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Digital Print Awards: Celebrate the unsung print superstars — The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:15:00

In a print shop tucked away in Mhapan (in picturesque Konkan), a four-page photobook is produced overnight for a local wedding. The job is short-run, highly personalised and delivered within hours. There is no surrounding noise, no industry recognition, and no case-study written about it. Yet, this is the kind of work that is redefining print in India, quite quietly.

Across the country, thousands of such jobs are executed every day on compact digital presses. These are not large-format installations or high-volume offset lines. They are nimble, responsive setups handling urgent, customised work for local businesses, schools, publishers and entrepreneurs. According to industry estimates, roughly 2,700 such machines operate in this segment, most outside metro markets.

What binds these businesses is not their size, but their ability to respond. A school needs certificates for 325 students. A local brand wants a short run of personalised labels. A publisher requires 50 copies of a title for a book launch. These are no longer exceptions. They are becoming the norm.

And yet, they remain largely invisible.

During a curtain-raiser for the Digital Print Awards held on 20 March 2026, top digital print equipment suppliers gathered to discuss how they could support a new industry initiative and 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, a digital print specialist, attended the meeting. Koji Miyao of Ricoh and Priyatosh Kumar of Fujifilm sought leave of absence. The conversation alluded to a telescopic lens. The next phase of growth in digital print will not be led by metros alone, but print hubs and entrepreneurial print businesses across Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns and ziilas and talukas.

“The industry has traditionally celebrated scale and volume,” says Ramu Ramanathan, editor of PrintWeek and WhatPackaging?. “But there is a significant segment of digital print firms who are doing smart, efficient, and innovative work without ever being recognised.” He adds, “Think of cricket. If the PrintWeek Awards are the World Cup for cricket, the digital print firms are like the IPL. Lots of new superstars, lots of unsung print stars. Lots of new talent, lots of new work. That is what we want to recognise here.”

The skewed view is not just about Awards. It is about perception. Larger companies are often assumed to be more reliable and resilient. Boutique digital firms, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, are rarely seen as leaders, even when their work suggests otherwise.

A market shifting beneath the surface

This disconnect comes at a time when digital printing is no longer a niche capability. It is increasingly central to how print businesses grow and differentiate.

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 are structural shifts reshaping how print is produced and consumed.

In many ways, the firms which are nimble and entrepreneurial are closest to these changes. They operate in environments where flexibility is essential, and customer expectations are always ASAP. Even a few minutes' delay can mean losing a job. A misprint can mean a roast on Insta or Facebook. This proximity has forced these businesses to become super-efficient. Files are pre-flighted quickly. Jobs are queued intelligently. Substrate and finishing choices are made with both speed and Blinkit's level turnaround times.

Ramanathan notes that this is where the industry needs to recalibrate and rethink. “These are companies that have altered the business model. Their organisational structure is different. There is much to learn from them." He added, "We need to democratise print knowledge. We need to deploy the Digital Print Awards and unleash print intelligence and flatten the industry organisation by breaking down silos."

There is also a shift in the nature of customers. Regional brands and local entrepreneurs increasingly rely on digital print for speed and customisation. This creates a cycle of continuous experimentation and improvement.

Ramanathan said, We need to understand that the industry is K-shaped, with the traditional business shrinking while the digital print sector grows rapidly.

If you are proud of a digital print job that required thought, precision and problem-solving, it deserves to be seen. The Digital Print Awards provide that stage.

Democratise print, reward execution

The Digital Print Awards have been conceived as a response to this gap. The idea is simple. Create a nationwide platform where work is judged not by company size, but by how intelligently the job has been produced.

“The aim is to democratise print,” says Ramanathan. “We are looking at digital print as a change driver. We want to recognise digital print as the most likely champion for driving print adoption and transformation through efficiency and innovation.”

The Awards span categories such as photobooks, labels, personalisation, print-on-demand books, marketing collateral and finishing. Each is rooted in real-world, real-time applications rather than 20th-century legacy benchmarks.

What sets this initiative apart is the depth of evaluation. The jury will not only assess the printed output but also the process behind it. How the job was prepared. What challenges were addressed? How workflow decisions influenced the outcome.

The point is, we want to validate every print sample. The Awards' core function is to be the independent validator and arbitrator for digital print, and create a tech-book that documents the work.

This reflects a core reality of digital print. The final output is only one part of the story. The real value lies in how efficiently the job was executed.

A short-run label job completed under pressure may involve multiple variables, from colour consistency to substrate compatibility. A photobook produced on demand may require careful file handling and sequencing. These are the details that define quality but often go unnoticed.

By bringing these elements into focus, the awards aim to highlight a different kind of excellence. One rooted in problem-solving and technical understanding.

There is also a commercial dimension. Recognition at a national level can help reposition these businesses in the eyes of their customers, supporting better pricing conversations and long-term growth.

