A Digital Print Guide that was created during the dark days of COVID lockdown has ended up winning Melbourne’s The Print Department the “Best of the Best” award from a field of printers across Asia at Fuji Xerox’s renamed Innovation Print Awards.

The Print Department business and marketing manager Diana Pezzano says herself and the rest of the team are thrilled that the guide has won the top award, especially given it was put together during the hard days of COVID.

“We’ve been working on this project through COVID so we decided to enter it and see how we would go. We have taken out the number one award so we are thrilled with it,” Pezzano told Sprinter.

Pezzano said the guide, which was created using a Fuji Xerox Iridesse Production Press, has been welcomed by customers who use the book to help them decide on what types of stocks, print and other features they would like included in their campaigns.

Fuji Xerox Australia has released the full list of winners for the 2020 awards with other Australian printers to win also including Snap Circular Quay and Digital Print Australia, which has been printing since 1973.

Snap Circular Quay won the Brochures and Catalogues category, while Digital Print Australia took out the top spot in the Books category. Snap Circular Quay also scored runner-up in the Food and/or Drinks Menu category.

The Fuji Xerox awards were previously known as the Pixi Awards, but this year were renamed Innovation Print Awards.

Fuji Xerox customers from Australia, China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam were in the running for the awards.

The awards comprise 16 categories and this year two new categories were added.

The first being the “Best Use of Creative Design” to allow users to capture different types of creativity and innovation in digital printing and showcase the applications available on Fuji Xerox’s Iridesse Production Press.

The other new category – Special Recognition “Best of the Best” – was won by The Print Department.

“As the Iridesse has been part of our business for the past three and a half years, we have worked very closely with our clients to help them capitalise on the capabilities and strengths of this unique press and help them to realise their brilliant ideas,” Pezzano said.

“We have always wanted to produce an extensive guide that encapsulates all these ideas. And as difficult as 2020 was, the team at TPD collectively decided to finally bring this idea to life.

“We wanted it to be the “go-to-guide” for our clients when working on their print project. A guide that can show them how to  CREATE, PRINT + INSPIRE.”

The judging panel was again made up of printing industry experts from the Asian Print Awards – Paul Callaghan and Major Wong Wing Kwong. Entries were assessed based on criteria including print quality, appropriate use of digital technology, degree of innovation, business effectiveness and overall aesthetics.

“Through this competition, we saw prevalent use of special colours like Gold, Silver and Metallics, and the way in which companies are using these to enhance the work that they print is truly amazing,” Callaghan said.

“The submitted pieces for our judging were avant-garde and are only made possible with the recent technological advancements.

“These new processes definitely added even more punch for print buyers and the products they ultimately put into the market.”

Fuji Xerox says that of the 27 winning entries, 18 were produced using the Iridesse Production Press.

For the first time in the award’s 12 year history, two entries using Fujifilm Jet Press and Acuity equipment were also among the winner, further supporting the appetite for diversity in print.

“We are extremely proud of our four Australian winners. The works produced by our customers not only showcased their ingenuity but also their consistent innovation in print that they bring to the local industry and their customers” said Chris Lynch, General Manager, Graphic Communication Services, Fuji Xerox Australia.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter