Daily Herald wins awards for print quality

The Daily Herald has won two first-place awards for print quality in the nationwide 2011 Inland Print Quality Competition.

The contest, sponsored by the Inland Press Association and Southern Lithoplate, honored the Daily Herald for both the color and black-and-white categories for newspapers with circulations more than 100,000.

“Paddock Publications has long possessed state-of-the-art printing equipment, but it is the work of the skilled craftsmen and women in pre-press and in the pressroom who make the difference in quality reproduction. We're proud of the commitment to quality that is apparent every day on the pages of the newspaper,” said Douglas K. Ray, chairman, publisher and CEO of Arlington Heights-based Paddock Publications, publisher of the Daily Herald.

Contestants nationwide had submitted printed reproduction of color and black-and-white photos provided by the sponsors. Judges then evaluated print quality, clarity and sharpness in black ink as well as color, said Inland's Assistant Program Director Elaine Lange.

The judges were faced with tough decisions because the quality improves each year, said Judge Mary Van Meter.

“This year, the judges were really looking for a true match to the photo and we think we found several that did a great job.”

The Villages Daily Sun in Villages, Fla., won Best in Show.

In 2002, Paddock Publications constructed a new press center on 26 acres near Wright Boulevard and the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway in Schaumburg.

The media company built the $52 million, 160,000-square-foot building to accommodate two MAN Roland presses that were made in Germany.

In 2006, the Daily Herald was honored for the quality of its reproduction with the North American Recognition Award and membership in the prestigious International Color Quality Club, sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America and IFRA, an international newspaper organization now part of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

“We're very proud of the pre-press and press departments. They work very hard every day and it's nice to see them recognized for their efforts,” said Stefanie Anderson, Paddock vice president of production.

Des Plaines-based Inland Press Association, a not-for-profit association, was founded in 1885 and is dedicated to advancing the welfare of its more than 1,165 member newspapers nationwide.

Youngsville, N.C.-based Southern Lithoplate supplies digital and analog lithoplates to more than 1,800 newspaper and commercial printers worldwide.