The International Newspaper Colour Quality Club is a worldwide printing quality competition for newspapers. Its goal is to improve the quality of reproduction and printing in production, while also increasing competitiveness as well as training and motivating all personnel.
The competition has been held every two years since 1994. Newspapers that participate with success are awarded membership for a two-year period in the exclusive club of top-quality titles. Multiple winners and participants in the WAN-IFRA certification project also have the prospect of being awarded membership in the Star Club.
Newspapers that make the shortlist, increase their prestige among readers, pride among staff members, and often benefits when it comes to selling ad space to fussy customers.
"Participation in the club is not an end in itself, rather an instrument for personnel leadership, standardisation and ongoing process optimisation," said Manfred Werfel, deputy CEO and executive director of newspaper production at the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
"Having efficient structures in place is a key factor for ensuring long-term economic success, especially in the competition with other media," he said.
Registrations for the 2012-2014 competition is underway, with a special bonus for those who sign up early. Those who register by 17 October 2011 will benefit from a free preliminary test evaluation.
Participation in the contest can be easily integrated into a newspaper's normal production operations. Participants download a small ad-like test element and incorporate it into a page. No costly, time-consuming special print runs are required.
Participation in the competition is open to all newspapers, independent of the production processes or types of paper that are used. Four categories have been defined:
For more information and to register, go to www.wan-ifra.org/colorqualityclub .
