"Bringing home GEA awards helps bring a stronger sense of team and pride to our employees. Having our work judged by our peers to be some of the best in the market brings a strong sense of accomplishment to everyone involved, giving a new sense of meaning to the importance of what we do for our clients each day."

Jim Sandstrom – President – HM Graphics Inc

Graphic Excellence Awards have been presented annually for the last ten years. Enter your finest print work in over 90 categories. Members and non-members may enter the competition. In March print experts from the printing industry outside of the state spend 2 days judging entries. It’s a great opportunity to promote the quality of your work – to the rest of the print community, to your customers and prospects, along with recognition of your employee’s accomplishments.

Tenth Annual Graphic Excellence Awards a Success

The Printing Industries of Wisconsin recently held its tenth annual Graphic Excellence Awards program at the Wisconsin Club with over two hundred twenty of the most successful print professionals in the state of Wisconsin attending.

The state-wide awards program, one of the largest in the nation, recognizes those companies that have combined superb craftsmanship and technology in the creation, design and production of top quality printed materials. This year, PIW had nearly  eight hundred entries in eighty four separate categories, which include folders, books, brochures and catalogs, among others. Entries were judged on technical printing excellence by a judging panel of industry experts.

PIW’s top prize winner, titled “Best of Show,” was awarded to Suttle-Straus, Inc. for a case bound book designed by Shine Advertising of Madison and produced for The Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. GEA program judges were unanimous in awarding the prize to this project, as they were impressed with its clean embossed cover, color consistency and perfect cross-color matching. John Berthelsen, President of Suttle-Straus Inc., said, “We are extremely proud of our winning team. It is a real achievement to be recognized as a company whose employees consistently produce top quality, award winning materials for our clients.” Suttle-Straus Inc. also garnered Best of Show in the 2002, 2005 and 2006 competitions.

No less impressive were PIW’s Graphics Excellence Awards’ first and second runner ups, Independent Printing Co., Inc.’s “Inspired Color” booklet and Reindl Bindery Company’s “Woodstock” compact disc case, respectively. Joseph E. Lyman, PIW’s President, believes the judges had their work cut out for them. He said, “The level of project quality and craftsmanship was superb this year. The judges made tough choices in selecting winners. However, the competitiveness shows just how experienced Wisconsin printers are.”

PIW’s Graphics Excellence Awards is the single event each year that allows the Wisconsin print industry to show the depth, talent and ability of Wisconsin-based printers. Michael Makin, president and chief executive officer of the Printing Industries of America and Master of Ceremonies for PIW’s Graphic Excellence Awards, said, “It was an honor to participate in PIW’s Graphic Excellence Awards again this year. I was very impressed with not only the caliber of the entries but with the enthusiasm of Wisconsin’s print community at the event.