GPA has announced the winners of its 2013 Print & Design Contest, which is designed to recognize outstanding work by GPA’s customers. Companies across the country submit their entries on GPA substrates to compete in six product categories for Best of Category, and from those six, one is chosen as Best of Show.

Solo Printing of Miami, FL won Best of Show in the Ultra Film Non-Adhesive Films Category for their menus printed on GPA’s 16 Mil Ultra Green Film Tree Free Paper. These menus were for a national Italian restaurant chain, and the application called for durability and the ability to be wiped down since the menus are frequently exposed to food and beverages. Their client considered other materials, but ultimately chose Ultra Green Film for its tactile “wow” factor and ultra smooth, soft surface, the company says. They also liked that it did not require additional coatings or lamination, and the product’s sustainability aspect since it is composed partially of rocks, specifically limestone and calcium carbonate. The only finishing required for this project was trimming, scoring and folding.

“On behalf of the Solo Printing team, it is a great honor to accept GPA’s Best of Show award. We value our partnership with GPA because they help us introduce our clients to a wide range of innovative solutions that our customers love, and this award solidifies the fact that we’re creating the kind of work that gets noticed,” said Patrick Vernon, Account Executive at Solo Printing.

The Best of Category winners are:

Apple Graphics of Duarte, CA – Ultra Bak Plus & Ultra Bak Classic Pressure Sensitive Papers
Ace Commercial of Santa Fe Springs, CA – Ultra Film Pressure Sensitive Films
R & R Images/Shutterfly of Phoenix, AZ  – Ultra Digital Papers
Keystone Millbrook Printing of Grand Ledge, MI – Ultra Digital Synthetic Films
Corporate Graphics of North Mankato, MN – Ultra Digital Pressure Sensitive Papers

This year’s contest was judged by a panel of three industry experts: William Wieners, a pioneer in the digital printing arena and President of Digital Lizard, a digital printing company with locations in Northern Idaho and Las Vegas; Tim Itano, Director of Marketing at Envision3, who brought unique marketing insights to the judging panel; and Michael Johnston, Principal at Top Graphics in Maryland Heights, MO and creator of the Print Trial Process. Entries were evaluated on uniqueness of design, number of substrates utilized, complexity of production, application use and quality of printing.