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How three Mumbai firms aggrandise advertising

Shripad Bhat — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 17:09:22

Vandan Enterprises

From movie poster painting to jumbo PVC inflatable advertising balloon printing, Rajendra Mahadik, founder of Vandan Enterprises, has done it all.

Vandan Enterprises makes a wide range of PVC inflatable advertising balloons, advertising display boards, screen printed on sunpack, sunboard, acrylic, MDF board,HDPE, etc. Non-woven bags and school bags printing, gift items such as tea coasters, are other products are also offered by the company. They cater to the pharma, telecommunication and media, F&B and FMCG segments.

“These PVC advertising balloons were meant for product promotions of leading brands, thus demanding high quality and accurate colour reproduction” says Mahadik.

Established in 2000, Vandan Enterprises has been successfully using two Nano-print Plus to advertising collaterals like PVC inflatable balloons, danglers and display boards. Recipients of three awards for screen printing from printing contractor, Jai Maharashtra Association, Mahadik was also associated with a toy manufacturing company for 15 years.

“There was a time when, as a paint brush artist, I used to make movie posters which used to be then printed on an offset press. I went the screen printing way when one of my industry colleague introduced me to this manual printing process.”

“I started operating the business from home. In those days, I used to print 1-2 sq/inch PVC stickers, wedding cards and other commercial jobs. I then got associated with a kids’ toy manufacturing company. We used to make all types of small and big size, multicolour toys, inflatable PVC swimming tubular rings, jackets, inflatable bathing tubs for kids – all manual printed even upto sizes of 10ft. As the Chinese multi-colour PVC balloons and toys started flooding the market at lower costs, producing such toys became unviable. But with this 20-year experience, I could then quickly switch over to advertising PVC balloon/dangler printing business. I used to print dimensional PVC balloons of 15-18 ft in size, the first one being the Shoppers’ Stop logo.”

Sai Toys

Gurunath Patil, the owner of Sai Toys drives to his Alibaug factory in a Honda City. The factory has as many as six semi-automatic screen printing machines in operation. Sai Toys’ balloon manufacturing factory is surrounded by 100 mango and 60 coconut trees on a 60+ acre farm.

Patil worked for three years in a toy manufacturing unit in the heart of Dharavi, dubbed as Asia's largest slum. Later, he started his own tiny balloon producing unit there with one PVC welding machine and one manual screen printing table. He used to sell his products to small shops in Mumbai on his bicycle.

Today, he is all set to blow up his success further in the segment, especially balls and balloons for tiny tots. And to achieve this goal, he has set 14 tables 'on fire' (which required 30 people) and deployed five Nano Print machines, and one Nano-Print plus from Grafica after attending DMI's three-day workshop.

In 1984, he migrated after a rift with his father.

As his business increased, he started deploying more PVC welding machines, one after another. He also augmented his screen printing unit with more tables. “For the last 20 years I have been supplying my products only to three big toy traders. They are now quite happy to see the transformation in the quality of my balloons because of automation,” says Patil.

During his site visit in 2011, Mike Young, an international screen printing expert from USA, observed in his article published in Grafica News: “I had read previously an inspiring article about this company but it is only when I entered the factory that I could appreciate the impact of what modern-day semi automatic printing machines can do for a business like Sai Toys! What was spectacular about this company was the vast amount of people they had to employ to screen print each piece yet having to remain extremely competitive price-wise and meet demanding deliveries. A solution was found last year by investing in five small semi automatics, each operated by a team of four people. Two would feed and register one balloon segment each on the print table, the third would remove them once printed and the fourth stacking them in several piles allowing them to dry without forced air. Noting all machines were operating at a staggering pace (maximum squeegee speed and no dwell between print cycles) without anyone breaking into a sweat. Essentially, in one stroke the company's transformation to automation significantly reduced labour while more than doubling productivity.”

R S Inflatables

The IPL cricket extravaganza has brought in moolah for the Mumbai-based R S Inflatables, who supply seven to eight lakh cheer sticks during every IPL.

Founded in 1992 by Ramdas Shirkar (who hails from Ratnagiri), RS Toys is a manufacturer of various types of advertising balloons and toys.

His son, Nilesh set up RS Plastics to focus on inflatable advertising balloons. R S Toys, RS Plastics and their sister concern RS Inflatable, offer a wide range of toys and inflatable advertising/promotional balloons. Their product portfolio includes: inflatable toys, PVC balloons, PVC inflatable danglers, advertising balloons, cheer sticks for IPL cricket series and other promotional articles. The company's clientele is the mobile, food, FMCG, cement, fertilizer, book stores, white goods, soft drinks, pharma sectors in India and abroad. “This marketing and promotional trick is applied by companies/MNCs to promote their products and for brand positioning,” says Nilesh who is also assisted by his younger brother Nitesh.

“Inflatable Point of Purchase (POP) Promotional balloons are used by marketing and advertising agencies, manufacturers, and any company that wants to promote their product, brand, trademark, logo or mascot character. Inflatable POP Promotions are used to improve sales and visibility of new products and are also used at openings, sports and special events, trade shows, window displays and indoor/outdoor events, etc. They can also be used as gifts and giveaways,” says Nilesh.

The company makes mini inflatable balloons with a size range of 50 to 100 cm which are meant for product display on shelves in department stores, for the purpose of sales promotions with different size and shape heart balloon, square box etc. “The eye-catching design possibilities of these mini inflatable represent products and their attributes in true sense and the likeness makes them extremely effective medium at relatively low cost. These include: Bag, boots, packages, figures, counterparts, conserves/jams, bottles, packets, small, miniature, parts, adhesive, etc.

“We also make 1-5 feet size balloons. These balloons are highly durable and made from laminated rubberized Poly Vinyl material, requiring one-time-inflation. One has to inflate them only once and use them for months,” says Nilesh by concluding, “We make promotional balloons for various industries such as cosmetics, spectacles, sunglasses, computers, whisky, watches, and many other products for leading brands.”

Picture Gallery: Almats. Jak. Lustra. Pragati. Replika. Silverpoint. Thomson. Vishwakala.

PrintWeek India — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 23:18:59

Words: Tanvi Parekh]]>

The Walking BookFairs at TISS in Deonar

PrintWeek India — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 16:34:26

A long journey with the loved books that enables thousands of others to undertake theirs by diving into the realm of literature is something that India is witnessing for the first time at the 'Walking BookFair'.

The Walking BookFairs has been travelling across nine other states and various cities in Maharashtra, making its stop in Mumbai on Monday.

The book truck has a bookshop where people can buy books at a 20% discount. The truck, with 4000 books, doubles up as a free library for all at the venue. The collection boasts of titles across all genres, including translations of some foreign authors.

The journey of the book truck started on December 15 last year from Bhubaneswar and the nine states that it has covered include village schools, beaches and dhabas. "So what if you cannot travel to a library, the library can surely travel to you," said Misra, in a conversation with a daily.

