printed on Exxon Mobil stock supplied by Packaging Materials Ltd, using a Kuen Yuh Rotogravure press with inks supplied by DIC New Zealand.

Carter Holt Harvey Gets Plaudits for Keeping Flexo Work Onshore

Carter Holt Harvey Paper Bag not only took out the Pride In Print Flexography Category, the company also got a pat on the back from the judges for keeping the New Zealand flag flying.

Senior flexography judge Leo Caunter said the Organic Plain Flour 25kg pack produced by Carter Holt Harvey Paper Bag of Penrose for Weston Milling of Australia was an excellent job.

“This was done on a press which was basically 25 years old and was printed on stock similar to rough craft paper. Yet the printer has managed to produce an appealing commercial product. It is exceptional work.”

Mr Caunter added that it was heartening to see Carter Holt Harvey Paper Bag operating in this sector from its New Zealand base.

“Much work in this category has gone offshore, so it good to see this company staying in New Zealand and producing work of this quality here.”

Carter Holt Harvey Paper Bag’s Tony Tucker reserved strong praise for the individual printer responsible for the job.

“He has been printing for quite a few years – he is not a qualified printer – but he is one of my top staff members,” he said. “It is quite a complex job and yet we printed it on an old, single-stack machine.

“Considering we are only using 300 line anilox, it is actually quite impressive to get all that fine detail around the house image. We had to ensure we got the ink to the right viscosity and make sure we had the right tape for the plates.”

Having won a few gold medals in the past, Mr Tucker said it was fantastic to now be a Supreme Award Finalist.

“It could attract more customers, but definitely for the guys on the printing floor getting nominated for this is fantastic. I’ve just rung work now and said ‘we’ve been nominated’ and the guys are rapt, it boosts everyone up.”

The Organic Plain Flour 25kg pack was printed on six-colour Flexographic stack machine manufactured by Flexotechnica with inks supplied by Este Inks.

NZ Rox Its Way to Packaging Success

The NZ Rox Jewellery Box that wowed packaging judges at Pride In Print was “superbly produced and finished”, according to Packaging Category head judge Laurie Lark.

Entered by Logick Print & Graphics Ltd of Penrose with Continuum as the final client, the beautifully-crafted gold box and greenstone pendant initially struck judges as being a short-run product for the crafts market.

“However 10,000 of them were produced so it is a genuine commercial product, and the standard is top drawer,” said Mr Lark.

He said the box was created with diecuts and several passes for die-cutting, creasing and embossing, allowing the operator to change the pressures on each pass so that the cutting, embossing and creases could be finished perfectly.

“The finish with coloured foils makes for an attractive final appearance. There is a high degree of difficulty in this job and full credit to them for producing work of such quality,” said Mr Lark

Dave Gick of Logick Print & Graphics paid tribute to the long relationship with Hamish Rae of Canterbury-based New Zealand Rox that had produced the box.

“We won our first gold medal in Pride In Print with this customer four years ago and since then this product has been in development all that time, with the two of us working very closely.

“The complexity of the design was extreme. All the creases were curved and the way it folds and snaps together, creates a pressure that holds the box closed. It was designed so that the weight of the pendant held the box standing for display.”

Mr Gick also praised apprentice Mitchell Tomai who created the box.

“He produced that from start to finish and we told him that if we won gold, it would be him that got up on the stage and received the award – and he did! But we are also proud of the whole team that worked on this job.”

The NZ Rox Jewellery Box was printed on B&F 250gsm curious metallics rusted stock supplied by the Carter Holt Harvey Whakatane Mill, on a GTO 52 four-colour CPC press, using inks supplied by Nova.

Sheetfed Winner Shows NZ Can Match Asia

The beautifully-created Bird Atlas of New Zealand, which took out the Sheetfed Category Award at the Pride In Print Awards, gained extra plaudits for showing how New Zealand print standards can match the best that Asia has to offer.

