A Celebration of Imagination Wins Again!

The Foil & Specialty Effects Association proudly recognizes the winners of the 17^th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Competition and honored the winners at the Gold Leaf Awards Banquet, held in conjunction with the FSEA National Convention at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans in early April.

Independent Printing – Gold Award for “A Celebration of Imagination”

Category: Best Use of Decorative Diecutting with Foil Stamping and/or Embossing

Foil Stamping, embossing, holography, and unique effects such as specialty coatings, laminates, decorative diecutting, and cold foil on a product represent quality, added value, shelf presence, individuality, and security – attributes that allow a product to shine above the rest of the competition. Whether a greeting card, package, presentation folder, label, or promotional item, the ability to stand out above the crowd and unmask the extraordinary is just the type of eye-catching work that the Foil & Specialty Effects Association showcases in its annual Gold Leaf Awards Competition – a culmination of the most creative, brilliant, and technically difficult works in the industry.

The 2009 competition once again soared with extraordinary entries submitted from FSEA member and non-member companies from all over the world, once again exemplifying images of top quality craftsmanship and expressions of excellence in the areas of foil stamping, embossing, specialty effects, and design. New to this year’s competition, categories were added relating to excellence in specialty effects applications, including specialty UV coatings, laminates, and laser cutting, as well as categories relating to the use of ‘green’ materials and the cold foil process.

Entries were judged on design, execution, and level of difficulty in 28 different categories with a gold, silver, and bronze award presented in each category. More than 200 pieces were received from the United States (and Puerto Rico), Canada, Finland, Australia, and China – continuing the competition’s steadfast commitment to gaining visibility throughout the graphic arts community at large.

All Gold Leaf Award winners, including the Best of Show Award, can be viewed at www.fsea.com.

2010 PIW Awards

Independent Printing was proud to learn recently that two of our projects won top honors in the 10th Annual Graphic Excellence Awards sponsored by the Printing Industries of Wisconsin!  (The competition is designed to acknowledge and honor superb craftsmanship in the creation, design, and production of top-quality print materials.)

This year, Badger awards went to Wausau Paper’s Inspired Color piece which won in the Booklet Category. A Celebration of Imagination took the highest honor in the Invitations category judging.

These fine pieces are now being considered for the prestigious Best of Show Award which will be presented on May 11 at the PIW Awards Gala in Milwaukee. Independent Printing proudly accepted Best of Show honors twice in the award program's history.

This isn't the end of the road for our winners, however.  They'll each be entered in the Premier Print Awards competition in hopes of winning honors on a National level through Printing Industries of America.  Stay tuned for the results!   

Paper, Please

Digital media is no substitute for traditional printed pieces, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Earthtone, a firm specializing in comparison pricing for printers. 

The majority of employed US adults (64 percent) say print media is easier to read than the digital equivalent.  Further, more than two-thirds (68%) say they feel more comfortable reading something on paper than on screen, suggesting that we associate things we can touch and feel as being more "real."

Deliver Magazine, March 2010