Pic courtesy: Walking Book Fair FB account

3D printing to play the tune at Mumbai concert

PrintWeek India — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 16:05:34

The Navi Mumbai-based start-up, Divide by Zero Technologies, which claims to have manufactured first completely made-in-India 3D printer, has designed and 3D printed the musical instruments on its, soon to be launched, Aion 500 device.

The concert is a part of the inaugural edition of the two-day 3D printing exhibition, Inside 3D Printing, is organised by Meckler Media jointly with Inkjet Forum India, and Colour Publications. The concert will feature 3D-printed musical instruments like Uklele, Electronic Guitar, Darbuka, Flute, Shaker, Bongo and Kanjeera.

Speaking to PrintWeek India, Swapnil Sansare, CEO of the start-up, said, “I have this habit of exploring new avenues in 3D printing. It happened so that I stumbled upon some ready design of a Ukelele, and I thought of printing it.”

“Around the same time, one drummer Pareshh Vijay from Combustus was already in touch for some other work. And the idea of 3D printed musical instruments took shape and therein emerged this musical gig,” added Sansare.

Working together with Combustus, Divide By Zero team started designing these instruments. Sansare said, “Prototyping, rejections, imperfect sound and many other issues popped up. But luckily with the band's constant input we could achieve the expected results.”

Given that the start-up firm is the gold sponsor for the expo, Sansare has high expectations from the show. “The show is one of its kinds. The idea is to push the limits of 3D printing and its reach. So, I guess it's the right thing happening on right time at right place. This expo already has 2000+ registered visitors, my team is very excited and we are hoping to create a stir in 3d printing industry worldwide with this musical show.”

10 fun questions about the legends and stalwarts of print

PrintWeek India — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 14:56:56

To whom does the credit of establishing the first printing press of sorts in Western India go to

Answer: Bhimjee Parrack, who was broker with the East India Company and Henry Hill. The year was 1674.

Henry Hill’s title was the printer of the Island city of Bombay. He arrived in Bombay with a printing press, types and lots and lots of paper in 1674. Why is this year historically important in Maharashtra?

Answer: It was the year Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom was invested with regal powers.

In the 17th century when a contract was inked, how much was the printer paid?

Answer: Rs 50 per annum for three years.

For more than 120 years after this there was no journalistic activity in Bombay. So what was the first publication to be printed in Bombay?

Answer: It was the Calendar For The Year of Our Lord. Printed in 1780 by Rustom Carsetjee in the Buzaar.

On 29 January (a Saturday) 1780, Indian journalism was born. How so?

Answer: The Bengal Gazette, popularly known as Hicky’s Gazette was published. But like all top class newspapers it did not live to celebrate its first birthday!

In 1789, nine years after Kolkata ... Bombay saw its first newspaper the Bombay Herald which like the Bengal Gazette did NOT survive for more than one year. Immediately after the Bombay Herald was launched the second newspaper which thrived for 50 years? Which paper was it?

Answer: The Bombay Courier.

By 1839, BOMBAY had three English newspapers ... Bombay Gazette, the Bombay Courier and the Bombay Times. In the next 12 months many of Bombay’s top journalists died. How so? It was not due to the war, it was not due to government repression, it was not due to booze.

Answer: Cholera.

What happened on18 May 1961?

Answer: The Times of India was “officially” formed. The Times of India was an amalgamation of three newspapers: The Bombay Times, The Bombay Standard and The Bombay Telegraph and Courier. An interesting trivia: On 18 May 1861, Mumbai was officially accepted as the commercial capital of India. And therefore The Times of India was accorded the status of a national newspaper.

Trivia: The original address of which famous Bombay paper was located in the Maneckji Petit building (near the end of Colaba Causeway) ... From there they shifted to Rutherford Street ... Then to Military Square in Fort ... Then to Bell Lane, Meadow Street (known in 1905 as Fort Chapel; and then to 2, Churchgate Street ... and then to a red building called the Messrs Kemp & Co at the south end of Parsee Bazaar Street. In 1898, its offices were once again shifted to a building opposite the Cathedral which was its penultimate destination. ... Name this legendary newspaper?

Answer: The Times of India.

Some of us know the Horniman Garden, opposite the Asiatic Society? Who was Horniman?

Answer: Benjamin Guy Horniman (1873-1948) was a school of journalism. He was editor of the Bombay Chronicle and a crusader for India’s freedom. He was bachelor, a vegetarian, and a tee-totaller. At the end of his career he was seen walking barefoot on the pavements of Bombay dictating his editorial to his stenographer.

This man is as the architect of modern Bombay for his contribution to institutions in the city: The Grant Medical College and the Bhau Daji Museum. What’s his fame to claim in journalism?

Answer: George Birdwood. He helped with the merger of the Bombay Standard and TOI. Also, he edited the Bombay Saturday Review.

Trivia: Robert Knight the noted editor of TOI was unwell. He requested Dr Birdwood to officiate for him and produce the newspaper. Birdwood took a radical position, and the newspaper was about to take an 180 degrees shift. On cue, Knight with very high fever landed up in office with a doctor in tow. Dr Birdwood was the editor of TOI for one day.

Social Stationery Printer 2015: First Impression (Tie)

PrintWeek India — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 21:45:38

Two Mumbai-based print companies, First Impressions and Prodon Enterprises ran neck-to-neck, emerging as joint winners, thanks to their entries comprising wedding cards, swatch books, brochures and a book case.

First Impressions’ wedding cards for Mindeyes Creative used both offset and screen printing to produce and finish with foiling, punching, flocking and special UV. The company also used magnet on top of one of the folders to lock the card in the enclosure.

According to First Impressions, the wedding card, Kabir weds Jeru, had a special lotus design, where flocks had to be punched with utmost accuracy because when the lotus opened, it displayed the gems on the top of the borders inside. “Perfect punching to match the flocking was a difficult job,” said the company. First Impressions used Rendezvous Natura and Natural Evolution papers for producing the wedding cards.

The company paid close attention to the design element, colour, visual and paper selection, when executing the jobs.
Jury Panel

First Impressions (Mumbai)

Tel: +91 9820212447 | firstimpression_2007@rediffmail.com

Commended

Almats Branding Solutions

Anaswara Offset

CDC Printers

Colour Screen

Jak Printers

Progressive Printing Press

Screen Art Enterprises

Silverpoint Press

Tangent Imprints

Wide-Format Printer 2015: Liberty Graphics

PrintWeek India — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 22:02:31

Last year’s winner, Liberty Graphics, comes up trumps this year as well with its versatile samples, merging art with technology. The company submitted four samples, Abstract Buddha with 3D effect, Mumbai through an artist’s eyes, Translite and the painting St Mark’s Basilica.

