INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF JUDGING REPORT 2016

ROBERT JAMES :

AUSTRALIA

• Master of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia 1992
• Former Head of Printing Machining, Binding & Finishing Departments ICGT – RMIT University
• Council Member of the Australia New Zealand Flexographic Technical Association, (ANZFTA) 1988 – 1991 and 1994 – 1997
• Inducted into the Australia New Zealand Flexographic Technical Association (ANZFTA)
• ‘Hall of Fame’ in 2001
• Judge of Australia, New Zealand Flexographic Print Awards 1991 – 1997
• Chairman of Judges Australia, New Zealand Flexographic and Gravure Print Awards since 1998
• Judge of Australian National Print Awards 1992 – 2006
• Judge of Australian Label and Tag Print Awards since 2004
• Judge of Thai Print Awards 2006 – 2015
• Independent Chairman of Judging of Thai Print Awards 2016
• Judge of Asian Print Awards since 2004 – 2013
• Judge of Asian Flexographic,
• Gravure and Label Print Awards
• 2004 – 2013
• Independent Chairman of Judging of Asian Flexographic, Gravure and Label Print Awards since 2014
• Judge of Sinar Mas Print Awards since 2011  Over 53 years’ of
• experience in the Printing Industry

Firstly, over the past eleven years, I and fellow judges have witnessed a tremendous improvement in the overall quality and quantity of entries judged in the Thai Printing Association Awards.

None of these Awards would be possible without the strong and continued support of the various trade suppliers, many of whom are either Patrons of these Awards or Sponsors of the Special Awards.

I also congratulate the Thai Printing Association and its Members, who continue to promote print excellence in Thailand and ‘Inspire the Future’.

As in previous years, the judging process is conducted under specific guidelines and if any judge has knowledge of the production of any entry, they must not participate in the assessment and selection of entries in that Category.

This year the judges were not only impressed by the overall number of entries submitted, but the outstanding print reproduction quality and applications, especially in the following Categories:

Sheet-fed Offset – Magazines and Journals

Sheet-fed Offset – Limited Edition Books and Art Reproductions

Sheet-fed Offset – Books, four or more colours

Digital Printing – Books

Digital Printing – Packaging

Special Categories – Embellishment

Special Categories – Innovation/Specialty Printing

To win an Award, the print entry does not necessarily need to be a new job design. It just needs to be well printed.

Trade suppliers of raw materials, equipment and pre-press providers, all have a role to play in the success of a print Award entry. If those suppliers are present during the initial production of an impressive print job, they too can encourage the printer to submit an entry into the Thai Print Awards.

The printing machine operator will also recognise an excellent print production and should encourage the sales and marketing personnel to also retain that print sample.

So, now is the time to start putting aside your outstanding print samples for review once entry into the Thai Print Awards for 2017 is invited.

Secondly it is also critical that the ‘Conditions of Entry’ are complied with and all technical print production details are also provided. Those production details provide assistance during the judging process and selection of the Award winning entries.

In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge the devotion and time sacrificed by a number of personnel, the Awards Chairman, the Thai Print Association Committee members, the clerical staff for cataloguing and grouping all entries, and especially each of the judges for sharing their expertise and dedication in the judging process and the selection of the 2016 Thai Print Awardees.

We congratulate the Award winners and continue to ‘Inspire the Future’.

Robert R James
Independent Chairman of Judging