The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA – Fairfax, Virginia) has announced the winning products – which are all produced by Printing United exhibitors and available for sale in 2019 – from more than 200 entries in 72 categories. “Our competition was juried, and judges reviewed entries very carefully, so that they can compare products objectively,” said Ray Weiss, Director of Digital Print Programs, SGIA. “For example, in the Digital Output Device categories, winners were based on measurements of test prints. This is the only competition I know of that tells companies the percentage of Adobe RGB gamut a printer can hit.” The measurement reports, which were produced by the Sonoco Institute at Clemson University and follow the same format as SGIA’s digital equipment evaluations, will be on display with the entries in the Awards Gallery at the Printing United tradeshow in October.
More than two-thirds of the competition categories were for non-output devices — everything from textiles to substrates to software. “The products submitted always illustrate trends in the industry, so we saw an uptick in textiles made from recycled materials and workflow software,” Weiss added. The 2019 judges included: Scott Baxter, GAM Graphics and Marketing; Conrad Coe, GAM Graphics and Marketing; Dan Gillespie, Alder Technology; Keith Prichard, TIMSCO; Scott Schoppert, Printing Impressions; Cas Shiver, Sundog Productions; Tony Tribby, Dead Bat Designs; and Kent Walker, Walker Supply Company.
To view all the winners please visit https://www.sgia.org/programs/awards-competitions/product-of-the-year/product-of-the-year-2019-winners. To see all the Product of the Year entries, please stop by the Awards Gallery at Printing United (Hall F Lobby). Registration for Printing United is free through to September 10. The event is being held October 23 – 25, in Dallas, Texas. Over 650 exhibitors will occupy 720,000 square feet of the expansive Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
SGIA reveals 2019 Product of the Year winners in over 70 categories