The Abstract Buddha, created for a private display on aluminum composite panel, gives it a 3D-like effect while retaining the feel of brushed aluminum through the print. The sample is printed on an Agfa 1224 HDC UV printer. Aluminum composite panel with brushed effect was also used in the custom display for an artist, titled, Mumbai through an artist’s eyes.

Translite was a campaign for a large perfume house, used in its exclusive stores. The sample was printed on HP translite media with exquisite details using OEM inks on a HP Designjet Latex 210. The painting, St Mark’s Basilica, for a private display, was printed on veneer, giving it the old world feel with wood texture showing through, which is later mounted on a wooden drawer in a home.

Liberty Graphics (Mumbai)

Tel: +91 9820026033 | libertyg@gmail.com

Commended
Eunoia Designs
Higrid Imaging Solutions
Macromedia Digital Imaging
Neat Graphics
Vijas Digital

Category Sponsor

Seven cool publishers of India…Some you’ve perhaps never heard of

Vinutha Mallya — Mon, 25 May 2015 20:48:21

The Mavericks

Blaft Publications, Chennai
With one of the most eclectic lists for any publishing house—which includes pulp translated from Tamil, experimental work, crime fiction translated from Urdu, sci-fi writing, folktales, graphic novels, and even a Nigerian soyayya fiction translated from Hausa language—Blaft has brought seemingly random pieces of work from hither and tither into our popular imagination. When seen together, Blaft’s list shows us what we miss out when we don’t read in the languages other than English.

Adivaani, Kolkata

This new publishing house has a simple yet powerful idea: to give a home to Adivasis’ writing about and documenting their worlds. India is home to more than 84 million Adivasis, ‘Indigenous’ Peoples, but almost everything written about them has been by mainstream historians. Often, their tribal lifestyles are romanticised, their oral traditions sidelined, and their struggles have been denied notice in the race to industrialise. Since its inception in 2013, Adivaani has published illustrated stories, folktales, research, reportage and compilations—in Santhali, English and Hindi. With their books now available through Amazon and Flipkart, readers have access to their pioneering work.

The Believers

Poetrywala (an imprint of Paperwall Media & Publishing), Mumbai

It is a common refrain of the publishing industry that poetry does not “sell”, which is why many publishers avoid poetry. About fifteen years ago, the Mumbai-based poet, Himant Divate, decided to change that narrative, by publishing the poetry collections of many renowned and new poets. And he has been able to sell poetry books, with modest profit! Poetrywala has published the works of the late Dilip Chitre, Vilas Sarang, Hemant Divate himself, and Sachin Ketkar, in Marathi as well as in English translation. It has published younger poets in English, in translation from other Indian languages, as well as works of international poets. The impressive cover art of many of their titles are the final blow to the myth that poetry is not an attractive proposition.

Campfire (an imprint of Kalyani Navyug Media), New Delhi

Campfire’s success story is not just in its impressive and award-winning list of graphic novels spanning mythological stories, classics and biographies of great personalities. Campfire’s titles are in great demand in India and also in the US, especially the classics. Their titles are also being distributed in other Anglophone countries—a solid achievement. Since its early days, the publishing company did well by investing in creative consultants with an understanding of Western comics segment and those markets. They helped direct editorial, marketing and rights sales functions. This legacy, and a good in-house team of artists, seems to have given Campfire its market success.

Tulika Books, Chennai

Having carved a niche in producing picture books for Indian children since they started out in 1996, Tulika’s multilingual books are a model for publishing children’s books. Their focus on producing picture books in English and other Indian languages—Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali—makes books accessible to many children in the language of their choice. With persistence, Tulika has waded out into the unpredictable market of multilingual books. Their pioneering efforts at creating books rooted in the multilingual and multicultural contexts of India have also helped bring together varied styles of Indian illustrations.

The Pathfinders

Kali for Women, New Delhi

Regarded as India’s first feminist publishing house, dedicated to publishing on and for women, Kali for Women was a radical idea when it was set up in 1984. With very little capital at hand, the founders wanted to publish what women wrote, not just in the academic sphere, but which voiced their personal stories and worldviews. The publishing house published some pathbreaking books before the founders parted ways in 2003 to create two new companies to carry forward that legacy: Women Unlimited and Zubaan. They each continue to publish feminist books—academic, fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, biographies, children’s books and books for young adults.

Sahitya Parvarthaka Cooperative Society, Kottayam

The first and highly successful cooperative society of writers in India, it was set up to publish books. Launched in 1945, the society brought to readers many of the best contemporary writings from Kerala. Founded by a group of literary enthusiasts, the society transformed publishing activity in the state, and it became a platform for both, the renowned and new writers. A network of bookstores (National Book Stall) complemented the effort. Novels, poetry, short story anthologies, and children’s books have been published by SPCS. Works by great writers like Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Basheer, OV Vijayan, Kamala Das and others found a home here. SPCS supplemented the efforts of Kerala’s rural library network by providing good quality, low-priced books to reader.

By laying emphasis on high author royalties (30–35%), the SPCS also presented a revolutionary model of publishing by putting the author at the centre and enabling them to make writing their livelihood. Although several new publishing houses in Kerala have overtaken it today, SPCS occupies a pride of place in the growth of publishing in India.

‘Indian print firms need to assert a global reputation’

Dibyajyoti Sarma — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:18:13

Dibyajyoti Sarma (DS): You operate in probably one of the most price-sensitive and competitive sectors. Is the market getting better?

Prashasti Rastogi (PR): Our market is a challenging space to function in. Publishing as an industry here is also on an inflection point. Ebooks are no more a discussion as it’s taken to be a given. While India has a growing adoption rate, estimations on whether it will flatten further, pick up the pace or fall back are being done globally. It is a challenging time, but it also opens up a plethora of opportunities. The industry, especially print, is seeing an upward turn and the sentiments are upbeat.

DS: The global publishing number is USD104.3 bn. India's net revenue share (in minimum) is a mere USD2,604. How can we improve our stake in the pie?

PR: There are no precise statistics available for this. On market share, technology presents many opportunities, especially in gathering customer footprint to know who your customers are and what sells. Social media sites also enable reaching out to the audiences far and wide. The fast-growing eBook market in India will allow publishers to push sales for backlists and even reach international markets. Major online retail channels have set foot in India and cater to global book sales of digital backlists. The publishers are, and should aggressively pursue international markets for titles in translation through the foreign rights channels.

DS: The Indian market share for eBooks is almost negligible. With global revenue share of eBooks expected to be 22% in 2017, what are the trends in this space you are picking up, from Aptara to Reality Premedia?

PR: India is experiencing fast internet adoption, especially in the under-35 age group. However, the market share of book sales continues to be under 2% and there is also a lack of wide variety of eBooks in the regional languages. This limits the reach to urban audience.

DS: Does this make it more challenging, trying to compete across multiple markets like print and ePublishing and digital books?

PR: Digital strategy involves atomisation of content to make it platform-neutral. This means publishers think of every book as content and then figure out where it is best suited – to remain as a book or a film or a game. It’s a great opportunity for testing new revenue models.

