PrintWeek-HP Indigo webinar talked about trends and opportunities in commercial print
The PrintWeek-HP Indigo webinar, the second in the webinar series, hosted on 20 October 2021 at 3.00 pm saw Dr Sean Smyth, a print consultant with Smithers Pira share trends in the commercial printing market in India, and what are the best solutions for the future, including investments. The other panellist was Ashok Pahwa, business manager-commercial, HP Indigo, India, while Chulsan Shim, regional commercial category manager, HP Indigo APAC and Japan, gave a virtual tour of HP's Centre for Excellence in Singapore.
29 Oct 2021 | By Noel D'Cunha
(clock-wise) Benjamin Tan and Chulsan Shim, Ashok Pahwa, Sriraam and Sean Smyth
According to Smyth India is a fascinating market. There are ups and downs, but the overall market is stable and modernising. “At 23.6-bn in 2021, the equivalent of 1,487-bn A4 print, India is at number five position both in value and volume globally. It’s the seventh fastest-growing by value (2016-2026) and eight fastest-growing in print volume terms,” he said.
Smyth presented the different trends of commercial print in India: Sustainability, agility, customisation and price hike. “There’s overcapacity in offset with falling demand in the segment, and price pressure as costs keep rising. The photobook market, however, is recovering well,” he said. Premiumisation, and serving high net worth individuals – financial, are two of the emerging trends, Smyth added.
So, what's the best solution for future investment? “Look for high-value opportunities, a new route to market, technological developments and move to workflow automation,” advised Smyth. “Provide high print quality, CMYK plus; targeted producing using variable data; reduce waste and focus on on-demand capability.”
Key takeaways from Smyth’s presentation included the resilience of print; and the emergence of packaging, and how eCommerce is changing the demand for packaging.
Benjamin Tan and Chulsan Shim demonstrated the different kinds of printing and its applications
Pahwa, the second speaker from HP Indigo shared information on where are the opportunities in digital commercial printing. “There’s a 21.6% transformation of value that is expected to go from offset to digital, and that’s a whopping Rs 9,000-crore in revenue opportunity.”
Pahwa added that commercial printers are struggling. "Offset costs continue to rise: paper by 25%, plate prices by 30%, ink prices by 20% and labour charges. The existing offset printers will need to embrace digital, to stay in the game," he said.
During the webinar, Shim of HP Indigo APAC and Japan, gave a virtual tour, and explained the different modes and applications of the HP Indigo presses. He also demonstrated different kinds of printing and its applications.
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