PDI Inc. wins both technical challenge and innovation challenge prizes at the 2018 Gutenberg Gala.

KIRKLAND, JUNE 1ST, 2018 — PDI Inc. and its division, PDI Large Format Solutions, are proud to announce that they each won a coveted Gutenberg prize at the Gutenberg Gala held on May 31st, 2018 at the Bonsecours Market ballroom in Old Montreal. In its 36th edition, the Gutenberg Gala welcomed more than 430 guests this year who demonstrated their passion for all facets of the print industry by attending this illustrious event.

The Gutenberg Gala is well known for its rigorous selection process in allocating prizes in the technical and innovation categories, thus giving much credibility to the value of these awards which highlight the exceptional quality of execution along with the talent and creativity of Quebec artisans working in the print industry.

It is with great pride that PDI Inc. accepted an innovation prize in finishing for the British American Tobacco (BAT) sleeve. Working diligently with its foil stamping partner, Gravure Choquet, PDI had to find a method to produce 440,000 sleeves with a large scratch-off surface that was esthetically pleasing while respecting the visual appearance of the brand. The sleeve was stamped with a low-adhesion scratchable coating capable of supporting a silver foil stamp as a surprint. The opacity of the scratch portion was guaranteed by an additional layer of black stamping.

Left: British American Tobacco (BAT) sleeve | Right: St-Catherine street doors of the Complexe Desjardins

Jamie Barbieri, President of PDI commented: “We are very proud of how our team came together to respond to our client’s needs. PDI is able to tap into a wealth of experience with our very knowledgeable employees, and their diligence and creativity allow us to find solutions to the most complex challenges.”

The technical challenge prize was awarded to PDI Large Format Solutions in the large format display category for a piece called ‘Santa Claus Parade’ produced for the St-Catherine street doors of the Complexe Desjardins. The client wanted to maximize both the glass and metal surfaces to be covered, with a seamless visual that let in the natural light and assured that their patrons could see through the window from both sides in order to insure a safe flow of traffic through the Complexe.

Chief Executive Officer of PDI, Gaetano Di Trapani, added: “In PDI’s large format division, our motto is to ‘bring surfaces to life’ and this project is a fine example of how the wise choice of substrate, along with the special attention of our dedicated installation team, can accomplish that mission. We are honoured that our clients turn to PDI with their special projects, thus challenging us every day to develop new opportunities in print.”

PDI Inc. is the largest independent sheet-fed printing company in Quebec providing complete Integrated Print Solutions. Pre-media, offset, digital, and large-format print production, web-to-print, as well as fulfillment, warehousing