DS: It is hard for a printed book evangelist to confirm, but is eBooks the future?

PR: We are now in 2015 and much beyond the discussion of print vs eBook. It is a widely accepted prognosis that both forms will find its space to flourish. Cookbooks are still a print favourite and the recently launched Quarto’s Personalised hardback cookbooks are evidences to this. Many experiments in the interactive book format for children have propagated the idea that interactivity doesn’t lead to higher sales. Many companies have bifurcated the interactivity over app and have returned to the vanilla version of the book.

DS: What’s the outlook for Frankfurt Book Fair 2015? Will we have stalls by tablets and digital device manufacturers?

PR: As a platform for and of the publishers and allied services, we are also reinventing our fair. This development will be reflected at the Frankfurt Book Fair with a new fair concept – and a new hall layout. In 2015, the book fair will be structured more according to individual themes and market segments. At the same time, for you as exhibitor, the proximity to other areas will improve.

Now, your relevant business contacts will only be a five-minute walk away. Frankfurt book fair tops the value/quality ratio for the customers who assess the product benefit. Imcosys, Pocketbook, Kobo und Tolino are going to be prominent players present in the publishing technology arena. Samsung Galaxy has been the Technology Partner of FBM since 2014. Not only the devices but also their eBook service was prominently featured across the fair. Adobe also presents its publishing solutions in Frankfurt.

DS: What is the history of FBF for our readers who don't know?

PR: The history of the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to the 15th Century, when Johannes Gutenberg first invented the movable type, only a few kilometres down the road from Frankfurt. The German city remained the central and undisputed European book fair city through to the 17th Century. In the course of political and cultural upheaval, in the 18th Century, Leipzig came to play the part. The early Frankfurt book fair tradition was given a new lease of life in 1949 when 205 German exhibitors assembled on 18-23 September in Frankfurt's Paulskirche for the first post-war book fair. More than 60 trade-fair years later, the Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest of its kind in the world – the hallmark of global activities in the field of culture.

DS: Last year, there were some "problems" with the Capexil collective stand. Do you think that sort of attitude is unique to India?

PR: In 2013, there were some issues due to the mismatched quality delivered by the contractor appointed by the Indian delegation. I believe that the learning is being used to change the strategy for the coming years.

DS: How can an Indian print firm, which does not want to collaborate with Capexil, participate at FBF?

PR: The firm can take up a prefabricated system stand at the Fair or build its own as a custom-built stand. There are multiple other options to explore if the particular firm wants custom solutions, as the GBO New Delhi is dedicated to offering best possible solutions for exhibitors willing to come to FBF. Meanwhile, a digital service provider’s area is already in place in Hall 4.0, which is for international exhibitors with publishing services. There is also a dedicated area for printers within this hall. There is also a dedicated self-publishing area in Hall 3.1, with lots of author development programmes. Forum production has dedicated a three-day programme specific to production-oriented topics, strategies, processes and design with international quality experts.

DS: Back to you, tell us about the day-to-day running of GBO? What’s new?

PR: GBO is a platform for publishers, publishing solution providers, authors, content creators and disseminators. Keeping in line with the idea, a skill-training programme for young professionals has been introduced, the first edition of which was held in New Delhi in 2014. To serve and connect with professionals across the country, the annual congress of children’s content creators, Jumpstart, has moved base to Bangalore since 2014 and will continue to be a traveling festival. We have widened our reach and have intensified regional cooperation.

DS: What are the ambitions for the business? When I met you for the first time, you were keen to boost the regional book publishing authors. Any progress?

PR: We are trying our level best to reach out to publishers of Indian languages, to promote translations, international rights trade, development through Globalocal workshops and round tables. There are many success stories that keep us going – whether it is the birth of the new collaborative platforms like AuthorsUpfront (Manish Purohit and Arpita Das connected at Globalocal 2013) or collaborative content initiatives like Springer India and Byword books. Several books from German have also been translated into Indian languages.

DS: You’ve had some tough years too though, haven’t you? Your toughest moment?

PR: There were no tough moments as such, but I’m still hopeful of a representative and dynamic showcase of India at the Frankfurt Book Fair. We need to play on our strengths and assert a global reputation, especially through a collective national presence in Frankfurt.

DS: Your message for the Indian book print firm.

PR: India should bag the reputation of being an international quality printing hub like the neighbours China or Taiwan. We need to put concerted efforts to showcase India’s potential on international forums like Frankfurt Book Fair. Hall 4.0 alone houses 200 service providers out of the 1,000 publishing solution providers across the fair. About a 300 printers from China, Eastern Europe and now increasingly, from Italy, Spain, and Greece are exhibiting at the fair. I’d like to welcome the Indian printers to explore the potential for expanding international businesses at the fair.

DS: Print is memory. What print means to you?

PR: Print is performance. A story, news, an idea, a photo… words and pictures that define you.

PRINT HIGHLIGHTS AT FBF

Like every city, Frankfurt also has an artists’ district. The hall named Sate of the Arts is where all sorts of interesting people come together: publishers, printers, museum and photo agency representatives, booksellers, designers, collectors, art enthusiasts, writers and many others.

Exhibitors in Hall 4.1 present titles from the fields of art, architecture, design and photography. There has been a spotlight on photography books in this hall, where the most innovative players in this sector present their publications – a very good forum for printers to showcase their work as well. The presentation is accentuated by a supporting programme that includes tours and events pertaining to new developments in the ‘photograühy’ and photography book markets, also relevant for printing establishments. Initiative such as Beauty and the Book, awarded to the most beautifully designed book, give a fillip to the printing industry as well.

In 2014, the APPL group of companies displayed Europe’s most advanced machines for print production. The year will also have a workshop for young professionals to use innovative material and production techniques for books.

An impressive stall at FBF 2014

The Gutenburg Museum Mainz, which is in the Hall – State of the Arts. It’s a creatively designed stand showcasing the tradition of printing, which looks so tangible, so authentic that one wants to know more about how it all evolved. The Samsung arena in 2014 was also a splendid display of technology.

Vivek Kapoor's seven favourite books

Sriraam Selvam — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 08:37:18

Kapoor is the nephew of Justice HR Khanna, who served on the Supreme Court during Emergency. He was the lone dissenter in the ADM Jabalpur case and perhaps the bravest and most fearless of Judges the Indian Supreme Court has ever seen.

Kapoor inherits some his Mamaji's genes as president of LMAI, which is gearing up for their big conference in Jaipur in from 16 to 18 July.

Kapoor picks the seven best novels and non-fiction books.

Title: Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi

Author: Justin Wintle

Publisher: Hutchinson and Random House

Burma's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has been likened to Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, even Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of non-violence she has espoused. Justin Wintle's biography is politically controversial and debunks some myths around "The Lady".

