Winners of PrintWeek India Quality Awards 2011

Book Printer of the Year 2011

Jak Printers

Jak Printers, the winner of this Award, received worthy praise for its works such as The Sacred India Book.

Featuring India’s religious heritage, the book showcased photographer, Amit Pasricha’s breath-taking panoramas. The spectacular two-metre book (when open) weighing five kilos was printed on a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 seven-colour press using Sinar Mas Royal matt art paper and silk floor varnish online. Driven by Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow, Suprasetter CTP fired the plates and the Epson Stylus Pro with EFI XF RIP proofed the work. The book features a hardcase de-bossed cover, which along with the book, was block-fitted manually. Jak’s other entries, Chehere, Dance of the Peacock and Taj at Apollo Bunder, also came in for praise. "Exceptional" is how one of the judges described the quality of Jak’s work.

Winner
Jak Printers
Tel +91 22 2377 2222-6734 3131 / mail@jakprinters.com/ kpp@jakprinters.com

Commended
Pragati Offset
CDC Printers
Silverpoint Press
Replika Press
Parksons Graphics
Kohinoor Printers

Sponsored by
Welbound Worldwide

Brochure Printer Of the Year 2011

Pragati Offset

The winner of last year, Pragati Offset, has once again articulated the complexities of various print processes to emerge as the winner of this category.

The judges highlighted all the four brochures for its unusual graphic effects but the real estate brochure that this Hyderabad-based printer produced for MJ Developers came in for special praise. It featured the creation of textured UV separation for each image, giving a tactile feeling on all pages. The brochure was created using textured spot UV to create a wooden feel and gloss spot UV for highlights. Pragati said "It wasn’t easy". The judges agreed. Bringing out the perfect match of wood grains, against the apparent lack of visual difference between the UV’d and non-UV’d areas, was the highlight of this exquisite print job.

Winner 
Pragati Offset
Tel + 91 40 2338 0000 / harsha@pragati.com

Commended        
Silverpoint Press
Parksons Graphics
Vijay Process
Anderson Printing House
Mail Order Solutions
CDC Printers
Vishwakala Printers
Prodon Enterprises

Sponsored by
Advanced Graphic Systems and X-Rite

Business Magazine Printer of the Year 2011

Silverpoint Press

It's Silverpoint Press again this year. For the third year in a row, Silverpoint has been claiming the crown for this category by a huge margin.

It was the same set of magazines, Kyoorius, The Taj, The Leela and Marg – the Magazine of the Arts which had an impact on the judges because of "the reproduction of colour." This year The Taj front cover was printed on Met Pet silver with UV process colours on a two-colour press with two passes. The camouflaging of the silver lamination by pasting the first and last page onto the cover was "nicely done" according to a judge, thereby giving the magazine a finished look. Silverpoint is one of the few companies in India which has presses that are calibrated and synchronised with a RIP server enabling it to reproduce the exact colour gamut according to ISO standards.

Winner
Silverpoint Press
Tel +22 2493 3308-09 / sales@silverpointindia.com

Commended
Jak Printers
CDC Printers
Thomson Press India
Vyoma Graphics
Selection Scan De’print
Jwalamukhi Mundranalaya
MWN Press

Sponsored by
Campaign India

Catalogue Printer of the Year 2011

Silverpoint Press and Vishwakala Printers

Silverpoint Press and Vishwakala Printers share the honour in this tightly contested category. According to the judges, both the companies submitted a "wealth of high-quality examples" of catalogue samples.

The companies’ eye for colour and consistency also impressed the judges, making it difficult for the them to tilt the result in favour of any one. Silverpoint consolidated its position with its Pierre Suite collection; the Taj Mahal Palace catalogue; the Shivam catalogue and the Mercedes-Benz collection. Meanwhile Vishwakala booked its joint position by producing impressive samples for leading brands like Enamor Transform and Tanishq.

Joint Winner
Silverpoint Press and Vishwakala Printers
Tel +91 22 2493 3308-09 / sales@silverpointindia.com (Silverpoint)
Tel +91 80 2332 0275 / babu@vishwakalaprinters.com (Vishwakala)

Commended
Pragati Offset
Jak Printers
Parksons Graphics

Sponsored by
Advanced Graphic Systems and X-Rite

Consumer Magazine Printer of the Year 2011

Manipal Technologies (formerly Manipal Press)

Submitting lifestyle magazine entries for the category, according to a jury member, Manipal's exhaustive colour work indicated that team Manipal had "done its homework" in terms of addressing its clients, Condé Nast India and IDG India.

