Debra Li

    debra_lidan@163.com

    LOCAL high-end art printing company Artron Art Group took home eight Benny awards in Chicago on Sunday. The awards are the top honors provided by the Printing Industries of America’s (PIA) Premier Print Awards (PPA) event.

    The books that won the awards include collections of photography, painting, calligraphy, a book about the world’s top chefs and a book about Louis XIII, the luxury whiskey.

    Artron also won 25 Awards of Recognition and 17 Certificates of Merit in the PPA competition for the high quality printed pieces in various categories.

    “China is becoming a world force in the printing industry and has demonstrated once again that it has produced brilliant work, beautiful color, great representation of artistry and the country should be very proud,” PIA president and CEO Michael Makin said at the awarding ceremony.

    Wan Jie, Artron’s board director, said that they started sending products to the PIA in 2003, and have won awards every year since.

    Wan attributed his company’s success to the development of new technology and materials.

    “Printing today is no longer a low-end processing industry; it is indispensable from information technologies and the Internet,” he said. “This combination has brought new life to the traditional industry.”

    The PIA said that judges this year honored a total of 1,713 pieces with 115 Best of Category (Benny) awards, 383 Awards of Recognition and 1,215 Certificates of Merit in the PPA competition.

    Named after Benjamin Franklin, who made breakthroughs in the printing industry, the Benny awards have been given out for 66 years, recognizing organizations and individuals who show excellence, a commitment to quality and outstanding achievements in print media annually. Many U.S. print company owners retire after winning the prestigious Benny since it is the ultimate award of success. Chinese companies won 23 Benny awards this year.

    A nonprofit trade association, the PIA is an advocate for the U.S. printing industry as well as the world’s leading graphic arts trade association.