NKN Print Solutions’ digital print business points to a new frontier for books

Navin Bansal, managing director at NKN Print Solutions, informs PrintWeek that his company has the ability to print up to 5,000 books each day, in sizes which are either A4 or 8.5x11-inch. “Since its installation, we have been using the Accurio C12000 machine for the cover printing of books and other higher number of short-run printing jobs.”

Though Bansal established NKN Print Solutions on 17 February 2015, he has been managing the digital printing business since 2009, using the Konica Minolta light print production (C6000) machine. “After the establishment of NKN Print Solutions, we upgraded to medium print production (KM 1052 and KM 6136) machines,” says Bansal.

NKN operates from a 3,000 sqft single plant in New Delhi’s Kalkaji area.

Bansal’s investment pattern has been like the famous saying – The man who moves a mountain by carrying away small stones. “We steadfastly believe in the ideology behind this saying. We gradually increased our production capacity with smaller goals. Soon these small goals evolve into the bigger picture. We continued expanding our capacity, one step at a time, and keep adding new mono engines each year.”

Book printing – NKN’s USP

NKN dabbles in printing all kinds of books. “Due to the proficient printers of Konica Minolta and the assorted range of prints these machines can produce, our company can offer a wide range of book printing services. It sets us apart from the competition – our unique selling point (USP). We take great pride in delivering high-quality educational and academic books that meet the standards of educational institutions and students alike.”

Bansal shares an exciting but challenging book project his company accomplished. “Just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we received an order for a massive printing job of 50,000 books, for which we had to print and finish 85-lakh sheets in just 10 days.”

It was an enormous challenge for the NKN team, especially in a pandemic-stricken scenario. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Konica Minolta for their partnership and support during the pandemic,” says Bansal, adding, “It was only with the help of our KM presses that we could rise to the occasion and complete the job within the specified time frame. Our team worked long hours and tirelessly to ensure the books were of the highest quality. We proudly say that we delivered the order on time, much to our client's satisfaction.”

Quality expectations and the constant deadline pressure

Bansal’s mantra is: deliver quality, deliver it on time. That’s a hallmark of our business, and it has held us in good stead in a highly competitive market, he says. “We have made a conscious decision to invest in Konica printing machines after thorough testing and evaluation during high-pressure work situations.”

One of the reasons Bansal has invested in the C12000 is KM’s proven technology, which he says, is reliable and efficient. “After Installing C12000 for our colour requirements, we can produce high-quality printed materials with a quick turnaround time, which allows us to meet the demands of our clients and maintain our reputation for excellence.”

The KM Accurio C12000 press can print A3 (12x18-inch) sheets weighing up to 450gsm at a speed of 69ppm with a resolution of 3,600x2,400dpi. It supports textures and envelope media.

The print production workflow

Bansal says his team understands the critical importance of meeting deadlines, which is why he has implemented strict protocols to ensure that our work processes are efficient and streamlined.

“As soon as we receive a new job, we plan and prepare to ensure our client's expectations are met and exceeded. Our partnership with Konica Minolta has been instrumental in providing us with the necessary tools to achieve our goals. We are proud to be associated with a company of such high calibre,” reiterates Bansal.

And NKN backs its print capability with a solid post-press facility, which Bansal says, is a mix of automatic and semi-automatic machines such as Welbound/Techbound perfect binders, three Polar cutting machine, and lamination machines, and the specific requirements of that job determine the specific machines used for each job.

 “Post-press is key to our ability to complete projects from start to finish at our plant. We have invested heavily in acquiring all the essential equipment required for both press and post-press processes, enabling our highly skilled and experienced team to work together seamlessly to deliver high-quality results on time,” explains Bansal.

The post-press stage at NKN is just as important as the printing itself. On average, it takes the NKN team between four to five hours of finishing activity for each project. “The post-press machines at NKN are not only efficient in terms of output but also come with Konica Minolta’s reputation that makes the presses a good choice,” says Bansal.

 We understand that the post-press stage is as important as the printing itself. On average, it takes us between four to five hours to complete the post-press stage for each project, as we are equipped with all of the necessary post-press machines. Our team is highly skilled and experienced in using these machines, which allows us to produce polished and professional printed materials that meet the exacting standards of our clients.

No B-grade paper, please

Bansal has hedged his bets on producing books and believes that the book printing market is experiencing significant growth as the number of readers continues to increase worldwide.

“Offset printing was the preferred method for printing large runs of books in the past. However, advances in digital printing technology have made producing high-quality printed materials with shorter runs possible,” says Bansal. “As readership continues to expand and as runs become shorter and more varied, the demand for digital printing will only increase.”

But when it comes to papers for book printing, where many prefer B-grad paper for their projects, Bansal is emphatic and says, he is committed to using only high-quality paper media for all of NKN’s printing projects.

Bansal adds, “While this may result in slightly higher costs, we believe producing high-quality printed materials that will stand the test of time is essential. We also believe in educating our customers about the importance of high-quality paper media and why using low-grade, category B-grade paper is not a good choice. This type of paper can negatively impact the quality of the final print. It can also shorten the lifespan of our machines. This is something we can avoid.”

NKN has a wide range of customers – publishers, corporate, educational institutes and even walk-in customers.

Bansal says, as a digital printer, we consider every customer who holds a short-run job to be essential to us. “However, book printing truly sets us apart as a company. Despite this focus, we are committed to providing a wide range of digital printing services to meet the diverse needs of our clients.”

Bansal concludes by saying his goal is to provide top-notch digital printing services to as many customers as possible. “We want to build long-lasting relationships with each one of them.”