Title: An Inspirational Biography: Saina Nehwal

Author: TS Sudhir

Publisher: Nimby Books (distributed and marketed by Westland)

There is already a chapter on Saina Nehwal in primary school text-books. TS Sudhir's book is full of anecdotes. And anybody who picks it up will be drawn into Saina’s story.

Title: Dongri to Dubai: Six decades of The Mumbai Mafia

Author: S Hussain Zaidi

Publisher: Roli Books

Hussain Zaidi is an Indian author and former investigative journalist. Dongri to Dubai is the first-ever attempt to chronicle the history of the Mumbai mafia. It is the story of the top gangsters of the city.

Title: Operation Blue Star: The True Story

Author: K S Brar

Publisher: UBS Publisher

This book is a true account of Operation Blue Star, which is considered one of the most debated and controversial Indian military operations. Commanded by Lt General Kuldip Singh Brar, the operation’s aim was to get rid of the Sikh separatists who took refuge in the Golden Temple with military force.

Title: Trump: The Art of the Deal

Author: Donald J Trump and Tony Schwartz

Publisher: Random House

Trump: The Art of the Deal is a look at the mind of a ruthless entrepreneur and an education in the art of the deal. It’s the most streetwise business book there is—and a good read for anyone interested in money and success.

Title: The Men Who Killed Gandhi

Author: Manohar Malgonkar

Publisher: Roli Books

All Indians know that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Very few people know that Gandhi’s death came about after a month of planning. Manohar Malgonkar conveys the events that culminated in the Mahatma’s death. The book provides a firsthand account from the conspirators' point of view.

Title: Train to Pakistan
Author: Khushwant Singh

Publisher: First published by Ravi Dayal Publisher

Khushwant Singh narrates the history of Partition in a village where Sikhs and Muslims have lived peacefully. The action surrounds a train from Pakistan is full of dead Sikhs. Iman Baksh, a Muslim spiritual leader at the mosque, and all Muslims are asked to leave the village.

What happens next?

In addition to the above seven, Kapoor mentions two other books.

Serendipity Mantra of Family Like by Renu Kapoor and Neither Roses Nor Thorns by HR Khanna.

A new book every working day

Dibyajyoti Sarma — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 22:22:44

Do not listen to naysayers. Books are doing well in India, even the regional language ones; especially the regional language ones. It is more so in case of Hindi, our national language.

One such example is Vani Prakashan, which, in its 51st year, has achieved a pre-eminent position in the world of Hindi publishing through its list of more than 4,500 books.

Make no mistakes; Vani is not your run-of-the-mill publisher of popular trade paperbacks. It is much more ambitious. It has a global vision within the context of a local language. When we visited the publisher’s office in Daryaganj sometimes back, we met a Japanese woman who is translating Japanese Manga comics into Hindi for Vani Prakashan. This exemplifies clearly the reach and ambition of Vani, which is engaged in bringing home world literature to the confines of the national language.

“We work with international bodies like Goethe Institute, Pro Helvetia, Alliance Françoise, Polish Book Institute, NORLA, German Book Office, and so on, to translate a wide range of international literature directly into Hindi. Authors like Nobel Laureates Czeslaw Milosz, Zwigniew Herbert, Wislawa Szymbroska, Tadeusc Rozewicz and Herta Müller and authors from France, Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Poland, Romania, America, etc are the proud entries in our list,” says Aditi Maheshwari, the third generation publisher of the company.

While striving to bring out the ‘cosmopolitan’ nature of Hindi literature, Vani is also shedding light on the important Indian literary movements, and has consequently published authors of Dalit, feminist and adivasi discourses extensively, she adds.

We come to the point. In the recent years, we have seen publishers complain that books, especially physical books, do not sell anymore. Is this the reality? Maheshwari gives a detailed answer. “The aesthetics of a book encapsulates engagement with ideas and their logical development. They will always remain at the core of any socio-political or personal ecosystem. However, with innovations in technology, the forms and medium involved in reading have diversified,” she says.

Coming to the question of printed books, Maheshwari says they will never go out of fashion. The demand for books, not only in India but everywhere, will never go down. “The printed books will be read along with, if not as a substitute to, the digital and audio books,” she adds.

According to Maheshwari, it is an exciting phase for Vani Prakashan, as new genres, writings and readership has unfurled in the last decade. The advent of web applications, rise in per capita income, social mobility and so on, have contributed to this change.

She should know. So far, Vani Prakashan has published more than 4,500 titles, of which about 18-20% constitutes the bestselling and fast-selling list. “We produce more than 225 books each year. It’s like saying ‘good morning’ to a new book on our table each working day,” she says.

However, when it comes to market share, she declines to come up with a number. “It is difficult to talk about market share because we are essentially a data deficit industry in a hugely data deficit country. By approximation, we should be among, if not the one, top producers of Hindi books in the country,” she says.

What constitutes a bestseller? Maheshwari says if a book sells about 5,000 to 7,000 copies in the first two years of its publication, it is considered a best-seller. “However, I personally feel we cannot imbibe a TRP kind of model to understand the cultural economy of books. Each idea (and the book) lives through its own life cycle. One cannot judge a book by the number of copies it sells, and likewise no language should be judged by the number of best-sellers written in it,” she argues.

For example, Vani has sold more than 5,00,000 copies of Lajja by the Bangladesh author Taslima Nasreen and about 1,00,000 copies of Ma by Munawwar Rana. At the same time, it also sells not more than 500 copies of a poetry collection and maybe, a few couple of thousands of a non-fiction book. “But, all the books remain close to us and their readers. We give each one the best of our editorial, marketing and sales operations,” she says.

Reaching the readership

And, how do these books reach their readers? Maheshwari explains, “Our sales team is one of the most dynamic in the industry because it is trained in dealing with multiple portfolios at the same time. I think we are unique because we welcome a giant online or a brick-and-mortar distributor, or a tiny bookstall owner with equal aplomb and interest.”

With the so called tiny bookstalls slowly shutting shops, and with online retail taking over the sale and distribution of books, Vani sells its books through its own website and through other online bookshops. “The online book market, at least for Hindi, is not as big compared to the offline market. However, it has become important to have a strong publicity programme and a prominent presence online because it directly affects the offline sales,” Maheshwari explains.

How about eBooks in Hindi? While eBooks right now is a legitimate branch of publication for English language publishers, in case of regional languages, there is still a lot to be done. “The eBook configurations for Indian languages have taken a lot of time to catch up with international digital rights management systems. This is primarily because the international market has undermined the market of literatures in Indian languages, and thus, the lopsided research and development in the area,” Maheshwari says.

A recent report showed that whereas Kobo and Google Books have been supporting text in Indian languages, Kindle has not listed them at all. In fact, Kindle supports Turkish, which has far less speakers compared to Hindi. On the other hand, portals like Newshunt.com are doing a good job in promoting and selling Hindi eBooks.

