Allen Press was honored this year with coveted awards from three prestigious regional and national printing competitions that judge excellence in print quality as well as overall impact and degree of difficulty in technique.

PIA MidAmerica, the regional trade group of the Printing and Imaging Association, bestowed the “Best of Category” award on three publications, recognizing each in their category in the company’s division. The winning pieces were American Art 24(3), a University of Chicago Press publication for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Orchids 79(7), a publication of the American Orchid Society, and the Arabian Horse Times 2011 Calendar, from Arabian Horse Times, Inc. Allen Press’s accomplishments were honored at a banquet this spring in Kansas City.

The company won two Gold Ink Awards, given by industry publications Printing Impressions, Publishing Executive, and Book Business. A Bronze award was received for Gems & Gemology 46(4), a publication of the Gemological Institute of America, and a Pewter award was received for Shadows of Minidoka, an exhibition catalog featuring the paintings and collections of artist Roger Shimomura, published by the Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, Kansas.

Sappi Fine Paper North America honored the company with a Bronze Printer of the Year Award for Gems & Gemology 46(4). Both Gems & Gemology and Shadows of Minidoka were printed on Sappi paper. This competition received more than 2,100 entries in North America with only 54 garnering this prize, which is given in nine categories.

These competitions, sponsored by printing and graphic arts industry magazines, graphic arts trade associations, and paper companies, offer printers an opportunity to show their best works alongside other printers, and all are judged by a panel of highly regarded print professionals.

“The recognition from these awards demonstrates why print is still a vital form of communication and the fact that high-quality printing is still important,” said Gerald Lillian, Allen Press CEO. “Printing is often viewed as just a trade or a job someone does. At Allen Press, we see it as a true craft, and the fine art of detail and color are as important to us as they are to our clients.”