Dunedin mayor Dave Cull has presented this year’s Pride In Print supreme award to Southern Colour Print at a ceremony in the Octagon yesterday.
From left: Pride In Print judge convener Symon Yendoll; Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull; and Southern Colour Print managing director Sean McMahon
Southern Colour won the country’s top print award for its New Zealand Post stamps after the on the night winner Logick Print disqualified itself. The Pride In Print Awards Committee made a decision to make a special presentation to Southern Colour Print in its home town. The company has a rich tradition of awards success and innovation and remains a staunch supporter of Pride In Print. Sean McMahon, managing director of Southern Colour Print, says, “This is our first supreme award and we are very happy. We have previously won two category awards and about 61 gold medals.†The winning entry, printed on the fabric used in the Adidas jerseys worn by the Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks in 2015, epitomises the kind of innovation Southern Colour Print has become known for. McMahon describes the work as a true team effort. He says, “Looking back on it, because there were so many technical challenges for it to all come together in the end, it really involved everyone. Solutions to the numerous technical challenges came from all areas of the company.†Southern Colour took a team of 20 staff to the event, joining sponsors and supporters for the presentation. McMahon says, “We are quite chuffed that so many patrons and sponsors made the effort to be there.†Using rugby jersey fabric for a stamp marks an industry first and the feat has won international recognition from postal authorities and stamp enthusiasts. Adidas too has praised Southern Colour Print for the achievement.
Supreme: The Southern Colour Print team with Dunedin’s Mayor Dave Cull
Simon Allison, head of stamps and coins at New Zealand Post, says, “The can do attitude displayed by Southern Colour Print enabled this seemingly-crazy stamp idea to become a reality.†Sue Archibald, Pride In Print Awards manager, says, “The stamps also won the Industry Development Category of the Awards, which is the platform to present innovative and avant-garde techniques. This is ground-breaking technology – the judges asked, ‘What is it?’ when they first picked up them up. Closer inspection showed the stamps featured mini cut-outs of the World Cup-winning jersey. “The out-of-the-box thinking in using the materials worn by Richie McCaw, Ben Smith, Kieran Reid and company simply stunned the judging panel. Stamp production will never be the same again after this.†Southern Colour Print Southern Colour Print has won wide endorsement for its extremely-high quality, printing stamps for postal authorities internationally.â€
