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UK Printers take home two of six FESPA Digital Print Awards

Fespa-Digital-AwardsUK printers scooped the top awards in Interior and Textile categories at this year's FESPA Digital Print Awards, as well as taking second place in the Vehicle Category and receiving a further commendation in the Textile Category.

The competition was open to printers from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and attracted more than 200 entries, which were evaluated by an independent jury. One winner and one runner-up were selected for each of the six categories, and an additional 11 entries were commended by the jury. The winners were announced on the eve of the FESPA Digital 2009 exhibition in Amsterdam during May.

Derbyshire-based Bonar Floors (now trading as Forbo Flooring Systems*), was singled out in the Textile Category for its innovative floor solutions, created for Milan-based architectural practice Sottsass Associati. The project involved producing a range of original designs using Bonar Floors' flocked flooring, a unique, velvety, minimalist textile floor cladding.

VCG Colourlink from Essex triumphed in the Interior Category, beating the competition with its Birmingham Post: Fort Dunlop project for interior architectural practice MMoser Associates and their client BPM Media. VCG Colourlink worked closely with the MMoser Associates' creative team to develop high impact graphics across a wide range of substrates to radically redesign the client's open-plan office. The key challenge was delivering colour consistency with diverse printed materials.

AST Signs Ltd from Manchester and Cumbria was runner-up in the Vehicle Category. Client Eddie Stobart wanted to achieve a new look for its vehicles with maximum visual impact. Printed using several Roland large format printers, the wraps needed to be cost-effective, had to last at least three years and, for the first time, the bumpers also had to be wrapped. The sheer size of the fleet - 1,500 44-tonne articulated units and 2,600 trailers - presented major challenges.

The UK's Glasgow School of Art received a commendation for its Textile Category entry Mackintosh Re-interpreted for client Hunterian Art Gallery/The Monument Trust/GSA. Using the Stork Sapphire/Mimaki TX2, the Glasgow School of Art set out to replicate Mackintosh's original designs using contemporary processes and substrates to reproduce the aesthetic quality of the originals.

* As of September 30, 2008, Bonar Floors was acquired by Swiss company Forbo Flooring Systems.

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