Sappi Fine Paper North America Announces Printers of the Year Gold Winners in 16th Year of Competition

BOSTON, June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Fine Paper North America today announced the 10 gold winners of its 16th North American Printers of the Year awards for 2012-2013. These distinguished winners were chosen as the most outstanding print submissions from approximately 1800 entries this year. The 10 gold winners receive $20,000 as well as 5,000 lbs of paper towards supporting marketing and brand initiatives.

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"With all the new technology available today, print and digital media are proving to be mutually supportive in increasing ROI of marketing campaigns," said Jennifer Miller, Executive Vice President Coated Business and Chief Sustainability Officer, Sappi Fine Paper North America. "With each Printers of the Year competition, we at Sappi recognize and applaud printers who continue to invest in the creative use of print, and take pride in showcasing the powerful possibilities of the medium."                                                                                         

Sappi's Printers of the Year awards recognize excellence in print and innovation, with nominated materials produced on Sappi papers across ten categories of work. A panel of highly regarded print professionals selected winning entries based on the overall impact of the piece, degree of difficulty in printing techniques, and technical excellence. The gold winners of Sappi's North American Printers of the Year are as follows:

To ensure the highest possible standards and integrity, this year's judging panel was comprised of Lauren Elliot, Principal of Wicked Good Print Production; Dr. Malcolm Kief, professor in the Graphic Communication Department at Cal Poly; Ken Lantz, independent print and process consultant based in New York; and James K. Tenorio, professor in the Graphic Communications Management Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout Wisconsin's Polytechnic University.

Sappi's North American Printers of the Year gold and silver winners will also gain increased visibility with current and potential clients by being featured on their own page in Sappi's Printers of the Year Online Resource. This unique and searchable database for designers, print buyers and corporations provides information about the award winning printers and their capabilities, printing equipment and location. The database is available at: www.sappi.com/na/poy.

About Sappi Fine Paper North America

Sappi Fine Paper North America, known for innovation and quality, is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release papers, as well as dissolving wood pulp (DWP) and market kraft pulp headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers, with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. The company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release papers provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths, flooring and other decorative surfaces. Sappi globally is the world's largest manufacturer of dissolving wood pulp and the leading supplier of viscose staple fiber. Dissolving wood pulp is a versatile raw material used by manufacturers to produce a wide range of products including textile fibers, pharmaceutical, beauty, and household products. Sappi Fine Paper North America, through the recent conversion of the Cloquet pulp mill, manufactures dissolving pulp under Sappi's Specialised Cellulose division primarily for the textile markets.  

Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.

For further information:

Joanna Rieke
Manager, Corporate Communications
Sappi Fine Paper North America
Office:  617-423-5409
[email protected]

Shannon McLoughlin
Burson-Marsteller
Office:  617-912-5412
Mobile:  646-379-7508
[email protected]

SOURCE Sappi Fine Paper North America