The 2010 Sappi African Printers of the Year gala event held in Sun City on 12 August 2010 was a celebration of print excellence where printers and their winning entries shared the spotlight.
At the glittering event hosted by Master of ceremonies Jo-Anne Strauss and entertained by the group NUBIA, this year’s theme of Future Imprint was emphasized by Executive Director Marketing: Sappi Paper and Paper Packaging SA, Dinga Mncube: "This year, Sappi not only wants to honour the craft of printing and the legacy of the industry, but also the resilience that businessmen and women in your position have exhibited during the tough economic environment of the last two years,"
A total of 345 entries, in 11 categories, were received from the Africa and Indian Ocean Islands region. After a rigorous two days of judging, 9 Gold Awards, 19 Silver Awards and 33 Bronze Award winners were selected.
The panel of judging experts consisted of Johan Swanepoel (Seriti Printing), Richard Nichols (Multiprint Litho), Natalie Rogers (Investec), Erich Kühl (PIFSA), Barry Roberts (Pro-Print) and Ian Shepherd (Ian Shepherd Consulting).
The judges commented on the good finishing and in particular the die-cutting. and varnishing applied in the winning entries which were of a very high standard, with good attention to detail and striking use of colour. Entries were also praised for print innovation displayed and the overall visual appeal and choice of substrates.