Quality control

Earlier, Hindi trade publication was equated with cheap printing, wasn’t it? Maheshwari begs to differ. “I think it is a myth that Hindi books are of low production quality, propagated by the ones who have engaged with them only with an external gaze. Hindi books have had excellent production quality,” she says.

And even local language books are no longer cheaper. Unfortunately, however, the cost in cover price has not benefited the author, the publisher, or the reader because of the subsequent increase in the discounts demanded by distributors and booksellers, says Maheshwari. “The distributors and booksellers in turn have high establishment costs. I sincerely wish we learnt something from the European Fixed Pricing Law, much strengthened by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. The law puts to practice the regulatory mechanism in fixing prices of books, which solves many problems in the ecosystem,” she adds.

When it comes to quality of books, printers play an important role. “It is a delight to work with educated printers who are also good readers,” says Maheshwari, adding, “Though they are rare these days. We get paper samples from merchants spread around Old Delhi. We do receive suggestions on paper quality by experienced printers. The digital boom in printing has helped Indian languages improve their quality. Although it is desirable to have cheaper four-colour and eight-colour printing solutions, the progress so far has been satisfactory. Vani Prakashan publishes extensively with the digital and offset medium on a parallel ground.”

Reading Hindi

Maheshwari says the Indian publishing market is estimated to be an Rs 10,000 crore industry. It is essentially the most exuberant publishing landscape in the world with 24 Indian languages, of which many have a thriving print and public culture of letters. According to FICCI, more than half of the total titles published in India are in Hindi and English, with Hindi constituting about 26%, followed by English at 24%.

Hindi being the official language of the country also helps. It has readership all over India. “It might surprise many, but Hindi is as popular in Kerala as it is in Patna,” Maheshwari says. On export of Hindi books, she adds that the numbers have declined in the last few years. “The Diaspora of the Hindi heartland has not explored their literature as much as the Bengalis or Malayalis have done,” she says.

How about government help? Maheshwari says the government has not expanded its role beyond providing grants in facilitating purchase of books for educational institutions. “It must understand that the publishing industry needs urgent attention in the arena of policy making. It is quite surprising that despite the fact that all presidents and prime ministers of India have been avid readers, yet they have not paid attention to the trade that produced all those books they loved reading. The government must engage the youth in the publishing industry on the basis of merit and expertise to bring forth and overcome the lacunae,” Maheshwari argues.

Talking about the future, Maheshwari says while it is an exciting phase with respect to content, it is also a stressful time with respect to policy and logistics.

“It needs an amount of madness and undying passion to be in the Indian book trade, especially of an Indian language,” she adds.

Of course, ‘once a publisher is always a publisher’. “It is a dream come true each time I hold a new book that Vani Prakashan produces,” Maheshwari concludes.

During the launch of the Hindi translations of two novels by German Nobel Laureate Herta Müller

Salaam Professor Vilas Sarang

Ramu Ramanathan — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 21:03:26

He was 73 when he passed away on 14 April at Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital.

He was the author, Noble laureate Samuel Beckett recommended to his American publishers, The Grove Press. Those were not the days of literature fests and television appearances. And so, Sarang never became a literary star. Not even received the celebrity status of an Arun Kolatkar or Kiran Nagarkar, both of whom wrote in English and Marathi. Neither did he have the literary equity of a Vinda Karandikar or even a Bhalchandra Nemade among the Marathi readers.

So who was Vilas Sarang?

He taught us James Joyce's Ulysses at the Mumbai University. The 783-page gem which chronicles a single day (16 June) in Dublin was "the least read" book on the course.

Sarang knew this. In the Kalina classroom, Sarang would stare out of the window where the industrialisation of BKC had not begun. Just cement dust flying here and there.

There were three things Sarang highlighted about Ulysses. It is experimental, it is historical, and it's all about Joyce's ability to dash down a rabbit hole, into a grammarian's wonderland. All three qualities have been attributed to Sarang's own work from a Sadanand More (present head of 88th Marathi Sahitya Parishad Samelan which was hosted in Ghuman in Punjab) to a Vasant Abaaji Dahake.

The English lectures in the summer months would be conducted in slow motion.

Sarang would scribble "snot green sea" on the blackboard. Long silence. Sarang would smile. Long silence. Sarang would talk about Joyce's use of water as a metaphor. Longer silence. Nothing would happen in class. All of us staring at the professor. And he staring out of the window. Some more silence.

It was a tour de force on how to deliver a lecture.

The rumour was: he was insomniac.

I loved this lecture; especially the incomparable silence.

I took a vow that if I ever became a professor, this is how I would deliver my talks: 60 minutes of silence.

I met him in his cabin a few times. Lots of Rudyard Kipling adorned the wall panels and a solitary tribute to Kafka. Plus Little Magazines on the table. His own identity, neatly camouflaged.

He was approachable, but just one word answers; followed by longish bits of silence.

Once, when wanted to gate-crashed into his room with a silly play-reading issue, we were informed at the door, "Sir is busy". In Sir's cabin were seated Miroslav Holub from Czechoslovakia, Ferenc Juhasz of Hungary, Ernesto Cardenal of Nicarauga, and the under-rated and under-stated Adil Jussawalla of Mumbai.

All mighty fine poets.

Next day, we asked Sir, what transpired in the room?

He chuckled. And then, silence.

Later, I researched Prof Sarang and read portions of his PhD on W H Auden. Before helming the affairs at the English Department in Mumbai, he was a professor at SIES College. It was more of the same: drudge and trudge. In this suburban college in Sion, Vinda Karandikar saved Sarang's post as an English professor in a famous administrative battle with vice-principal Ram Joshi.

In a sense, the literary baton was being passed on.

His stories appeared in journals and magazines (all top rate stuff), like Encounter and The London Magazine; plus the Tri-Quarterly and The Malahat Review (USA) plus the stories in Debonair magazine and New Quest and Indian Horizons. The body of work in Marathi was equally impressive: Soledad (1975); Aenikachya Rajat (1986); Aatank (1999) as well as stories in the journal Satyakatha.

His fascination was not merely westward with Joyce and Borges. He had published an anthology (The Marathi Modernists) in which he critiqued the writings of Bhalchandra Nemade, Kiran Nagarkar, Kamla Desai, CT Khanolkar, etc. He used to acknowledge the influence of B S Mardhekar's fiction; inasmuch as Gangadhar Gadgil and Vyankatesh Madgulkar.

His short story collection was published by Seagull Books (In the Land of Enki; the original Enkichya Rajyat in Marathi was published by Mouj) and Penguin (Fair Tree of the Void).

After reading Sarang's A Revolt of the Gods, Ganapati Visarjan has not remained the same for me. In this short story, the Ganesha idols in Mumbai come to life and decide to hide so as to escape immersion at the culmination of the festival of Ganeshotsav.