The Vogue magazine depicted Manipal’s range of finishing capabilities with six inserts showcasing spot abrasive UV, matt and gloss aqua coating and gloss spot UV on matt, art and specialty paper. The front side of one particular insert had Manipal using colours beyond CMYK with Pantone shades and special gold. According to Manipal, the magazine publishing industry leads to brilliant opportunities and ideas for printers to execute. The company houses a multi-colour web offset press from Komori, and sheetfed presses from Komori, Mitsubishi and Heidelberg along with a full service bindery consisting of a Muller Martini perfect binding kit, to ensure consistency and quality.

Winner
Manipal Technologies (formerly Manipal Press)
Tel +91 820 2571149 / shashi@manipalpress.com, shilpa@manipalpress.com

Creative Repro Company of the Year 2011

Honeycomb Creative Support

Once again it was the innovative approach of handling graphic design and pre-media requirements that brought glory to this Bengaluru-based firm.

It is the art of image creation that has extended Honeycomb’s landscape since the last time it won the Award in this category in 2010. According to a jury member from advertising, it was evident that the company went an "extra mile to keep the quality as per the high industry standards without compromising on it." No wonder the company has bagged big clients in advertising such as Temple Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather along with Mudra, Why Axis, Thousand Suns and Womb. Some of its clients in the corporate segment include Tanishq, Wipro, Bosch and Avon Beauty Products.

Winner
Honeycomb Creative Support
Tel +91 80 41148503 / noufel@honeycombindia.net

Commended        
Universal Print Systems
Comart Lithographers
Repro India

Sponsored by
Canon India

Digital Printer of the Year 2011

Avantika Printers

After Manipal Press in 2009 and Thomson Press in 2010, it was the turn of Avantika Printers. The judges declared this specialist from Delhi as a winner of Digital Printer of Year 2011.

It was the picture details and colour density of digital printing for the CSR coffee table book (Cairn India) that had Avantika inch ahead by a mere point from CDC Printers, the runner-up for this category. Most of the colour was rendered in-house. Avantika selected the impressive Ivory Natural paper and light board for the cover. Whereas, the entry sample of Short Story of a Long Pipeline was created after Avantika did R&D and produced an acrylic cover with letter prototyping and engraved alphabets. The company has a fleet of presses from Canon for digital printing.

Winner
Avantika Printers
Tel +91 11 2621 5580 / mnpandey@appl.in, mail@mnpandey.com

Commended
CDC Printers
Print On Demand Services
Thomson Press India
PrintExpressions
PrintStop India
Positive Point
Mazda Imaging
Mail Order Solutions

Sponsored by
Canon India

Fine Art Printer of the Year 2011

Marvel Graphic Studio

First timer at the Awards event, Ahmedabad-based Marvel Graphic Studio was declared the winner for its limited edition of serigraph works of artists like Akbar Padamsee, Amit Ambalal, Shanti Dave and K G Subramanyam.

Most of the work had more than 25 tones of colours/screen using Somerset Radiant and Fabriano papers, which brought to life the strokes of the artists. According to the judges, Marvel’s works have pushed, what screen printers often use as the reduction technique, far beyond its application, by creating stunningly realistic images in colour and tone. According to Marvel, the special feature was creating the gold colour in KG Subramanyam’s work. "Multiple applications of colours gradually builds what appears as gold, and it was quite challenging," said the team at Marvel.

Winner
Marvel Graphic Studio
Tel +91 98240 30954-58696 / marvelartgallery@gmail.com

Commended
Silverpoint Press
Thomson Press India
Pragati Offset
Prodon Enterprises
Jak Printers
Comart Lithographers
MWN Press
Spectrum Scan
Replika Press

Sponsored by
Advanced Graphic Systems and Digital Information Inkzone

Label Printer of the Year 2011

Manohar Packaging

Manohar Packaging had the judges admiring the immaculately produced crisp print of even the small sized text on the four samples for liquor labels. According to the jury, the entries addressed the key aspects with "micro mesh pattern on the background over blue on the Antiquity Blue Whisky label."

An array of processes were involved for producing the Signature Rare Whisky label which involved printing on Omet narrow-web press, double hot foil stamping, micro and deep embossing, and die-cutting all in one pass on 80 gsm mirror coat paper. According to Manohar, overprinting on labels to create special effects is an art which enables it to deliver the exacting standards demanded by the client. Again, this was a tightly contested category. Universal Print Systems was a close runner-up.


