MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, July 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. ( Konica Minolta ), a leader in the Graphic Communications Industry, is pleased to announce Print Panther’s winning entries at the 2018 Premier Print Awards competition, to be officially recognized this September 30 at the awards ceremony in Chicago, Illinois.

The Premier Print Awards competition is an annual event organized by the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, Printing Industries of America (PIA). With over 3,000 entries each year, the PIA Premier Print Awards is the most prestigious international print competition in the world. Entries are reviewed and assessed by a panel of expert judges, who then select winners across 26 predefined product categories. This year, Print Panther received a total of 7 awards including 1 Certificate of Merit, awarded to entries which are deserving of recognition for their high-quality printing and design; as well as 6 highly esteemed Awards of Recognition, which are awarded only to finalists in each category.

Print Panther, based in Oakville, Ontario, was the first in Canada to install Konica Minolta’s innovative MGI JETvarnish 3DS and iFOIL system. This ground-breaking technology takes advanced finishing to the next level and offers the Canadian print industry an exciting range of new market opportunities.

According to Norm Bussolaro, Sr. Director of Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd., "Print Panther continues to lead the way in the digital foil and varnish market. It’s no surprise to us, given some of the amazing work they’ve produced, that they be recognized by Printing Industries of America. They continue to demonstrate their exceptional command of digital and specialty printing applications and are surely deserving of the industry-wide recognition that comes with receiving a Premier Print Award.”

According to Christine Yardley, President, Print Panther, “our vision to foresee the potential and embrace the power of the MGI technology has allowed us to differentiate our offerings and build out a different kind of printshop.  The custom finishing, we do in-house, truly sets us apart.  We can now manage complex projects flexibly, more efficiently, and in less time. Our digital focus is really giving us an edge in the marketplace.” 

Konica Minolta’s MGI technology is genuinely disruptive and has been featured recently on the covers of several industry publications. In fact, the list of applications for Konica Minolta’s MGI JETvarnish 3DS and iFoil technology will grow exponentially as the analogue foil and varnish market converts to digital.

The MGI JETvarnish takes advanced finishing to the next level by providing digital spot UV coating in plain 2D and 3D formats, plus embossed and foil textured effects – all in a single pass. Moreover, the digital spot UV coating is 100% variable-data capable – including barcode reader options enabling custom spot varnished prints with unique graphics, text and numeric data for runs from one to thousands of sheets.

For more information about Konica Minolta Canada and its industrial print product portfolio, please visit www.konicaminolta.ca or call 1-866-890-6600.

About Konica Minolta Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. is a leader in the Graphic Communications Industry.  We provide award-winning production, industrial print and inkjet solutions.  With our comprehensive portfolio, we deliver full end-to-end solutions from desktop to the printshop. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the  #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty  by Brand Keys for eleven consecutive years.  Konica Minolta Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for six years in a row. We partner with our customers to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit:  www.konicaminolta.ca  and follow Konica Minolta on  LinkedIn ,  YouTube , Facebook and Twitter @KonicaMinoltaCA .

About Print Panther Print Panther prides itself on developing unique, creative print and finishing solutions. With deep industry expertise, they continually push the boundaries of the printed page offering clients the highest quality and hands-on creative support from inception to completion. Founded in 1997, the business began as Binders Galore, manufacturing eco-friendly presentation materials. For more information, please visit: printpanther.ca and follow Print Panther on LinkedIn.

About the MGI Group   Founded in 1982, the MGI Group is a public company with offices around the world and is registered on the Euronext/Alternext stock exchange (ALMDG). The MGI Group is a global digital printing technology leader composed of MGI Digital Technology, headquartered in Paris (Fresnes), France and KÖRA-PACKMAT, located in Villingendorf, Germany and CERADROP, located in Limoges, France.  MGI USA, based in Melbourne, Florida, is a fully-owned subsidiary of the MGI Group that supports the North & South American, Caribbean and Asia Pacific markets. For more information, please visit  www.mgiusa.com .

CONTACT INFORMATION

Press Contact:   Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. Rebekah Fougere, Vice President, Client Success Think2Grow Marketing for Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Canada) Ltd. 647-987-2127 rebekah.fougere@think2grow.com

Print Panther Christine Yardley,  President  866-819-4346 cyardley@printpanther.ca MGI USA Inc. Kevin Abergel Vice President of Marketing & Sales +1 321 751-6755 k.abergel@mgiusa.com