Critics in the Indian English press compare Sarang's technique to Kafka's imagery. This is a bit irksome. The point is there was so much more to his work. There is the quintessential school teacher who gets a job in the school in which he was a student in On the Stone Steps. In one stroke, Sarang turns Pu La Deshpande's canonised characters from Batatyachi Chawl, upside down.

As Dilip Chitre said, "... (His) fiction has a fantastic premise followed by a detailed and ‘realistic’ narration. We needn’t go to Hispanic America to seek the seeds of Sarang’s technique or his themes. Like most of us, he is the inheritor of the Indian epics, the Puranas, the Pali and the Prakrit classics, the rich tribal as well as rural oral traditions, so rarely drawn upon by younger creative writers today."

After the stint at Mumbai University, we lost touch with him. We got an update that Sir was a university professor at the English Language Faculty in Kuwait City. He had this uncanny knack to pick the most brutal of cities: Beirut and Basra; and as he used to say, quite wryly, "the toughest trouble zone of all, Kalina Campus."

He suffered a stroke and became a recluse in the past few years.

When admitted to the Hinduja Hospital, he was out of breath.

I think, he timed his death beautifully. A day after 13 April. The same day that Beckett was born in 1906.

Question: Sir, did you do this deliberately?

Answer: Long silence.

Pause.

May you rest in peace, Sir.

Along with Anil Rao, M Chakko, Manu, Nikhil and Bajrang the Great Indian Bustard.

RIP!

Campfire bags four awards in Comic Con Awards 2014

Dibyajyoti Sarma — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 20:49:15

The awards are ‘Best Graphic Novel of the Year’, ‘Best Writer’, ‘Best Artist’ and ‘Best Colorist’. Interestingly, three of the awards, Best Graphic Novel, Writer and Artist, went to Alan Cowsill’s World War One: 1914–1918, with illustrations by Lalit Kumar Sharma.

Comic Con India was inaugurated in India in 2011. Apart from organising events in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, the organisation also gives out awards to the most notable comics work done in India each year. This year, the awards were announced during the Bengaluru Comic Con held on 3-5 April 2015.

World War One: 1914–1918 also happens to be the first in the history genre for Campfire, who has carved a niche for itself in publishing graphic novels based on classic stories and lives of heroes. The book is about World War I as seen through the eyes of the men in the trenches. It is the history of the war told by one of the soldiers, covering everything from the first seeds of war to the final day of action.

The book won the award beating stiff competition from other graphic novel titles, Nirmala and Normala (Penguin); Simian (HarperCollins); Rumi (Sufi Comics); and Sholay (Graphic India)

“I’m still a little stunned by World War One winning three awards and feel very proud,” said Cowsill. The novel holds a special significance for him as a part of it is based on the real life story of his relative Fred Cowsill, who died in 1915.

Lalit Kumar Sharma and Jagdish Kumar, the penciller/inker duo behind the novel’s artwork have been with Campfire for over five years and are responsible for the art of the titles like Muhammad Ali: The King of The Ring, The Prisoner of Zenda and Leonardo Da vinci: The Renaissance Man, to name a few.

For Kumar, working on this novel was an enriching experience. “It gave me the opportunity to explore a new style of inking. Also, learning about the soldiers’ lives was an experience in itself.” Sharma feels proud to have been a part of this project. According to him, “it was a unique experience working on a war-based novel”.

Artist Sachin Nagar won the award for the ‘Best Colorist’ for the Campfire novel The Kaurava Empire Vol. 2: The Vengeance of Ashwatthama. “I was excited to be working on a graphic novel that effectively spans two genres—mythology and science-fiction,” said Nagar, who has won this award three years in a row now.

This year also marked Campfire’s fourth consecutive ‘Best Graphic Novel of the Year’ and third consecutive ‘Best Writer’ awards.

World War One: 1914–1918, the 116-page book has been targeted primarily at students aged 11 – 16, who will be studying World War I in school. About the look and the feel of the book, according to Jason Quinn, creative content head at Campfire, the publishers went for a simple colour tone and inks. The soldiers and characters have an almost super-heroic look to them. The colours aren’t exactly mono-tone or flat, but they do have that effect, to give the feel of colour and mood, rather than a really detailed colour palette,” he said.

RIP: D Jayakanthan, Gunter Grass and Eduardo Galeano

PrintWeek India — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 23:46:09

D Jayakanthan, passed away on 8 April after prolonged illness. He was 81.

Jayakanthan has been awarded with highly acclaimed awards, which include Padma Bhushan (2009), India's third-highest civilian honour, the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1978), and the Russian government's Order of Friendship (2011).

He has written 40 novels and 200 short stories apart from two autobiographies. He also co-produced and directed two films based on his novels. His popular novel, Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal, which was later made into a film, won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972. He was also a recipient of the Jnanpith Award in 2002.

Another legend, German novelist and Nobel Prize (1999) winner, Gunter Grass, died in a hospital in Germany’s city Lübeck on 13 April. He was 87.

Grass was a novelist, poet, essayist, dramatist, sculptor and graphic artist, but gained international recognition after his first novel, The Tin Drum got published in 1958. His other popular works include Cat and Mouse (1961) and Dog Years (1963). Apart from being a writer, he was also a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The 1999 Nobel Prize winner had a special interest in India. He had been to India thrice and visited Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. During his visit to Kolkata, he encountered the poorer sections of the city. He captured his experience in the Indian chapter “Vasco returns” in his novel The Flounder.

Award-winning Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano has died, today. He was 74.

His best-known works are Las venas abiertas de América Latina (Open Veins of Latin America, 1971) and Memoria del fuego (Memory of Fire Trilogy, 1982–6), which have both been translated into 20 languages and transcend orthodox genres, combining journalism, political analysis, and history.

PrintWeek India salutes the three authors. A huge loss for literature.

Central railway invites tenders for advertising through vinyl wrapping

PrintWeek India — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 22:07:52

In its tender, Central Railway has informed all parties to carry authorized identification at the time of tender opening. In case tender documents are downloaded from website, its document cost needs to be submitted in the tender.

Last date of sale of tender document is 6 May 2015, up to 5:00pm and for the submission of tender form is 7 May 2015, up to 3pm. The tender was announced open for bidding on 20 January till 3:30 pm. Prescribed tender forms containing detailed terms and conditions can be obtained from the office on all working days up to 5:00pm.

The complete details and documents of tender are made available by central railway on their official website www.cr.indianrailways.gov.in. and notice board of the divisional railway manager’s office.

Printers and publishers brainstorm over book production

Rushikesh Aravkar — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 23:28:54

Subhasis Ganguli, the publishing veteran and Ramu Ramanathan, editor,PrintWeek India, moderated the discussion that laid the foundation towards confirming the challenges, identifying the solutions and quantifying the benefits.

As educational publisher Harper Collins India’s managing director, NS Krishna said, "We can predict certain market share and have forecast at the beginning of the year unlike trade books. Quick turnaround time and cost are very crucial when it comes to academic books,” added Krishna.

