The Druckstudio Group from Düsseldorf is among Europe’s elite. The print shop won not one but two awards at this year’s Sappi European Printers of the Year – the Oscars of the printing industry. A Druckstudio product brochure received gold in the “Printer’s Own Promotion” category, while drupa report no. 3 was awarded silver in the “General Print” category. The print shop saw off stiff competition from across Europe thanks to its high-quality products with innovative surface finishes. This is the third time in succession that Druckstudio has received a “European Printer of the Year” accolade.
Standards are getting higher all the time in this exciting contest. The ability to master creative and high-quality printing techniques proved a key factor in identifying printing’s crème de la crème. Printing companies from all over Europe entered 1,500 products in the competition. The world’s largest paper manufacturer Sappi presents its prestigious awards every two years. Gold, silver and bronze awards go to the best print products in eleven different categories.
“Our top priority is to create added value for our customers by giving print products exceptional surface finishes,” stresses Werner Drechsler, Managing Director of the Druckstudio Group. “The awards show us that we are among the European industry elite in terms of quality and innovation,” he adds. Druckstudio is thus setting new standards and proving that creativity and differentiation are the key to success.
In the product brochure that won gold, the company demonstrates just what is possible in terms of surface finishing for print products in the high-quality segment. In explaining its decision, the judging panel of independent industry experts made particular mention of the variety of surface finishes that appeal to the emotions and senses – from hot foil embossing, multi-layered embossing, printed reflective cards and various special-effect coatings to touch & smell scented coatings. As for Druckstudio’s silver award in the “General Print” category for drupa report no. 3, the judges praised the successful representation of print as an information and image medium and were impressed with the top-quality printing and finishing.