LifeArt Technologies, which uses Agfa UV flatbed printers and CHILI publish software to manufacture personalised eco-friendly coffins, has won a silver award in the new Packaging on Paper or Board category in this year’s FESPA Awards. Judges awarded two Best in Show awards this year in the annual celebration of excellence in global speciality print and visual communications.
The rigid fibreboard coffin is printed on UV flatbed digital and CAD cut with Zünd and assembled using Bickers
LifeArt, founded in Sydney, developed an enviroboard coffin using cardboard engineering and has been making bespoke coffins since 2004. The board acts as a template that allows the families to have any graphic of their choice on the coffin.
LifeArt worked with Agfa Graphics to test various inks for the enviroboard and developed colour management profiles for the printing of designs on the Agfa Jeti Mira LED at Agfa’s head office in Belgium.
In 2017, LifeArt Technologies opened a global innovation centre in Gloucester to produce its products for the UK and global market. LifeArt said it was looking to partner with UK and US wide format printing companies and has also opened a facility in Hong Kong. (2019 Interview with LifeArt founder and CEO Mike Grehan can be seen below)
The categories ‘Packaging on Paper and Board’, ‘Packaging on Plastics’, ‘Wrapping’ and ‘Printeriors’ were new to this year’s Awards scheme, recognising four growth applications for speciality print and signage businesses.
Best in Show:
Among this year’s entries from 27 countries across the 18 categories, the FESPA judges selected two to receive Best in Show Awards: Christian M. Walter – Taller de Serigrafía- Edición from Spain, for the entry “New York de Sergio García Sánchez” (pictured above) in the Serigraphy and Fine Art category, and The Look Company from Qatar for its Roll-to-Roll Printed Textiles entry “Anoc World Beach Games.” (pictured below)
New to the 2020 Awards is the Judges’ Award for Innovation which was handed to HAAS Die Werbemanufaktur from Switzerland for its 3D Printed Beer Bottle Breaks Through Glass entry (pictured below) in the Direct Printing on Three-Dimensional Products category.
Graeme Richardson-Locke, FESPA Awards Judge, said: “This entry was selected as winner of the Judges’ Award for Innovation for being a brilliantly executed and creative concept using a combination of 3D printing, vinyl wrapping and detail fabrication."
Members of the FESPA community selected the People’s Choice Award from the shortlisted entries, with Sakawa Printing Company from Japan taking this honour for its Japanese Fishes Calendar in the Creative Special Effect – Paper, Board and Plastics category (pictured below).
The Gold winners in the 17 application-specific categories were:
Entries were also invited for the Young Star category, for junior print industry employees, trainees or students aged between 16 and 25. The 2020 Young Star winner is PVG's Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology in India for their entry, “Save Tigers Before They are Silenced Forever”. “This student’s work shows ambition in reproduction and design, using four colour processes and special effect varnishes.” Graeme explains why this entry was awarded Gold.
“Championing print excellence and promoting the unique power of print is central to FESPA’s mission," said Christian Duyckaerts, FESPA president. "With the FESPA Awards, we want to inspire our global community to keep developing fresh ideas and using advances in technology and materials to add new dimensions to the work they produce for customers, as a foundation for continued growth. Judging this work is a privilege because it reminds us that print – in all its many forms and applications – is creative, beautiful and, above all, effective. We extend our congratulations to all our 2020 winners.”
For a full list of the FESPA Award winners and runners up, visit: www.fespaawards.com
In December 2019, LifeArt founder and CEO Mike Grehan - who ran Australia’s largest funeral group InvoCare for many years - spoke to Inkish TV about the company’s partnership with CHILI publish.