Senior sheetfed judge Damian Fleming said the Bird Atlas of New Zealand – printed by Printlink of Wellington for The Ornithological Society of New Zealand – was a fine example of printing excellence.

“What I particularly like about this book is that it is the type of job that could easily have gone to an Asian printer. Instead, the job stayed here in New Zealand and that has to be recognised as a great thing for the print industry here.”

Mr Fleming said the finished output justified the faith in Kiwi print expertise.

“This is a fine example of teamwork. There are over 500 pages and the judges went over every page and could not find fault on any of them. The registration and colour are perfect,” he said.

The Bird Atlas of New Zealand was printed using Magno Satin and Sapphire Offset stocks supplied by BJ Ball Papers and Spicers Paper respectively, on a Heidelberg SM74CD six-colour + C press using inks supplied by Nova Inks.

Meadow Lea Takes Labels Prize

The Pride In Print Labels Category Award has been won by GEON Kiwi Labels of Christchurch for the Meadow Lea Two-Litre Junior Promotional Label, produced for Goodman Fielder.

Senior labels judge Chris Mills said the job was printed on a letterpress machine so a lot of individual operator control would have been required to ensure a top finish.

“It is an excellent result for a very well-printed job”, he said.

GEON Kiwi Labels’ Andrew Thomson said a unique factor in the job was ensuring each and every label had an individual serial code which was required for a text competition.

“The run was about 50 million labels and we had to sequentially put those codes on them inline on the run,” he said. “The sole operator handled everything from the six-colour work to the coding, all in one hit.”

Mr Thomson said it was also impressive to produce such a high quality of work on what is quite old machinery.

“This job was a favourite of mine, based partly on the skill level of the operator and the story we told about it to the judges – i.e. the operator had to solely run the whole job with the inkjet coder, the amount of labels that were produced and the very tight registration required on a lot of reversed-out text.”

This was only GEON Kiwi Labels’ second appearance in the Pride In Print Awards, following the gold medals won in the label category last year.

The Meadow Lea Two-Litre Junior Promotional Label was printed using KiwiChill stock supplied by Avery Dennison, on a Kopack six-colour press using inks supplied by Flint Group.

ANZAC Memories Rekindled by Passchendaele Memorial Book

A nostalgic memorial book invoking the ANZAC links between New Zealand and Belgium has carried off the Binding and Finishing Category Prize at this year’s Pride In Print Awards.

The Passchendaele Memorial Book was produced by Verve Digital Ltd of Christchurch who printed it for the Waimakariri District Council. Commemorating the 90th anniversary of the tragic battle, the book was presented by the council to the Mayor of Zonnebeke in Belgium.

Senior finishing judge Chris Woodhead said the book was notable both for its content and for its innovative use of digital print technology.

“The material is obviously very sombre and poignant. The replication of aged documents in the book was very tastefully done to reflect that mood. The work reflected a superb choice of materials, imagery, design and production skills.

“It was printed by inkjet, case bound using leather and look-alike material chosen to mimic the canvass carried by WWI servicemen. The end result is a fantastic reflection of the original documents and memorabilia from nearly a century ago.

“It is a job I could not fault.”

The Passchendaele War Commemoration Box was printed using Fedrigoni Tintoretto Gesso stock for the text, supplied by Spicers Paper, and Jetpro supplied by Aarque Graphics for the cover. The cover was printed on an Epson 9600 and the text on an Indigo 3050, using inks supplied by Aarque Graphics (cover) and AM International (text).

Golden Compass Points Direction for Improved Digital Entries

A backlit graphic for display in Burger King restaurants has gained top recognition for digital print entries in a year when the standard of digital entries for the Pride In Print Awards showed a quantum leap forward.

Judges were wooed by the overall print quality of the Golden Compass graphic, printed by Admark Visual Imaging Ltd of Hamilton on behalf of final client Burger King.

“This was a very impressive digital print -- we found no banding or imperfections,” said senior digital judge Matt Hall.

