* * *

2015 Winners

* * *

Print Celebration

In 2015, more than 200 people gathered in Toronto to celebrate the progress and innovation of Canada's influential printing industry. Now in its 10th year, PrintAction's Canadian Printing Awards program is based on four distinct sections, including: Printing, Environmental, Technology, and Industry Achievement.

Industry Achievement Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award

Dick Kouwenhoven, Chairman and CEO, Hemlock Printers

Less than a year immigrating to Canada from The Netherlands in 1961, Dick Kouwenhoven began to form what is now recognized around the world as a trailblazing printing company not just in terms of its high-end sheetfed perfecting capabilities and bleeding-edge adoption of imaging technologies, but also in its environmentally progressive position.

The day after Kouwenhoven arrived in Vancouver, BC, he found work as a typesetter based on the experienced he gained from eight years of learning and working the trade in his Dutch hometown of Delft. Six months later he joined a small storefront printery by the name of Hemlock Printers and soon after took on an ownership role. In 1968, Kouwenhoven bought out his partner and incorporated Hemlock Printers, borrowed some money to install better presses, hired staff, and moved to larger premises.

During the 1970s, Hemlock Printers expanded with two large-format presses and began producing two-colour direct mail for Eatons, Simpsons-Sears and other major retailers. Hemlock became a true force in the Vancouver print market in the 1980s with the installation of more presses and, in 1986, moved to its current location in Burnaby. The BC facility expanded again in 1993 to make room for Hemlock’s full-service prepress department as the company began its world-first journey into computer-to-plate imaging with Vancouver’s Creo Inc.

Hemlock, which was one of the first independent printers in BC to reach into the U.S. market, is now one of the largest commercial printers in the Pacific Northwest, housed in a state-of-the-art 79,000-square-foot facility employing more than 170 people, with sales in excess of $30 million. It remains a privately owned family enterprise built on what Kouwenhoven describes as service integrity, quality products and a commitment to continuous innovation. Hemlock also now operates 100 percent carbon neutral and is a global business leader in sustainability.

Printing Leader of the Year

Jay Mandarino, Founder, President & CEO, C.J.
Graphics, Printers & Lithographers

Jay Mandarino oversees the daily operations of 24 companies with total sales reaching over $33 million. More than 60 percent of C.J. Group’s 24 companies have been purchased over the past five years, including 10 over the last two years.

In February 2015, the C.J. Group began putting the final touches on its new 80,000-square-foot facility located on the perimeter of Toronto’s downtown core. As a result, C.J. Group is now comprised of close to 160,000 square feet across three facilities. Mandarino holds the ambition to become the largest independent full-service printing operation in Canada and continued to move toward this goal in 2015 by installing North America’s first Scodix Ultra Pro with Scodix Foil and Canada’s first Highcon Euclid II+ system.

Mandarino’s founding company, C.J. Graphics Inc., which he started out of his parent’s basement in 1980, remains as the core of C.J. Group and, in 2013, installed a new Heidelberg XL 105. In 2015, C.J. Graphics added two massive Italian Sais screen presses, running 70 x 120-inch sheets, and unique Océ LightJet photographic presses (apparent 4,000-dpi resolution) to compliment its new wide-format printing division.

Mandarino is also well-known for his philanthropic pursuits in helping to raise more than $50 million over the past 26 years for more than 250 different charities.

Emerging Leader of the Year

Damian McDonald, President, ampersand

When Damian McDonald was in his early-20s, he faced a decision about whether to continue a promising career in Web development, which had taken him to epicenter of computing power in California, or to join his father, Mike, to lead the family business into the future.

McDonald chose to leave Silicon Valley and return home where ampersand was housed in Guelph, Ont. His technological influence was immediately felt at the company, which pushed its 29-inch sheetfed press to print well over 500-line screen, one of the only printers in Canada to do so, while also working to overcome the early-day bottlenecks of sending massive data to one of the region’s most advanced digital presses.

McDonald also focused on emerging XML interchange with prepress and led ampersand to win consecutive CIP4 awards for Best Process Automation, competing against world-leading printers. As President, McDonald is now driving ampersand into the future in a new Guelph facility with a Xerox iGen 150 and a 40-inch press that continues to produce High Definition staccato.

Community Leader of the Year

Scott Gray, Vice President, Branding, MET Fine Printers

Scott Gray, responsible for bringing together the passions of one of the world’s most-renowned printing companies, spends countless hours driving the Canstruction Vancouver program, now entering its 14th year.The non-profit competition, founded by MET Fine Printers, brings teams together to build sculptures out of canned goods, which are put on public display across the city, before 100 percent of the food is donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFB).

In its 13-year history, Canstruction Vancouver has raised an estimated $3,673,392 in retail value of food for GVFB (1,394,892 total cans from 259 sculptures). In 2015 alone, the program generated 36,922 pounds of food from 74,465 cans (with an average value of more than $14,000 per sculpture), while its exhibits were seen by more than 67,000 people.

World-class printing

An independent judging panel, working from a blind scoring system, poured through more than 230 submissions to determine Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients across 21 Quality Printing categories, as well as a Best of Show winner from the entire group. Recipients of the Environmental Printing categories, which are the foundation of the Canadian Printing Awards, were determined by PrintAction magazine based on more extensive submissions.

