Konica Minolta has unveiled the winners of Let's Shine at the C!Print 2026 trade show, held February 3-5 in Lyon, France. Let's Shine 2026 is the first edition of the competition for finishing using MGI JetVarnish or AccurioShine 3600 solutions. Leaflets, brochures, business cards, invitations, book covers, labels, cases, packaging - this competition is open to all projects printed by French companies.
Digital ennoblement is not just a sales tool"
The competition thus highlights digital ennoblement, a practice still described as emerging.
"With Let's Shine, we wanted to give visibility to digital finishing, which is not just a commercial tool, says Régis Ruys, Konica Minolta's Graphic Industry Market Manager. It's an accessible technology that conveys emotion and meaning, giving print back its full sensory dimension. Touch creates a different, more lasting bond, and we support our customers in exploring these possibilities".
For this first edition, 22 projects were evaluated by a seven-person jury comprising creative professionals, specialized media and Konica Minolta representatives. Among them were Julie Aveline, creative director and brand designer at Iscom, Josselin Grange, graphic illustrator and Meilleur ouvrier de France, and Michaël Asensio, Konica Minolta customer training group manager.
Entries were judged on the basis of creativity (originality of idea and quality of graphic transcription) and workmanship.
AGG Print on top of the Let's Shine podium
First place went to Villerbanne-based printer AGG Print, followed by Durand Imprimeurs, based in the Rhône region Saint-Léonard in Pas-de-Calais, and Recto Verso, a printing works in Vitry-sur-Seine in the Val-de-Marne department.
Color Alpilles, located in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, received two special prizes, Coup de Shine Création and Coup de Shine Fabrication. Paris-based École Estienne won the Education Prize.
AGG Print's project, a sales brochure, combines digital printing, soft-touch lamination, 3D digital varnish produced on JetVarnish 3DS, hot foil stamping and die-cutting. "The relief and gloss effects add a strong sensory dimension to the substrate, reinforcing its visual and tactile impact", says Konica.
Durand Imprimeurs distinguished itself with a tourist postcard printed on AccurioPress, gilded and varnished on AccurioShine 3600, then cut with a guillotine. "The combination of premium âeuros digital print, gilding and âeuros varnish finishes enhances content and enriches the reading experience, while reinforcing the perceived quality of the medium."
RectoVerso Imprimerie wins an award for a case and deck of cards: digital printing, 3D varnish on JetVarnish 3D One and die-cutting on a platen. "The project highlights the ability of these technologies to sublimate communication media while maintaining a high level of graphic consistency."
Double award-winner Color Alpilles presented work combining digital printing on AccurioPress, varnishing on JetVarnish 3D One, foil gilding and PF Blade digital die-cutting, as well as embossing. "These projects illustrate both an assertive creative approach and a technical mastery of finishes."
Last but not least, École Estienne was singled out for an educational project integrating digital ennoblement.
