Ward/Kraft Takes Top Awards During IAPHC-Sponsored Competition

Minneapolis-based IAPHC (International Association of Printing House Craftsmen) had a group of international jurors evaluate more than 2,250 entries received from around the globe during its 33rd International Gallery competition, Sept. 26-28. Winners—including Ward/Kraft, Ft. Scott, Kan.—received their awards in January, during IAPHC’s celebration of International Printing Week in Las Vegas.

Ward/Kraft received five Gold Awards, five Silver Awards, three Bronze Awards and one Honorable Mention within the following categories: graphic design, flexography plastic cards, sheetfed offset waterless printing and digital small-format devices.

Said Kevin Keane, IAPHC’s president and CEO, “The Ward/Kraft family of companies has been participating in the International Gallery for the past eight years. In that time, the judges have seen amazing proof of the burgeoning product line and the creative new solutions the employee teams of Ward/Kraft have brought to market to help support their distributors and the end-user customers. We salute Ward/Kraft for their commitment to superlative printed products, and thank them for their support of the International Gallery.”

Established in 1919 as a resource network for graphic professionals, IAPHC’s mission is to educate, promote, inform and connect the thousands of individual members and the global graphic community.

The International Gallery is the organization’s annual showcase of printed samples that exemplify the craft, art and science employed by the global printing and graphics arts community. The International Gallery has become a premier event for the graphic communications industry worldwide, with continual growth in entry numbers and increased support by industry supplier firms. All International Gallery entries are judged on the quality and difficulty of the graphic arts processes used—ink coverage, intensity of solids, registration, dot structure, paper usage, binding, finishing, degree of difficulty, overall visual appearance and effective communication.

Ward/Kraft, Inc. has eight plants, all centrally located near its headquarters. The company specializes in manufacturing labels, plastics, magnets, commercial print, mailers and business forms.