Above: The Post Press Specialties team receiving their Gold Leaf and Best in Show awards at the 30th Annual FSEA Gold Leaf Awards Competition during the 2023 Print Embellishment Conference. L to R: Jeff Peterson, executive director, Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA); Bowen Griffitt, office manager, Post Press Specialties; Andy Humble, owner, Post Press Specialties; Matt Jackson, sales and production manager, Post Press Specialties
Konica Minolta announced a project produced on its print production equipment by customer Post Press Specialties in Independence, Missouri has been recognized with a Best in Show: Best Use of Digital Foil award by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) as part of its 30th Annual Gold Leaf Awards.
Originally entered in the category for Best Use of Digital Foil (Self Promotion) – for which it also won a Gold Leaf Award – Post Press Specialties created the piece “Willy,” featuring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka from the 1971 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to demonstrate the company’s capabilities. The graphics were created in Adobe Illustrator, with small dots of opaque foil intermingled to create an image resembling a lithographic photo, producing foil halftone dots in different colors in a way none of the team members had ever seen before.
“Willy” was created on a leftover scrap piece of board that the team laminated, and the project was created in an afternoon with fewer than ten copies made. The piece was produced on the Konica Minolta JETVarnish 3D Evo 75, which offers a full in-house production and prototyping print embellishment system without screens, dies or plates on a wide range of substrates and media. The foil was supplied by Crown Roll Leaf Inc., in Paterson, NJ.
“This piece was designed as a project to find out what Konica Minolta’s JETVarnish 3D Evo 75 is truly capable of producing,” said Andy Humble, owner, Post Press Specialties. “I issued a challenge to our operator to attempt to produce a duotone foil, and after a few more moderate attempts, he embraced the challenge. “Willy” was created out of a desire to have a sample to show clients the possibilities that digital embellishment opens up, and in doing so, we pushed the envelope. Sometimes you have to go over the edge to know your limits. Or, as Willy Wonka himself said, ‘Oh, you should never, never doubt what nobody is sure about.’”
Humble also noted that the piece was produced with no ink, only multiple colors and levels of foil. “The most intriguing part to me are the highlights around the eyes that almost seem to follow you based on how the light refracts off the foil, not the heavy purple of the jacket,” stated Humble.
The annual Gold Leaf Award entries are judged on design, execution and level of difficulty in 47 different categories with a gold, silver and bronze award presented in each category. FSEA received a record number of entries from countries around the world during this year’s competition, including the U.S., Canada, India, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, Japan, South Africa and Taiwan. Entries are submitted from all over the world by finishers and binders that want to compete against the best in the industry.
Six other Konica Minolta customers received awards at the annual FSEA event, four of whom won more than a single award, totaling 14 FSEA awards for Konica Minolta customers. The winners included:
- Elite Print Finishing, Burlington, NC – Gold Leaf award for Best Use of Digital Foil/Embossing, and a Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Digital Foil – (Self Promotion) for EPF-E3D
- Print Panther, Ontario, Canada – Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing Stationary for Tequila Brand Ambassador Cards; a Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Digital Foil (Varnish Adhesive) for the Konica Minolta Shine and Evolution Direct Mail Campaign; and a Bronze Leaf award for Best Use of Digital Foil (Self Promotion) for Hunters Original Artwork Limited Edition Prints
- NAPCO USA, Sparta, NC – Bronze Leaf award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Spirits Box & Label – Rigid Box for “The Count” and a Bronze Leaf Award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Spirits Box & Label – Rigid Box (Difficult) for “Black Cast”
- Blue Ocean Press, Fort Lauderdale, FL – Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Label (Creative), for Black Carbon Professional Grade Seasoning Blend
- Sundance, Orlando, FL – Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Foil/Embossing – Direct Mailer for Levin Rinke Direct Mail Die Cut Door Postcard and a Silver Leaf award for Best Use of Specialty UV Coating for the Spring Hill College “Seek More” Brochure
“Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s competition,” said Bill Troxil, president, Industrial Print and Production Print Business, Konica Minolta. “We are especially thrilled with the award results for our Konica Minolta customers. This year, 14 of the 40 digital embellishment awards were won by customers who use our equipment, which shows how our digital technologies can create innovative solutions that attract attention for our customers’ customers. Konica Minolta is fully committed to developing exciting enhancements with our devices and helping our customers and partners do more with embellishment in the future.”
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.’s (Konica Minolta) journey started 150 years ago, with a vision to see and do things differently. The company innovates for the good of society and the world. The same purpose that kept it moving then, keeps it moving now. Konica Minolta aims to partner with clients to Give Shape to Ideas by supporting their digital transformation through its expansive Intelligent Connected Workplace portfolio. Its business technology offerings include IT Services, intelligent information management, video security solutions and managed print services, as well as office technology and industrial and commercial print solutions. Through its ongoing work, the company is fortunate to be continuously recognized for its products and services. This includes, but is not limited to being included on CRN’s MSP 500 list numerous times; named a finalist in the IT Software Category by The World Technology Awards; recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys and presented with Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Awards for its bizhub i-Series.
