Two British print industry manufacturers have been honoured with a Queen's Award for Enterprise. Inca Digital and Global Inkjet Systems (GIS) both received the prestigious accolade in the International Trade category.

Onset manufacturer Inca has steadily expanded since it was founded in 2000, now occupying a 600 sq m manufacturing facility which allows it to bring a new product to market every 18 to 24 months, it says. Its wide-format printers have been installed in 34 countries around the world, with growing markets for the company including Eastern Europe, Brazil, Germany and Canada. "We are immensely proud to have won this prestigious award which recognises the enormous effort and commitment of the entire Inca team," comments John Mills, Inca chief executive.

GIS's software and electronics technology for industrial ink-jet print-heads has seen the company's overseas business grow to bring in 89 percent of its revenue. Nick Geddes, chief executive, GIS, says: "This award is a wonderful tribute to our staff, who are committed to developing and delivering innovative products and strong technical support to our customers worldwide. We will continue to access new and growing markets to build on this overseas sales success."