Newspaper printers in New Zealand will be paying special attention to quality this month, the qualifying date for this year’s SWUG NZ awards for excellence in printing in this period. There are categories for • tabloid on any enhanced substrate (excluding heatset); and • broadsheet on 42 gsm, with awards for first, second and third. Entry dates will be published closer to the conference but will be between May 1-31. Awards will be presented during the tenth annual conference, being held at Wairake Resort, Taupo, on October 13-14, immediately following the PrintNZ annual conference at the same venue. Conference theme is ‘Where to from here – a focus on looking forward’, with presentations on UV printing, heatset/coldset printing, press upgrades, chemical-free plate technology, prepress enhancements, postpress equipment, OH&S, print industry trends in the US and UK, environmental issues, and any new developments. The programme will include a new presentation slot for industry members titled ‘Who am I’, backgrounding people working within the industry. Chairman Dan Blackbourn is looking for suitable candidates: “This could be someone who has worked in the industry for 40 years talking about the changes they have seen, or someone who has worked in it for five and what they think of the industry,” he says, “or perhaps a woman working in a predominantly male industry.” Either way, they will be a character who can talk about themselves for 15 minutes. If you know of someone who may fit the criteria email either Blackbourn, dan.blackbourn@apnprint.co.nz or Bob Anderson, Bob.Anderson@WaikatoTimes.co.nz. Registrations for the conference are required by May 30. A SWUG golf day originally planned has been cancelled, but there are opportunities to play the nine-hole Wairake public course or more challenging 18-hole course.