Nandan Kumar Jha of Penguin Random House, said, “There is still going to be a lot of demand for print publishing. We are seeing more than 100% growth in the eBook sales but the numbers are still in single digit. The lost opportunity is that if we do not deliver books in time, people will buy eBooks. We have experienced this in the case of books that are nominated for or have won international acclaims.”

As the publishers curtail the number of empanelled printers, print CEOs confirmed that they also are comfortable working with fewer publishers provided the volumes are committed.

Amila Singhvi, founder and director of International Print-O-Pac, said that her company serviced three publishers in the current year as compared to 21 publishers in the previous year.

Analysing the vexed issue of best practices, C J Jassawalla, executive director – printing, Thomson Press, explained the four-year process of synergising the conflicting goals of various departments in the company to one common goal and converting the very culture of Thomson Press and making it reliable partner for its customers.

The 90-minute closed-door Roundtable was attended by more than 35 delegates.

To read the complete report subscribe to PrintWeek India’s March issue.

Printers pick the best books of 2014

Mihir Joshi — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 21:58:12

Goafest 2014 beckons with three awards categories

Anand Srinivasan — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:28:18

Goafest is a three-day festival hosted by The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club. The award categories include creative abby, media abby and broadcaster and publisher's abby.

The creative category includes entries in the form of print, film, radio, out-of-home posters or hoardings and integrated advertising. The media category can have entries from digital media, newspapers and magazines and many more.

The AAAI is the official, national organisation of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their interests. The Advertising Club, incorporated in the year 1954, is arguably the biggest Advertising Club of its kind in the world. It has over 1400 members drawn from media organisations, marketing companies, advertising agencies and allied professional bodies.

Grand Prix awards will be awarded for film, print, radio, outdoor, design, interactive digital, direct, media and integrated.

The last date for the submission of the entries is April 11, 2014. For further information and entry forms log on to www.theadvertisingclub.net.

Print buyers put forth their requirement before printers at the Print Summit 2012

PrintWeek India — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:43:24

“Printers today have a reason to be happy,” said Ramesh Kejriwal of Parksons Packaging, one of the two moderators at the panel discussion with print buyers. “Today printers have a certain respect and dignity that they did not receive 30-35 years ago.”

On that note, Sidharth Kejriwal, also of Parksons Packaging, began the panel discussion by posing the question: What according to the print buyers on the panel are the shortcomings of the Indian printers and what are the good points?

Kanorwala of HH Print Management, started with a rather negative note but also said that there is a considerable improvement over the last couple of years. “The printers are a fragmented lot. There’s lack of professionalism, but they are beginning to realise the importance of quality, finishing and timelines. They have to realise what their USP is, which is providing end-to-end solution. He has to understand what the end-user wants, his requirement and what he can deliver.”

Patil of L’Oreal agreed but was a lot positive. “I think Indian printers are hard working, innovative and their involvement with the print job is appreciable.” On the flip side he demanded transparency and clarity in communication, particularly with regard to timelines and costs. Patil also lamented that Indian printers live with a fear of losing a print job.

Agreeing with Patil on the good and the bad, Soma Roy of Marico, added, “We look at printers as a data-bank for knowledge with regard to material and cost, which seems to be in the domain of only the bosses at the print firm, and does not percolate down the hierarchy.”

The reason why Indian printers may not be open and frank is because he may lose the print job, summarised Siddharth on the topic.

Are large companies who are one-stop solution better than proprietary-driven firms? “Not really,” said Ramprasad of Citibank. “There are small print firms who are professional and large ones who are not. We have 35 vendors empanelled and they are big and small, all based on certain parameters not just cost, price and quality. They all have professionalism as a hallmark.”

Patil said that L’Oreal evaluates the vendors on the basis of quality, technology and printer’s receptiveness to social responsibility.

Taking the social responsibility agenda ahead, Patil said that he expects the printers to respect nature, provide innovative suggestions to go green and reduce carbon footprint. “In the next couple of years, there will be new green norms, and printers should be ready with green solutions.”

Citibank’s mantra of going green is to reduce printed communication and rely more on e-module. “I believe that printing will go through a paradigm shift. Print will not die but there will be print as less as possible,” he said. Citibank, in its pursuit to go green uses recycled paper where it has to use print as a medium. “There is a strategic cost management of finance, which allows us to re-invest the savings to make print green.”

Most of the panellists did not like the idea of reverse auction. "60-65% of reverse auctions don’t work,” said Ramprasad. “Perceived cost should be higher than the perceived quality. Printers should operate within the framework of quality and innovation.”

Siddharth agreed that reverse auction leads to pressure on margins, which in turn affects the quality.

Most of the panellists were of the opinion that digital print is here to stay. “22% of our total print spent in 2011 was in digital,” said Ramprasad adding “in 2009 it was 8% and in 2010 it was 11%.”

Agreeing to it, Ramesh Kejriwal asked the print buyers the extent to which they would prefer a digital proof over the wet proof for a packaging job. “Digital proof is the best solution to enable saving on the consumables. However, the quality should not be negotiated.”

He asked the panellist if digital proof in packaging would be acceptable to them. “It will, provided the final print matches the proof,” said Patil of L’Oreal. Patil clarified that it all boils down to purpose for which the proofing is used. “If it’s for marketing purposes, then it’s fine. But a 10% deviation in the final print of our colour shade means a lot to our product in the hair colour segment.”

The final point for discussion was audit. “How does a printer prepare itself from audit perception?,” asked Siddharth. Marico has 10 point audit consisting 153 criteria, mostly based on producing quality product consistently. Roy of Marico, believes that the print firms should exercise self-control and be “self-certified”.

Top brands to discuss print's future at Print Summit

PrintWeek India — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:28

Soma Roy of Marico, Biswajit Basu of Abbott India, N K Ramprasad of Citibank, Vibhuti Patki of Hafele India, Paulose Parakkadan of R-Pac India, Huzefa Kanorwala of HH Print Management and Digvijay Singh of Cadbury India have confirmed their presence for a high-octane panel discussion. Representatives at L’Oreal and Godrej have confirmed their presence.

The panel discussion will be chaired by the father-son duo of Ramesh and Sidharth Kejriwal of Parksons Packaging; one of the biggest folding carton convertor having plants in Daman, Pune and Rudrapur with a capacity of converting 3,500 tonnes per month.

The 90 minute free-wheeling deliberations on 23 February will touch upon expectations from print buyers, quality parametres, green initiative, challenges and opportunities.

Fred Poonawala, the chairman of Print Summit organising committee, said: “The aim of the panel discussions is to raise the benchmark within our industry. We hope to highlight case studies and gather best practices for implementation from printers across India.”

The two-day Print Summit 2012 will be hosted by the Bombay Master Printers’ Association on 23-24 February 2012 at the NCPA in Mumbai.