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Geographics win’s PIAG highest honor for 5th time in 7 years
SMYRNA, Ga. — Geographics, Inc. of Atlanta won five Top Gold Awards in the Georgia Print Excellence Competition held this spring — setting it aside as one of Georgia’s finest printers. The company took home an impressive number of awards, including: Best Nonprocess Color Printing Top Gold Award, Best Execution of Ink Top Gold Award, Best Web Printing Top Gold Award, Best Catalog Top Gold Award and the Top Notch Gold Award. The statewide contest is conducted annually by the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia (PIAG) to recognize the finest printing and print finishing in the state.
The announcements were made May 4th during the PIAG Celebration of Print Gala at the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom in Atlanta. More than 550 graphic arts professionals attended this grand night of industry celebration. Only 20 Top Gold Awards are presented in the Print Excellence Competition — which attracted more than 1,160 entries this year. The Top Gold Awards recognize the crème de la crème of the entire competition.
Geographics, Inc. was honored with the Best Execution of Ink Top Gold Award for a holiday greeting card they produced for MOL. The competition judges cited a “great use of and printing of ink…” making for a “…very attractive piece”.
Geographics, Inc. also took home Best Catalog Top Gold Award produced for SCAD. Judge Wendell Burns of Chattanooga, TN commented that the piece was chosen for its difficult use of “consistent color throughout on uncoated stock”.
Geographics, Inc. was also presented with the Best Web Printing Top Gold Award for a catalog they produced for Sea Ray Boats. Competition Judge Dave Wilcox of Little Rock, AK stated that this was “a great printed piece with excellent photography reproduction. A super job!”
Geographics, Inc. was also honored with the Best Nonprocess Color Printing Top Gold Award for a self mailer they produced for MOI. Judge Jim Mayes commented on the piece, saying “great solids, great ink hold out with great trapping. A very well-printed piece”.
As a result of their outstanding achievements, Geographics was also announced as the 2007 Division Four Top Notch Award recipient. The Top Notch Gold Award is given to the one company from each division with the largest number of awards. Geographics received this honor after winning a total of 35 first place Best of Category awards, 64 Awards of Excellence and 5 Top Gold Awards.
A panel of judges with extensive experience in printing and print production examined the entries submitted. Each printed piece was judged on its own merit in categories with similar printed pieces. The judging criteria included: registration, clarity and neatness, sharpness of halftones and line drawings, richness and tonal qualities of color, paper and ink selection, ink coverage, difficulty of printing, effective contrast or softness, overall visual impact and bindery.
One Best of Category (first place) and one or more Awards of Excellence (second place) were given in each category. Only Best of Category award-winning entries were eligible for the Top Gold awards given in the competition.
Best Execution of Ink Top Gold Award was sponsored by the Wikoff Color Corporation and presented by branch manager Ronny Norman. The Best Catalog Top Gold Award was sponsored by AGFA Corporation and presented by electronic specialist John Muzzey. Best Nonprocess Color Printing Top Gold Award was sponsored by PIAG Insurance Services Agency and presented by PIAG president Rachel Ann Shattah. Best Web Printing Top Gold Award was sponsored by Coyne Textile Services and presented by regional sales manager Bruce Morgan.
PIAG is a 450-member trade association headquartered in Smyrna, Georgia representing the state’s largest manufacturing industry, which is comprised of 840 companies and 24,358 employees. The Association is affiliated with the world’s largest graphic arts trade association and the premier technical resource in graphic arts, Printing Industries of America / Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. For more information about the award or Geographics, Inc., contact Norvin Hagan at (404) 768-5805.
