Four Australian printers have taken out prizes for their work with Fuji Xerox equipment at the Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (Pixi) Awards for the Asia Pacific region.
The Australian businesses took home a total of seven awards, including three first place wins. The standout, Gold Coast based printer Pronto Direct, placed first for its work in the Brochures and Catalogues categories and came second in the 5th Colour Award category. Direct Mail and Marketing took out the gold in the Direct Marketing category and tied for second in Self Promotion. Blue Star Victoria came second in Books and Manuals while Enviro Group was second in Point of Sale Materials.
Geoff Davey, general manager of Pronto Direct says, “To be recognised across the region as a standout in three categories is incredibly exciting for our team and of course our customers. Receiving two first place and a second place award in the Fuji Xerox Pixi Awards has enabled us to showcase the type of output we are now producing in an evolving market.
Pronto Direct has been winning awards at the Pixis for three years now.
Davey says, “There is certainly a lot of pride in our staff. We have an art department, a marketing department, a production department and they are all having pride and recognition in their efforts. As the general manager I am pleased to give them that.
“We have 100 per cent Fuji Xerox print room. Two iGen150s, and the 1000i press with a fifth colour. That does the bulk of our production for printed material.
“Being able to win awards for three years speaks to a consistency in our creativity and our production. It is nice to take to customers and to show the recognition for our work. For Pronto, our goal has been to produce bespoke products that showcase the capability of the solutions we have implemented and at this year’s Pixis we have been acknowledged for exactly that.”
[Related: Aussies top Pixi winners list]
Around 236 entries were submitted for 26 categories. Along with the 5th Colour Award, Fuji Xerox also introduced the Digital Label and Packaging Award as new categories this year. The company says the 5th Colour Award came about in line with current digital printing trends for image quality, with innovative use of 5th colour toner. The Digital Label and Packaging Award was added to recognise work in the growing market.
Davey says, “Based on the changes in technology and marketing in the region, they introduce a new category each year. This year, the 5th Colour Award category was added and we wanted to ensure we submitted a project that showcased the quality of work coming out of the Australian market for businesses around the country. We entered a 12pp wedding brochure or catalogue for a reception company to use for their clients. We introduced a use of silver, which is a traditional colour for weddings. There was a 7 per cent use of silver over the 12 pages in the text and images. We highlighted the text and we celloglazed it.
“We are not printers, we see ourselves as a marketing company. We work with our clients to deliver what they want, whether they need direct marketing or for another client it might be banners. We are customer centric, not product centric.
“We have been going for 25 years. The business was traditionally a fulfillment company which evolved into direct mail, with the advent of colour it has evolved into digital print and direct mail company. We specialise in high quality digital print, and highly personalised direct mail in the text and image.
“I have been involved in print from the original analogue print days. I have 40 years of experience.
“The business is always evolving. We have a three year rolling plan, we are always looking three years ahead and looking out for changes in the market and in technology. We were a fundamentally different business three years ago and we probably be different again in another three years. But we will always be customer focused. Sometimes we may be the devil’s advocate but we are look to work with them and improve their communication.
Direct Pronto operates with 34 staff in the Gold Coast suburb of Molendinar.
Steve Green, executive general manager, Sales at Fuji Xerox Australia says, “This year’s Pixi Awards have been a great opportunity for our Australian customers to showcase their commitment to innovation by presenting work that demonstrates how they have been pushing the boundaries in print. For Pronto Direct to be awarded second place in the newly added 5th Colour Award simply proves how our partners are looking at the industry with innovative eyes. We are thrilled with the seven wins and congratulate all the winners and participants at this year’s PIXI Awards.”
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