Winner
Manohar Packaging
Tel +91 98213 61159 / aditya@manoharmail.com

Commended        
Zircon Technologies India
Pragati Flexo
Wintek Flexo Prints
Total Print Solution
Universal Print Systems
Jwalamukhi Mundranalaya
Unique Photo Offset Services
Narayan Offset Works
Interlabels Industries

Newspaper Printer of the Year 2011

Divya Bhaskar (DB Corporation)

This is the third PrintWeek India Award trophy for Divya Bhaskar in as many editions. In the first two years, this regional daily was selected by the jury for its excellent design, layout and print quality. This year it went a step ahead by producing 3-D newspapers and newspapers with fragrance.

It is these innovative features that set it apart from the other newspapers in this category. It is value for readers that makes Divya Bhaskar come up with such innovations. The newspaper with fragrance was produced on the occasion of the festival of Holi, welcoming the readers with the smell of rose when they picked up the daily in the morning. Equipped with a KBA Prisma, Divya Bhaskar has a print capacity of 2.7-lakh cph, fires TechNova’s plates on a Krause LS Jet 300 and uses Micro inks. It is also equipped with an Idab Wamac mailroom system.


Winner
Divya Bhaskar (DB Corporation)
Tel +91 79 3988 8850 / s_rakesh@guj.bhaskarnet.com

Commended
Malayalam Manorama
Dainik Bhaskar - Jaipur
Dainik Bhaskar - Bhopal
Dainik Bhaskar - Indore
Punjab Kesari
Mid Day Infomedia Ltd

Innovative Printer of the Year 2011

Jayna Packaging

This category saw a maximum number of entries (59) from the 18 Quality Awards categories. What stood out was the first time entrant Jayna Packaging's Rocking Chair made out of strongly bounded stacks of fabricated 180 gsm five-ply corrugated board.

It had the jury members exclaiming "such an innovation is out-of-the-box and diverse from two dimensional print." The winning entry is one of the most aesthetic achievements of Haresh Mehta, owner of Jayna Packaging. It amply demonstrated the company values of product design and the importance of translating them into three-dimensional models. According to Mehta, "corrugated sheets are known to be dull, cube boxes which are used to pack and transport merchandise. I challenged this perspective." All the 29 jury members who sat on the chair were amazed.

Winner
Jayna Packaging
Tel +91 80 824 29880 / jaynapkg@gmail.com

Commended
Supressa Graphics
New Jack Printing Press
Autostriping India
Spectrum Scan
Screen Art Enterprises
Comart Lithographers

Sponsored by
Canon India

Packaging Converter of the Year 2011

Utility PrintPack

After winning the Award in this category at the inaugural edition of PrintWeek India Awards in 2009, Utility PrintPack is the winner for Packaging Converter of the Year 2011 on its core strength of cartons for luxury packaging.

Finishing techniques like satin matt lamination for the Hair Man carton to provide a luxurious tactile feel, fabrication on the Shahama carton, which played the azaan every time the box was opened, multi-level 3-D embossing effect achieved using special brass dies on Bobst die-cutter, sharp window patching of a heart shape on Yardley Valentine gift set had the judges title the company as "master of precision." The entries were printed on a range of multi-colour Heidelberg presses to achieve high quality print result. The company is a huge exporter of cartons for luxury and liquor products with customers all around the world.


Winner
Utility PrintPack
Tel +91 22 6144 6666 / sales@utilityprintpack.com

Commended        
Pragati Pack
Jayna Packaging
Positive Packaging India
TCPL Packaging
Manohar Packaging
Manipal Press
Kumar Printers
International Print-o-Pac

Sponsored by
Bobst India

Personalisation, VDP & Transpromo Printer of the Year 2011

Mail Order Solutions

Mail Order Solutions (MOS) has again won this category, as they did in 2010 when the category for personalisation, VDP and transpromo was introduced. The Ambuja Saarthi welcome kit had judges describe it as "we would love to receive such personalised mailers."

The highly personalised welcome communication consisted of personalised items like letter, brochure, semi personalised business forms, notepads and personalised Ambuja branded visiting cards. According to the company, printing was divided into offset and digital elements and printed on metallic paper. Data was divided on the basis of languages and branches for ease of packing and distribution. This Mumbai-based printer continues to impress with its intelligent use of data, print and finishing techniques.

Winner
Mail Order Solutions
Tel + 91 22 4033 0100 / info@mosindia.biz

Commended        
Perfact Color Digital Prints
Printexpressions
Comart Lithographers
Secure Print Solutions
Hitech Print Systems

Sponsored by
GMC Software Technology

Point-of-Purchase Printer of the Year 2011

Resync Progressive Retail Solutions and Spectrum Scan

After a careful scrutiny of the entries in this category, the jury came up with two names - Spectrum Scan and Resync Progressive Retail Solutions as joint winners. The level of importance on the branding and product visibility made it difficult for the judges to choose the best out of the two.

While Resync’s entry for Shoppers Stop displayed a specially designed dump bin to carry up to 40kg weight with a bottom lock and changeable branding option, Spectrum’s entries exhibited the execution of brand concepts through print and fabrication. The uniquely designed Nano Drop Box promoted ING Vysya Bank’s car finance whereas the dispensing unit for Colgate Plax Parasite held the mouthwash bottles diagonally, inducing the customer to pick one.   

Joint Winner
Resync Progressive Retail Solutions and Spectrum Scan
Tel +91 22 6679 3500 / ketaki.raorane@classicstripes.com (Resync)
Tel +91 22 6660 4612/13 / amit@spectrummail.com (Spectrum)

Commended        
Pragati Offset
Parksons Graphics
Jayna Packaging
Ajanta Print Arts
Jak Printers
Macromedia
Kohinoor Printers

Poster Printer of the Year 2011

Pragati Offset

Pragati's entries for the poster category aptly fulfilled the criteria to win the Award. Right from the micro embossing on Bharat Eye Bank poster to accentuate the details in the foreground and background elements, to the use of raised UV for simulating actual water droplets on the ITC Gold Flake Artic Menthol poster for providing a textured effect, the innovative print applications had the judges term the entries as "eye-catching".

The judges enjoyed the 3-D effect on the ITC Classic Menthol Rush lenticular poster. According to the company, it changed the artwork of this entry to achieve best animation along with the movement in vertical axis since the poster would be stationery on the wall and people would walk past it. The result was highly-applauded by the jury.

Winner
Pragati Offset
Tel + 91 40 2338 0000 / harsha@pragati.com

Commended
Silverpoint Press
Print Vision
Jak Printers
Spectrum Scan
Antz Innovations
Selection Scan De’print
Unique Photo Offset Services

Report & Accounts Printer of the Year 2011

Parksons Graphics

The entries in this category ranged from beautiful calendars to invitation cards. But the winner for this category, impressed the judges with their samples of calendars; their print and production abilities which included matt lamination, die-punching and finishing.

Particularly impressive was the National Geographic calendar. "The simple and eye-catching design; and the subtly reproduced colours, made the subject on each sheet of the calendar more exquisite," said a judge. The company confirmed its place at the top of the stationery pile with the stunning Tanishq calendar, which used aqueous coating and punching. Vishwakala employed the Apogee-X workflow to power the Heidelberg XL 75 four-colour with an inline coater to produce the samples.

Winner
Parksons Graphics
Tel +91 22 6692 4611 / info@parksonsgraphics.com

Commended
Jak Printers
Pragati offset
Unik Printers
CDC Printers
Repro India
Thomson Press India

Social Stationery Printer of the Year 2011

Vishwakala Printers

The entries in this category ranged from beautiful calendars to invitation cards. But the winner for this category, impressed the judges with their samples of calendars; their print and production abilities which included matt lamination, die-punching and finishing.

Particularly impressive was the National Geographic calendar. "The simple and eye-catching design; and the subtly reproduced colours, made the subject on each sheet of the calendar more exquisite," said a judge. The company confirmed its place at the top of the stationery pile with the stunning Tanishq calendar, which used aqueous coating and punching. Vishwakala employed the Apogee-X workflow to power the Heidelberg XL 75 four-colour with an inline coater to produce the samples.

Winner
Vishwakala Printers
Tel +91 80 2332 0275 / babu@vishwakalaprinters.com

Commended
Parksons Graphics
Jak Printers
Silverpoint Press
CDC Printers
Vijay Process
Screen Art Enterprises
Kohinoor Printers
Antz Innovations

Wide-Format Printer of the Year 2011

Spectrum Scan

"A surprise package," according to the judges, Spectrum Scan is the Wide-Format Printer of the Year. The surprising factor was the white opaque vinyl base which was pasted on the reverse side of the L'Oreal image.

It created a dazzling duo tone effect and had the judges amazed at the "accentuating brand image." Apart from acrylic, the company used a variety of substrates for its other entries like mosquito net material and Avery vinyl: gloss laminated and mounted on sunboard. The printing was done using HP UV flatbed and latex printers. The company also houses indigenous thermoforming machines, which use substrates like PETG, HIPS, PP, PC, PVC, acrylic to produce signage and POP solutions.

Winner
Spectrum Scan
Tel +91 22 6660 4612/13 / amit@spectrummail.com

Commended
Autostriping India
Color Photo Print
Comart Lithographers
Macromedia

Sponsored by
Canon India