Prev Next

Best of Show

Hemlock Printers
Leo Saul Berk, Structure and Ornament

Production challenge: Hemlock explains this project, with high expectations on a tight budget, required critical colour reproduction for the text, with exact crossover alignment and an inline spot gloss varnish applied to the images. This was produced in a single pass on Hemlock’s 10-colour Heidelberg perfector. To compel the readers, continues Hemlock, the cover uses fluorescent inks, lamination and white foil stamping. Given a short run of 750, Hemlock explains all the elements of the project came together to achieve an outstanding product at a competitive price.

Brochures & Booklets, Digital

Gold: O.P.I. Culture of Color by PDI Integrated Print Solutions

Silver: Intact Insurance Distinction by The Lowe-Martin Group

Bronze: Bua Thai Menus by C.J. Graphics, Printers & Lithographers

Books, Hardcover

Gold: Leo Saul Berk, Structure and Ornament, by Hemlock Printers

Silver: West Coast Reduction by MET Fine Printers

Bronze: Cameracraftsmen of America by Friesens Corp.

Books, Softcover

Gold: Grosvenor Ambleside by MET Fine Printers

Silver: Get Quiet, Live Loud, by MET Fine Printers

Bronze: PanAm Games Opening Ceremonies by The Lowe-Martin Group

Books, Digital

Gold: The Molsons by PDI

Silver: Risk Takers, The World is in Beta, by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: E One The Shop by C.J. Graphics

Web Offset Printing

Gold: 1879 by Birks, Spring 2015, by St. Joseph Communications

Silver: Canadian Sportswear by Impart Litho

Bronze: Holt Renfrew Fall 2015 Catalogue by St. Joseph Communications

Business & Annual Reports

Gold: Intertain 2014 by Mi5 Print & Digital Communications

Silver: PowerStream 2014 by Skylar Media

Bronze: University of Waterloo 2014 by Somerset Graphics

Direct Mail

Gold: 1942 Donjulio Brochure by C.J. Graphics

Silver: Kit and Ace Blogger Invitations by Hemlock Printers

Bronze: Griffin Poetry Prize Invitation by Mi5 Print

Variable Data Imaging

Gold: Sobeys Best Customer by PDI

Silver: Engagement Calendar by Friesens

Bronze: The 700 Club Program by Honeycomb Mailing Services

Magazines

Gold: DesignEdge, March/April 2015, by C.J. Graphics

Silver: Mountain Life Annual by Hemlock Printers

Bronze: Nuvo Spring 2015 by Colour Innovations

Calendars

Gold: Edmonton, Now & Then by Priority Printing

Silver: Toronto Tree Portraits by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: Ultimate Sailing 2015 by Friesens Corp.

Catalogues

Gold: Sorel Look Book 2015 by Hemlock Printers

Silver: Infinity QX60 by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: Artist Series by Hemlock Printers

Flexography

Gold: Gillette Venus Swirl FLEXIBALL by Friesens Corp.

Silver: Raven Deep Dark Red by ASL Print FX

Silver: Corona, Glow in the Dark Pennants, by Promoflex International

Bronze: Bespoke Chardonnay by Artcraft Label

Rigid Packaging

Gold: Smarties Three Portion Carton by Jones Packaging

Silver: Alluring Maple Leafs Box by The Lowe-Martin Group

Silver: Sudafed Head Cold + Sinus by Jones Packaging

Bronze: Philadelphia Jalapeno Dip by Polytainers

Labels

Gold: Dinosaur Uncut Press Sheet by The Lowe-Martin Group

Silver: Crown Royal Black Label by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: EOS Sansin by RP Graphics Group

Business Cards

Gold: Gusto 54 Business Card by Somerset Graphics

Silver: Arcane Business Card by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: Russell Gibbs Design Business Card by Somerset Graphics

Stationery

Gold: Sandbox Society by C.J. Graphics

Silver: Ruby & Shiller Barristers by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: LGM Pocket Folder by RP Graphics Group

Finishing

Gold: String of Pearls Catalogue by Pacific Bindery Services

Silver: Roland Security Papers by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: PBS Holiday Cards by Pacific Bindery Services

Specialty Project

Gold: Sophmore magazine by Colour Innovations

Silver: Nike Young Athletes Book by MET Fine Printers

Bronze: Horizons ETFs Program Kits by The Lowe-Martin Group

Specialty Effects

Gold: One Thousand Museum Book by C.J. Graphics

Silver: Infiniti QX60 Brochure by C.J. Graphics

Bronze: Corona, Glow in the Dark Pennants, by Promoflex International

Most Environmentally Progressive Printing Project

Gold: CROPP Sustainability Report by Hemlock Printers

Silver: NEI Winter Fund Focus by The Lowe-Martin Group

Bronze: Toronto Tree Portraits by C.J. Graphics

Most Environmentally Progressive Printing Company

Gold: Hemlock Printers

Silver: The Lowe-Martin Group

Bronze: Symcor ISS

Most Environmentally Progressive Service or Technology

Gold: The Blueline Report 2015 by Canopy

Most Environmentally Progressive Technology Company

Gold: HP Canada