Across four judging days last month, 26 specially selected judges, all leading print buyers or experts in their chosen fields, pored over hundreds of entries to come up with what they think represents the very best the UK print industry has to offer. “Once again the UK industry wowed the judges with the quality and breadth of their entries, ensuring that this year’s Awards will be as hotly contested as ever,” said PrintWeek editor and chair of the judging panel Darryl Danielli. “Congratulations to all of the shortlisted companies, just getting this far proves that they have what it takes to be considered the best of the best.” Click here to view the shortlist in full. The Awards ceremony is being held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane on 21 October. Tickets are available now, with the early-bird discount still available for shortlisted companies. However, even if you’re not shortlisted, the PrintWeek Awards is the perfect place to celebrate everything that is great about print and catch up with friends, rivals and some of most influential UK print buyers, all while you enjoy a fantastic evening of entertainment.Book your seat here....

“I was asked to do it some time ago and initially I said no, but I was fortunate enough to be asked again and thought, actually, I would like to do it, and hopefully add some value in terms of where Ipex is heading,” said Martell. “I’ve been saying for some time that Ipex needs to focus on how to use print, rather than how to print. By combining marketing services and print we’ve shown just how impactful print can be. That’s what we’ve focused on at St Ives and that’s where I think I can help in terms of my presidency at Ipex.” The prime function of the role will be chairing the Ipex 360 Committee, the show’s new ‘visitor focused steering group’. The members of the 360 Committee are being finalised now, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in late September-early October. According to Ipex event director Trevor Crawford, the committee will be made up of six-to-eight representatives across the whole value chain, including large and small printing firms, marketing agencies and print buyers. “My input, I hope, will be focused on the broader challenges and things that print can bring rather than just a narrow focus on print in isolation,” said Martell. He added that shows like Ipex still have an important role to play in shaping the future direction of the print industry. “We also need to attract the users of print to these shows as well as the providers of print,” he said. Martell became chief executive of the £330m-turnover St Ives group in 2009, having joined as an apprentice in 1980 and worked his way up. In his tenure as chief executive he has overseen the group’s ongoing evolution from offering purely print into a fully fledged marketing services group....

“I was asked to do it some time ago and initially I said no, but I was fortunate enough to be asked again and thought, actually, I would like to do it, and hopefully add some value in terms of where Ipex is heading,” said Martell. “I’ve been saying for some time that Ipex needs to focus on how to use print, rather than how to print. By combining marketing services and print we’ve shown just how impactful print can be. That’s what we’ve focused on at St Ives and that’s where I think I can help in terms of my presidency at Ipex.” The prime function of the role will be chairing the Ipex 360 Committee, the show’s new ‘visitor focused steering group’. The members of the 360 Committee are being finalised now, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in late September-early October. According to Ipex event director Trevor Crawford, the committee will be made up of six-to-eight representatives across the whole value chain, including large and small printing firms, marketing agencies and print buyers. “My input, I hope, will be focused on the broader challenges and things that print can bring rather than just a narrow focus on print in isolation,” said Martell. He added that shows like Ipex still have an important role to play in shaping the future direction of the print industry. “We also need to attract the users of print to these shows as well as the providers of print,” he said. Martell became chief executive of the £330m-turnover St Ives group in 2009, having joined as an apprentice in 1980 and worked his way up. In his tenure as chief executive he has overseen the group’s ongoing evolution from offering purely print into a fully fledged marketing services group....

DSN, whose clients include Mars and Unilever, handles artwork and pre-press activities for its clients in six bases across Europe, with a UK presence in Poole, Dorset, said UK sales director Donovan Parr. The business has a turnover of €32m (£27m) and employs 320 staff globally. Meanwhile, €5m (£4.2m) Design Board International focuses on fast moving consumer goods markets in four regions, Belgium, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Egypt. Clients for the 65-staff company include Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company Europe, Bacardi-Martini, Mondelez, McCain Continental Europe and Kingfisher. Parr said: “We have significant creative resources but as with any company your client base is as good as the business you win and there are many synergies between the two companies in areas such culture and geographical spread. “It also offers clients a complete process from the conceptual idea to management of the final printed product. Not everybody wants that, but there are a growing number of people who see the benefits of all the eggs in one basket.” Parr said both companies would retain their separate names and clients but come under the same holding company owned by DSN. In May this year the management team of De Schutter Neroc (DSN) concluded an MBO for an undisclosed sum and said it was eyeing growth across the UK. Parr said the latest acquisition would enable DSN to focus on continued growth by expanding its scope of services, offering a one-stop-shop to offer a more comprehensive service, and bolstering its pool of creative expertise. “By adding this significant resource to our existing creative division we can add additional scope and multi-site capacity. This will bring greater added value to our clients and strengthen our position in the markets we serve.” DSN comprises of three divisions: DSN pre-press packaging, TGS brand management services and 360 BPM, a creative communication design agency....

DSN, whose clients include Mars and Unilever, handles artwork and pre-press activities for its clients in six bases across Europe, with a UK presence in Poole, Dorset, said UK sales director Donovan Parr. The business has a turnover of €32m (£27m) and employs 320 staff globally. Meanwhile, €5m (£4.2m) Design Board International focuses on fast moving consumer goods markets in four regions, Belgium, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Egypt. Clients for the 65-staff company include Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company Europe, Bacardi-Martini, Mondelez, McCain Continental Europe and Kingfisher. Parr said: “We have significant creative resources but as with any company your client base is as good as the business you win and there are many synergies between the two companies in areas such culture and geographical spread. “It also offers clients a complete process from the conceptual idea to management of the final printed product. Not everybody wants that, but there are a growing number of people who see the benefits of all the eggs in one basket.” Parr said both companies would retain their separate names and clients but come under the same holding company owned by DSN. In May this year the management team of De Schutter Neroc (DSN) concluded an MBO for an undisclosed sum and said it was eyeing growth across the UK. Parr said the latest acquisition would enable DSN to focus on continued growth by expanding its scope of services, offering a one-stop-shop to offer a more comprehensive service, and bolstering its pool of creative expertise. “By adding this significant resource to our existing creative division we can add additional scope and multi-site capacity. This will bring greater added value to our clients and strengthen our position in the markets we serve.” DSN comprises of three divisions: DSN pre-press packaging, TGS brand management services and 360 BPM, a creative communication design agency....