GPA Specialty Substrates Solutions

Headquartered in Chicago, GPA Specialty Substrate Solutions announced the winners of its fourth annual Printed Sample Contest. Printers nationwide competed in six categories for Best of Category, and from those, one winner was selected as Best of Show. For a printed piece to be eligible, it had to come from an actual job or promotion printed by a GPA customer on a qualified GPA substrate. This year’s winners for Best of Category were: • Ultra Film Non-Adhesive Films: Megee Print & Document Solutions, Kalamazoo, Mich., for its customized pick guard for guitars. • Ultra Film Pressure-Sensitive Films: Classic Litho, Torrance, Calif., for its two-sized

By Maggie DeWitt Distributors need all the help they can get these days. It’s tough enough securing appointments to meet with existing customers—let alone prospects—but over-scheduled decision makers still only have limited time for learning about the latest and greatest value-added products distributors may be introducing. The mystery surrounding this month’s feature encompasses the product, as well as a marketing strategy that makes the most of precious time on sales calls. Check out the following clues to guess what the product is: • It is made from electrically charged polypropylene film. • It is perfect for use as temporary signage. •

As the demand for environmental integrity grows, Chicago-based GPA Specialty Substrate Solutions announced its latest eco-friendly substrate—Ultra Green Film. Unlike traditional paper, Ultra Green Film is manufactured without the use of trees, water or toxic agents including bleaching chemicals. The result is an environmentally responsible substrate that offers unrivaled visual quality, press performance and environmental impact. Different from pulp papers, it has no grain, resulting in a smooth surface that promotes high-color saturation and resolution. The unique substrate combines the printability and converting characteristics of paper with the durability of plastic in one amazing substrate. Ultra Green is naturally resistant to scuffing,

Headquartered in Chicago, GPA Specialty Substrate Solutions announces the newest addition to its Ultra Digital line—Layflat Photo Pages with FlexBind Technology. This new product allows bound books to lie completely flat, enabling photo spreads to flow smoothly from one page to the next for dramatic visual presentations. Until now, images in bound books were limited by the binding gutter’s crease. Ultra Digital Layflat Photo Pages with FlexBind Technology feature an exclusive laminated hinge that eliminates this constraint. The stress normally placed on the binding is instead distributed to the laminated hinge on each page. The result is a unique product that offers a

Chicago-based GPA Specialty Substrate Solutions—a widely recognized market leader in providing substrate solutions for HP Indigo Digital Presses—proudly announces that it has been named a Preferred Partner of HP Indigo. The Preferred Partner program establishes a standard of excellence for partners of HP Indigo who excel in providing application and substrate solutions for the HP Indigo Community. The partnership establishes a mutual commitment between HP Indigo and GPA to help owners of HP Indigo technology achieve a competitive advantage and profitable growth in digital printing. “Based on the strength and depth of our decade-long relationship with the HP Indigo Community, becoming an HP

Chicago-based GPA Specialty Substrates Solutions has received the Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certification on a variety of its Ultra Digital coated and uncoated papers. The wood and pulp used in these finished products is traceable to responsibly managed forests, and there are documented controls in place to make sure the integrity of the environment is upheld. For more information, visit www.askgpa.com or call (800) 395-9000.

Chicago-based GPA announced the promotion of Anne Tuzik to vice president of finance. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of GPA’s financial management, including planning, control, accounting and reporting of the company’s finances. Tuzik initially joined GPA in 1998 as an accounts payable supervisor, and was later promoted to corporate controller, where she oversaw the company’s accounting department. “A key to GPA’s consistent record of double-digit growth over the last several years has been our ability to generate and act on financial data and key performance metrics in a timely fashion,” said President Mike Ratcliff. “Anne has [played] an integral