How nex-gen printers are redefining R&D with ingenuity

During the industry panel at KMPA's Print & Beyond, five entrepreneurs showcased how they are turning small, focused projects into milestones. Their collective theme: "The future demands constant process improvement, but with limited resources."

For these innovators, R&D often begins with understanding the story behind the print job.

Leena Elizabeth Uthup of Colortone exemplified this by creating a "serious colouring book" for a foreign artist. Realising the artist intended to use multiple media—from charcoal to watercolour—she transformed the project from a simple print run into a collaborative experiment. Leena’s R&D centred on paper stock, systematically testing samples until she found one that "performed" under every medium. This process, which she links to her copywriting mindset, moves the printer's role beyond technical transaction to strategic brand partner.

A similar shift in perception came for Amarnath MP of A-One Offset Prints, who discovered a new core value for his press with a micro-run. He showcased a small, offset-printed book titled “Even Enter Kernel”, a memorial for a pet dog, produced in a run of only 100 copies. This emotionally charged, non-commercial project made him realise his company was not just in the "printing business" but in the "memory-preserving business," diversifying their value alongside their usual institutional bulk orders.

Two innovators showed how smart structural and aesthetic R&D is driving market buzz and solving immediate logistical challenges.

Kartik Nair of Sterling Offset Print House demonstrated the power of creative packaging R&D by showcasing his now-famous rum-bottle–shaped rum cake box. Utilising UV MetPET printing for a combination of high gloss and matte texture, his team co-created a pack structure that became a conversation piece, boosting sales and making the packaging itself a gift. For Karthik, the focus is on collaborating closely with brands to ensure the packaging carries a story and feels "larger than life."

Akhila Nair found her turning point in solving a modern delivery dilemma for a local establishment, Idli Cafe. When asked for a new delivery box for tea and coffee via Swiggy, she blended traditional family guidance with modern digital tools, even using ChatGPT to spark her initial structure. She then leveraged a local sample-making machine to create a final design—a single-colour print on a three-ply flute carton with plain kraft inside for insulation. The market's positive feedback confirmed the value of combining creative ideation with accessible local converting capabilities.

Rohit Louis Francis of Photo Park highlighted how leveraging Kerala's existing high standards for photographic work is the foundation for future R&D. Rohit notes that customers in Kerala genuinely value quality and are willing to pay for it when they understand the product. His next strategic step is a digital pivot from B2B to B2B2C/B2C, using digital tools to bring this high-end Kerala product directly to Gen Z consumers. For him, this move is R&D in market structure, translating the region's existing commitment to quality into a new digital business model.

Collectively, these entrepreneurs demonstrate that the industry's R&D future depends not solely on expensive machinery, but on the spirit of collaboration.

The success of the Idli Cafe box showcases how using digital tools (like ChatGPT for initial structure) and local converting capability can solve a specific modern packaging problem, paving the way for companies to consider how they can adopt AI to scale and innovate.

For Photo Park, the shift from pure B2B to B2B2C/B2C leverages the market's high value for quality and digital tools, moving toward a "Cost Per Asset" model in premium photobooks.

The rum-bottle-shaped rum cake box went viral across South India because its innovative UV MetPET printing and pack structure made the packaging itself a conversation piece and a desirable gift.

Realising that printing a highly emotional, a run of one hundred copies for an author's memorial book, alongside routine bulk orders, is the tangible proof that they are in the "memory-preserving business," formally fosters a culture of process R&D and technological diversification for all varieties of books: from one lakh to one copy.

Leena Uthup's collaborative R&D on paper stock for an artist's premium book, ensuring it "performed" for multiple media, demonstrates Colortone's preference for 'refinement over change'—elevating existing print capabilities through a meticulous process.