How Can My Company Get Recognized for the Outstanding Work We Produce?

You created a great piece for a customer and want to show it off to the rest of the industry, but you don’t know where to start. Enter your piece into the Premier Print Awards. The 2017 award competition can be your showcase. Share your postpress success story on both a domestic and international stage. Build your brand and team recognition.

There are many postpress categories that you can enter, including the following:

• foil stamping
• digital enhancement printing
• diecuts and pop-ups
• folding
• binding
• other special finishing techniques
• cartons, containers, boxes and totes

The Premier Print Award Competition recognizes the highest quality pieces in various categories from around the world. Each year, only the most worthy pieces receive Awards of Recognition, Certificates of Merit and the highest honor – the Benny statue. The Benny has become a universally recognized symbol for excellence in the printing industry. For more than 60 years, winners of the largest, most prestigious print competition in the world have leveraged this honor to gain a competitive advantage.

Important Dates for 2017

February – Premier Print Awards entry system opens

April 21 – Early-bird Premier Print Awards entry deadline

May 19 – Premier Print Awards final entry deadline

June – Premier Print Awards judging and winner notification

July 14 – Deadline for 2017 Premier Print Award proofs

July 31 – Deadline for advertisement in the 2017 Premier Print Awards Supplement

Aug. 28 – Deadline to RSVP for the 2017 Premier Print Awards Gala featuring the InterTech Technology Awards

Sept. 10 – 2017 Premier Print Awards Gala featuring the InterTech Technology Awards, in Chicago, Illinois

For more information on the Premier Print Awards, visit www.printing.org/ppa.

Continuing Education Opportunities

Are you looking for opportunities for continuing education in the industry? How about for your employees? At Printing Industries’ iLearning Center, you have an array of online courses at your fingertips. Some of the courses include the following:

• Seven Basic Tools for Process Improvement, presented by John Compton
• Makeready Reduction, presented by Malcolm Keif and Kevin Cooper
• Power Selling Program, presented by Leslie Groene
• Vertical Marketing: A Guide to Profits, presented by Thaddeus Kubis
• Hazard Communication: Train the Trainer, presented by Gary Jones and Caitlin Seiler

New for 2017 will be a postpress and finishing orientation course. This course will highlight key areas of the bindery, such as safety, cutters, folds, binding options and finishing options. This course will be geared toward new postpress employees.

Suppliers, we need your support. We are looking for companies interested in sponsoring this course. Sponsors have the opportunity to demo their product in a video in the training course.

BIA Member Benefits

Don’t forget to take advantage of the benefits you receive as a BIA member …

Members receive:

• Exclusive discounts on products, as well as networking and educational events
• Access to professional peer-networking forums
• Free economic reports focusing on postpress companies (participation in the survey required)
• An informational monthly e-newsletter
• Discounted online learning at the iLearning Center (www.printing.org/iLearning)
• Free technical support
• Quarterly magazine focusing on postpress
• Access to the BIA member-only listserv

Benefits for Your Business:

• Learn about cutting-edge trends in finishing equipment and technology and how to apply them to your operation
• Discover ways to expand your offerings and product lines
• Branch into hot, growing markets, such as packaging, with the necessary skills, equipment and other resources
• Increase on-time order delivery and meet customer demands
• Become more competitive in your market

By joining BIA, you belong to an organization dedicated to supporting and enhancing our industry. We are your advocate, helping you increase growth and profitability every day. BIA is your postpress resource. Joining BIA helps your organization with numerous benefits you cannot get anywhere else. Members gain access to an abundance of resources that deliver results to enhance your success today and in the future.

Looking for a Bindery or a Supplier to Help with an Upcoming Project?

Are you looking for a trusted company to bind your project? Need a new piece of equipment, or do you just need to buy supplies? Make sure to visit and bookmark www.printing.org/BIA and check out the FindABindery feature to locate a qualified binder. Additionally, there is a BIA Supplier link containing a list and description of manufacturers. With valuable listings of BIA members on both the manufacturer and supplier end, it’s easy to find excellent partners to deliver the high-quality work your customers demand.

We are continually updating this information, but if your company is not listed or you need your information changed/updated, please contact Mike Packard.

For more information about membership in BIA, contact Mike Packard at 412.259.1704 or [email protected].