Nominees for the Swiss Print Award 2023: The most beautiful in print land

The Swiss Print Award is just around the corner, in its proven guise but with a new owner. Last November, the trade association of the graphic arts industry Viscom took over the long-standing award for good print products from Marco Bieri and Beni Kiser, who handed it over to the award founder and publisher of the magazine Print Market Jean-Paul Thalman a few years ago. Viscom wants to step on the gas with the Swiss Print Award, because printed matter is on the rise again, and the tried-and-tested prize is therefore being placed in a broader environment to increase its significance.

The awards ceremony on April 27, 2023 in Lucerne is now part of a multi-stage program that the industry association has put together with a professional event agency (Galledia Event AG). The event is called Print Power Pur and includes the Print Media Forum, expert speakers and celebrities championing the printed cause, plus the aforementioned as well as another award (Printed in Switzerland) and, last but not least, the opportunity to network in the advertising scene. So print no longer wants to hide, challenging the digital media with beauty and through efficiency.

Printed matter is upgraded

Let's take a closer look at the nominees for the Swiss Print Award. In other words, those companies that are making a special effort (see below) to ensure that print regains its glamor and puts the sometimes short-tempered and barely sustainable digital in its place. Five of them (Sandro Blättler, Gerold Odermatt, Simone Iannantuoni, Gabriel Jordi, and Stefan and Franziska von Ah) comment below on the significance of the Swiss Print Award, their relationship to quality, how they are dealing with the digital transformation, and how their business will stand in five years. The Swiss Print Award is a significant honor, says Sandro Blättler of Engelberger Druck, because it recognizes excellence in quality, creativity and innovation in the printing industry. And Gerold Odermatt from Druckerei Dallenwil adds: "It confirms that we do excellent work" and this is pronounced by industry experts. Gabriel Jordi from the Belper print shop of the same name sees the print award as confirmation of his claim: "We believe in print". This statement is reinforced by Stefan and Franziska von Ah (Druckerei von Ah, Sarnen) with their confession of their passion for books, "it's incredibly nice to hold the finished produced book in your hands."

Quality also in consulting

In an industry that is so dependent on competition and technical progress, quality comes first, Gerold Odermatt is convinced of that. Good references and awards such as the Swiss Print Award are decisive in such a situation. However, quality must not only refer to the end product; according to Simone Iannantuoni, it begins with customer advice and continues with professional work preparation and perfect execution. In addition to good advice, there is also management quality, adds Gabriel Jordi, "Quality must be cultivated as a cultural element of the company." "This includes the PSO standard (Process Standard Offset)," say Stefan and Franziska von Ah, "which must be adhered to and for which employees must be trained." This can be ensured through internal quality controls as well as guarantees in favor of the customer, adds Sandro Blättler.

Incorporate technical improvements

The digital transformation is a major concern for the graphic arts industry, but this should not be seen solely as a threat posed by new media; it also offers other opportunities to earn money. Stefan and Franziska von Ah, for example, point to the website creation and virtual newsletter that the von Ah print shop offers as an additional service; such work is close to the creation of print templates, so such an additional offer is obvious. Gerold Odermatt sees another opportunity in the new technologies to optimize his processes, making them more attractive in terms of price. For him, however, it is undisputed that the print products offer added value and he wants to bring this to the fore. Gabriel Jordi condenses this thought by stating: "We are not looking for alternatives, but for the targeted and effective place for print in a digital world."

Confident about the future

Finally, there is the crucial question of what print will look like in five years' time. Sandro Blättler sees major changes coming to the printing industry, which he describes using the following four terms: Digitization (primarily through automation of workflows), personalization of products and services, sustainability (through the use of environmentally friendly materials and the presentation of an ecological balance sheet), and then online presence with an offering in the e-commerce sector. Gerold Odermatt and Simone Iannantuoni fit on this question, the latter is looking forward to new challenges but wants to face them spontaneously and not through a fixed strategy. Gabriel Jordi also focuses on fixed concepts such as process reliability, automation and service orientation. Stefan and Franziska von Ah, on the other hand, focus on tried and tested things such as outstanding quality and excellent advice. The graphic arts industry still has to work on its image of the future, even if self-confidence in print is growing (and rightly so).

Swiss Print Award: These are the nominees

The Swiss Print Award honors works in the categories of printed matter, books, publications, and packaging with gold, silver, and bronze awards; in addition, there is the Peter Grob Award for special achievements in quality and creativity. A six-member jury from various fields of work (graphics/design, journalism, production and training) evaluate the submitted works and designate those nominated for the award. For this year's award ceremony, works by the following nominees are up for election (in the categories indicated):

• Gallery Urs Reichlin AG (Books)
• Druckerei Bloch AG (publications)
• Wallimann Druck & Verlag AG (Books)
• Kasimir Meyer (printed matter)
• Neidhart+Schön Print AG (Publications)
• Küchler Druck AG (Books)
• Jordi AG (Publications)
• Courvoisier-Gassmann SA (Books)
• Artgraphic Cavin (Books)
• Engelberger printing (books and packaging)
• Logez Ltd (printed matter)
• Niedermann Druck AG (Books)
• Merkur Druck AG (Books)
• Schellenberg Druck AG (Books)
• Lorenzo Montalvo (printed matter)
• J.E. Wolfensberger AG (Books)
• Workplace Association Casiprint (printed matter)
• Fratelli Roda SA (packaging)
• Bubu AG (Books)
• from Ah Druck AG (Books)
• Kalt Medien AG (Books)
• Rob Lewis Photography (Books)
• Druckerei Odermatt AG (books, publications, printed matter)
• Julius Baer Group (Publications)