Xerox Seeks Printing Innovation Award Entries

Xerox Corporation has announced the call for entries in its seventh annual Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) awards. The competition’s theme this year is “Shine,” and will recognize 'innovative and effective work customers are printing with Xerox digital systems.'

The PIXI award categories are:

* Collateral: This category includes wide-format posters, signage, brochures, calendars, postcards, sell sheets, business cards and catalogs, or any other form of product or promotional literature. The collateral category can include a variety of finishing techniques, from flat, single sheets to folded, stitched multipage literature.

* Books and Manuals: Short-run vanity titles, customized school books, product manuals, training materials, booklets, wire-bound presentations, annual reports and more. Entries can be black-and-white or color, or a combination of both.

* Direct Marketing: Digitally printed direct marketing designed to target specific audiences, featuring personalized text or graphics. Includes materials such as postcards, self-mailers, multi-piece flat mailing packages, dimensional mailing packages (including posters in tubes), envelopes and labels, and cross-media programs (including printed elements and personal URLs), as well as personalized or print-on-demand fulfillment materials.

* New Business Application: Highlights lucrative new print applications that are seeing increased adoption in the industry, including: photo specialty products such as photo books, calendars, and greeting cards; packaging solutions that are ideal for short-runs, versions, or personalization; plus specialty imaging solutions for document security and fraud deterrence.

* Transactional Promotional: All types of customer account statements, especially communications that use unique customer information to provide recipients with more relevant promotional offers and customized information. Examples include: credit card statements with personalized offers, bank statements that cross-sell additional financial services, mutual fund statements or 401(k) reports that graphically depict investment mix and rate of return, telecommunications or utility statements that include retention-building information.

In addition, for the first time, this year’s PIXI awards will recognize print providers using Xerox solutions in an environmentally friendly way. 'Xerox has a longstanding commitment to sustainability and we know many of our customers do as well,” says Valerie Blauvelt, vice president of marketing, Xerox Production Systems Group. “This year, we are searching for applications that demonstrate the qualities of an environmentally conscious print shop that follow sustainable business practices such as embracing print on demand, adopting energy-reducing workflow automation tools, and using more environmentally efficient papers.”

There is a Best of Show award as well as three winners in each category. Entries will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges on the use of digital technology, business effectiveness, overall aesthetics, and the degree of innovation or inventiveness of the entry. The contest also will recognize the most innovative use of Xerox technology, the most outstanding use of Xerox supplies, and the aforementioned environmental honors. More than $50,000 in travel certificates will be awarded as prizes; in addition, the Best of Show winner will have the opportunity to participate on the 2009 PIXI panel of judges.

Participation in the PIXI Awards is free. Submissions must be produced using Xerox digital printing systems.

Entries will be accepted through the competition website until August 1 2008; winners will be announced during Graph Expo, October 26-29, 2008 in Chicago.

XEROX PIXI AWARDS

www.xerox.com/pixi