“Backlit print is traditionally a difficult process to produce to such a high standard, particularly when using solvent-based technology.

“A high level of saturation is required to ensure the image doesn’t ‘blow out’ when it is lit from behind -- and that intensity of colour has been achieved in the Golden Compass without compromising any of the shadow detail.

“It was an extremely well done job.”

Admark Visual Imaging owner Laurie Pilling said the job was “beautifully printed”.

“When you go into Burger King stores and you see all the menus and promotions, they have strong lights behind them and there are special techniques we use to ensure the light shines through the material and makes the images look really vibrant.

“[This award] is really saying it was the best digital print job for the industry and there were a lot of digital entries. It is quite an honour.”

Mr Pilling said his company is proud to be a regular Pride In Print Supreme Award Finalist.

“We are at the top end of the market and it is the people that operate good equipment, that produce perfection. It’s about staff that are well trained, passionate about what they do and perform at a very high level.”

The Golden Compass graphic, was printed using Jenrite 70 micron Arctic Gloss and JetPro Backlit Film (175 micron, 1270mm x 30m) supplied by Aarque Graphics, on a Seiko Colour Painter 64S press using inks supplied by Aarque Graphics.

Metal Print Winner “A Career Best”

The winner of this year’s Pride In Print Metal Printing award has been hailed by a senior judge as the “best I have ever seen in a career spanning nearly 50 years”.

Metal printing expert Victor Hopwood said seeing the printing by Fonterra Canpac of Hamilton, which took out the Special Processes Category, was a career highlight.

“I have been in the industry nearly 50 years, in the UK and New Zealand, and I have never seen an example of print quality on metal like this. The material was totally unsympathetic to a print process with no ink absorption, and the type of machine that this was printed on means the operator input was critical.

“This was a commercial export job and it is a magnificent example of New Zealand printing to be sending overseas.”

Fonterra Canpac Hamilton’s Wayne Prall says he was delighted for his company to have achieved its first Supreme Finals appearance.

“Being metal decorators we use a UV process but copying UV ink straight onto tinplate created an adhesion problem,” he said.

“So through Siegwerk New Zealand we were given a size coating that was compatible with the inks we were using. We printed a gold onto the tinplate and used the tinplate as a natural metallic effect to the gold, then put three printed whites down and finally printed the other colours on.

“We used a really old press and could only do two passes at a time, so being a ten-colour job it was vital to get every pass right.”

Mr Prall said it was a long and complicated process which saw great team work between his company and its suppliers.

“I’m sure it will do well for the guys on the floor. Hopefully this will give new life to the department. We are really chuffed with it.”

The Nutricia Karicare Gold 2 label was printed on a Crabtree Marquess press using inks supplied by Siegwerk.

Gold Dot Card Wins in Exceptional Year for Security Print

Christchurch firm Security Plastics has topped the Security Printing category in the Pride In Print Awards with a credit card that stood out in a year where the bar was raised throughout the sector.

Senior judge Leo Caunter said the Westpac Gold Dot Card was especially deserving of honours because the standard this year in the business forms and security print area had been very high.

“This credit card could not be faulted. It involved multiple passes and laminations, offset printing and silk screens, holograms and embossing. All in all it is an excellent piece of work,” he said.

Steve Morgan of Security Plastics described the card as “one of the most difficult jobs to go through our factory”.

“It pushed the boundaries for us. Westpac wanted something different from other credit cards, something that could be touched and felt, and as a result we faced technological challenges in the fine detail, the embossing pattern and registration.”

Mr Morgan said that when the card was finished, he could see it had the potential to be an award winner.

“Pushing the boundaries is what Pride In Print is about. As much as they hated it in the factory because of its complexity, they will now know it was worth all the effort at the end of the day. They’ll be very proud of it.”

The Westpac Gold Dot Card was printed using Klockner Pentaplast stock on a Komori Lithrone press using inks supplied by Toka and Apollo.

ENDS

* (note to publishers: Pride In Print has a capital “I” for “In”)

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