Diamond Packaging has received two wins – including the highest honor, the Benny Award – in the 2014 Premier Print Awards, which is the graphic arts industry’s largest printing competition.

There were more than 2,890 entries in the competition, from graphic arts firms from around the world. Judges awarded the ‘Benny’ to the top entry in each category.

Diamond won a Benny Award and a Certificate of Merit in the “Print/Graphic Arts Self-Promotion” and “Calendars” categories for its 2014 calendar, which is along-standing company tradition, as a promotional item given to customers and suppliers.

The 2014 calendar features an apple-theme, which is a tribute to New York. It was even delivered in its own recyclable shipper with a woodgrain design, to recreate the look of an actual apple crate – right down to the stencil typography.

Karla Fichter, CEO and owner of Diamond Packaging, commented: “We are thrilled to have won the Benny Award. It’s an honor to be recognized by the industry as a company that produces best-in-class packaging.”

Michael Makin, president and CEO of Printing industries of America, added: “The Benny winners represent the best our industry has to offer. This year’s entries were outstanding. There were entries from companies in seven countries. Despite the fierce competition, Diamond Packaging, through hard work and dedicated craftsmanship, produced a piece worthy of the Benny.”

Printing Processes & Deco Techniques

To create the 2014 calendar, Diamond utilized inline green technologies (e.g., soft touch, specialty effects coatings), UV gloss spot coating, foil stamping, multi-level embossing, debossing, and intricate die cutting.

It also has an innovative structural design that allows the calendar to be hung with one lower panel, or unfolded to reveal apple blossoms on the middle panels.

A few design details:

• Clearwater Candesce SBS paperboard was used, with offset printing in four color process inks, inline, with an overall aqueous gloss coating, UV gloss spot coating, specialty effects pigmented coating, and DiamondTouch soft touch coating. Metal Magic provided all of the embossing dies.


• The use of multi-level embossing created a dramatic sense of texture and depth, with debossing on the header, as well as a UV gloss spot coating (water droplets) and pearlized coating (leaves) for more contrast.


• Multi-level embossed apple blossoms were used to enhance the soft touch coating, contributing to a unique visual and tactile presentation. Plus, a subtle concave die cut pattern on each side conveyed an apple core.