Bhavish Print Solutions redefines publishing with print-on-demand

In a quiet office in Chennai, GK Rajesh, director of Bhavish Print Solutions, outlines an unconventional business model. “We’re not just printers; we generate revenue for publishers,” he says. What began in 1965 as a confidential print outfit has evolved into a distribution-led, print-on-demand (POD) operation that prints only what it distributes — for clients ranging from universities to international publishers.

The transformation was deliberate. From handling mobile bills for telecom giants, bank statements for banks, and mutual fund statements for asset management companies to shifting into transactional digital print by 2005, Bhavish became India’s second-largest printer of transaction statements. But with eStatements cutting into demand, Bhavish pivoted sharply in 2009. By 2013, the transactional division was sold off. The future, Bhavish bet, was in printing one book at a time.

Today, Bhavish operates with 80 staff and relies on two sister companies: Epitome Publishing Solutions for online distribution and SansRack Publishing Solutions for offline distribution. This ecosystem brings in 90% of Bhavish’s print orders, allowing the firm to avoid the low-margin, high-volume segment that defines much of India’s print industry.

The Bhavish model begins where most printers end, with distribution. Unlike conventional set-ups that print thousands of copies upfront in the hope of selling them later, Bhavish follows a distribution-led, print-on-demand (POD) approach. Only after a book is sold or ordered is it printed, sometimes just one copy  at a time.

“We don’t chase volume for the sake of it,” Rajesh explains. “We print only what’s already sold.”

From confidential sheets to custom pages
Bhavish’s roots lie in high-security printing; documents that required confidentiality and precision. The shift to offset in the early 2000s allowed it to serve telecom and bank clients, but digital printing opened a new path. “Digital gave us flexibility. We could print fast and accurately,” Rajesh recalls. The agility of digital made it ideal for time-sensitive jobs like billing, statements, and later, books.

The firm’s POD journey officially began with Pearson, marking Bhavish as an early adopter in India. As demand for course materials, academic books, and low-run publishing grew, the company built its model around single-copy printing, often one or two books per title, dispatched on the same day.

Their export processing zone (EPZ) licence became a game-changer. International clients could now order books that were printed locally in India, slashing shipping costs and lead times. “We are not in the bulk game. We print what we distribute,” Rajesh says, describing how Bhavish dodges inventory costs and works with high-end publishers, particularly in education.

Technology built for purpose
Bhavish’s press line-up is deliberate, not expansive. It includes three Konica Minolta mono machines (C2100 and 7120), one C4085 colour press, Xerox Nuvera 152 and 288 for monochrome, and a Xerox Versant for colour. These presses work with standard paper sizes (13x19 inches), tailored for 8.5x5.5, 9x6 and upto 8.5x11-inch books.

“We do not keep changing substrates,” says Rajesh. Four media types natural shade, plain, matte, and textured, cover their needs, from 60 to 350-gsm. High-bulk paper is used for reducing book weight without compromising tactile quality, which matters for academic clients and export titles. 

Carving a premium POD niche in Chennai
Chennai’s print scene is crowded. Firms like JB Khanna Pictures target devotional prints with KM-1e and C14000 presses, but Bhavish plays in a different lane. Its single-copy strategy avoids the scramble for large-volume print runs that dominate Royapettah and the city’s industrial zones.

Rajesh explains, “We do not print for publishers doing 300–500 copies. That is not us.” Instead, Bhavish works directly with institutions, universities and elite publishers needing micro runs—sometimes just one title per order.

The EPZ licence is a competitive advantage. By printing in India for international clients, Bhavish reduces customs and shipping challenges.

What sets Bhavish apart is its export processing zone (EPZ) licence, which allows it to serve international clients with locally printed books—duty-free, fast, and cost-efficient.

For overseas publishers, especially in education, this is a game-changer. Instead of shipping printed books into India or holding inventory in global hubs, they can order titles one-by-one, printed on demand and dispatched the same day. This advantage, combined with Bhavish’s POD agility, has made it a go-to partner for export-oriented academic publishing.

Scaling without swelling
As Bhavish looks forward, the plan is to grow distribution and scale the press floor only as needed. “We will invest in new machines when the job volume demands it,” Rajesh says. But the benchmark will not be speed or capacity—it will be DPI, consistency, and output quality.

The company remains sceptical of inkjet. “Toner works better for our kind of work,” Rajesh says, valuing sharpness and detail over lower ink costs. For now, Konica Minolta and Xerox remain its go-to partners, though future tech will be evaluated purely on whether it maintains premium quality.

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