PrintWeek launches Digital Print Awards

PrintWeek has launched the Digital Print Awards, a platform to recognise excellence in digital print applications across India.

At a video conference held on 20 March 2026 at 4 pm, Ramu Ramanathan and Rohit Nair of PrintWeek and WhatPackaging? outlined the initiative to several digital print equipment suppliers, urging them to encourage participation from their customer base.

Ajay Aggarwal of Insight Communication, Ajay Raorane of Domino India, Akshay Kaushal of Provin Technos, Gurjeet Dhingra of Canon India, Manish Gupta of Konica Minolta, Puneet Chadha of Redington India, Rishabh Kohli of TPH, Rohan Kulkarni of Kodak India, Shamim Alam of HP Indigo, TP Jain of Monotech, Umesh Kagade of HP Indigo, and Vimal Parmar, digital print specialist, (Koji Miyao of Ricoh and Priyatosh Kumar of Fujifilm could not attend) participated in the video conference. They indicated that future growth in digital print will be driven by emerging hubs and entrepreneurial businesses in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets.

The Indian digital print market is estimated at over USD 1.4-billion and is projected to expand significantly in the coming years, driven by shorter runs, faster turnaround expectations and the rise of personalisation and print-on-demand models. These structural shifts are reshaping how print is bought, produced and delivered. “The industry has traditionally celebrated scale,” said Ramanathan. “But there is a massive segment of digital printers doing smart, efficient work without recognition.”

The awards are structured across 12 categories and four zones, ensuring national representation. The awards will focus on execution, workflow efficiency and business impact rather than company size. Categories include photobooks, labels, personalisation, print-on-demand books and marketing collateral, among others.

Entries opened on 20 March and will close on 25 April, with jury sessions in early May and the awards scheduled for June. Winners will be selected across four zones to ensure regional representation.

Participation has been designed to be simple. Entrants must submit one physical sample and a 300- to 500-word note outlining the workflow and outcome. Entries will be anonymised for judging. “The idea was to remove friction and make the process accessible,” said Nair. “We want printers across regions to participate without hesitation.”

The initiative will also include webinars, case studies and editorial coverage to sustain engagement beyond the awards.