Ramanathan said, "We hope to achieve all this through the spirit of cooperation. The most significant industry challenge has been the inability of people to work together. We hope to break down these barriers because this is essential for matrix success.

Built for you, not built to intimidate

For many niche print businesses, the biggest barrier to entering awards is complexity. Lengthy, cumbersome forms, multiple samples and detailed documentation can feel daunting and intimidating. The newly designed Digital Print Awards addresses this.

“The idea was to remove fear,” says Rohit Nair, national head of marketing at PrintWeek and WhatPackaging?. “We know most digital print promoters are the heads of busy operations. So, the entry process has been kept as simple as possible.”

Participants need to submit a single physical sample along with a 300 to 500-word note explaining the workflow and business impact. The emphasis is on clarity, not jargon.

A submission portal simplifies the process, allowing users to upload and track entries easily. The goal is to make participation as straightforward as completing a job.

To ensure fairness, all entries will be anonymised before judging. This removes any potential bias and keeps the focus on technical merit and execution. The categories are aligned with the kind of work these businesses already produce. In many cases, the best entry will be a recent job that delivered value to a customer.

Nair adds that outreach is being tailored for accessibility. “We are developing toolkits with WhatsApp-friendly assets and multilingual content so that printers across regions can participate without difficulty.” The intent is to remove both practical and linguistic barriers.

From one entry to national recognition

The structure of the Awards is designed to ensure both reach and relevance. There are 12 categories, with winners selected across four zones to ensure national representation. Entries opened on 20 March, with submissions closing on 25 April. Jury sessions will take place in early May, followed by the Awards presentation in mid-June.

Beyond the Awards, the initiative extends into a year-round engagement platform. Webinars, category-led discussions and editorial coverage will continue to spotlight winners and shortlisted firms. Selected entries will be developed into case studies, extending their reach to brands and industry stakeholders.

“This is not just about one event,” says Nair. “It is about creating sustained visibility for digital print businesses and building a community around shared learning.”

Nair signs off, "The main goal is to celebrate great work and establish SOPs for the Indian digital print fraternity."

If you are proud of a digital print job that required thought, precision and problem-solving, it deserves to be seen. The Digital Print Awards provide that stage.

Distance, risk and the reinvention of Indian print — The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 06:00:00

At the Radisson Blu in Kochi, P Sajith, managing director of Bindwel Stelda Group, does not begin his keynote with export statistics or machinery specifications. Instead, he begins with a map.

On the screen appears a five-kilometre radius around the seminar venue. Within that compact circle lie his birthplace, childhood home, school and college. The physical coordinates of his formative years. It is a quiet but deliberate opening.

Before speaking about deglobalisation, supply chains or digital disruption, Sajith wants the audience to consider something more fundamental. Distance.

“My life expanded with distance,” he says. “But print’s future lies in intelligent proximity.”

It is a striking formulation. Over the next hour at Print and Beyond 2025, the managing director of Bindwel Stelda Group builds a compelling case that geography, once taken for granted in print, is once again becoming decisive. The industry, he suggests, must rethink not just what it produces, but where it produces and for whom.

In an age when files can move instantly across continents, physical print is increasingly defined by how close it sits to consumption. The future, he argues, will belong not to the biggest plants, but to those who understand precisely where they are needed.

The business of distance

Printing has always had an unspoken economic boundary. Every printed product carries a silent calculation. How far can it travel before freight begins to erode the margin? At what point does logistics outweigh production efficiency?

For years, many printers expanded capacity on the assumption that scale would solve most competitive pressures. Larger presses, bigger plants and higher throughput promised cost advantages. Yet in the current environment, Sajith argues that geography is regaining primacy.

Corrugated packaging provides the clearest example. In most cases, corrugated boxes remain economically viable within a radius of around 100 to 200 kilometres. Beyond that, the combination of bulk and freight cost rapidly compresses margins. Even highly automated plants cannot fully offset this structural limitation.

This is why corrugation is less a scale business and more a geography business. Success depends on proximity to customers, particularly in FMCG and industrial clusters. Plants exist where consumption exists. The economics are shaped by distance as much as by efficiency.

Flexible packaging operates with a similar logic, although the drivers differ slightly. Laminates and films are closely tied to filling lines. Time sensitivity is high. Integration with production schedules is critical. Here too, proximity often determines competitiveness.

Mono cartons reveal another dimension. Brand owners increasingly demand shorter launch cycles and greater certainty of delivery. Delays are costlier than before. In this environment, localised supply chains reduce risk. A carton supplier located closer to the customer can respond faster to artwork changes, compliance updates and volume adjustments.

Different segments behave differently, but the underlying principle is constant. Print economics cannot be separated from geography.

Capability determines reach

Books, however, complicate the picture.

India’s strength in book printing is anchored in educational publishing. Government textbook printing alone accounts for approximately 2.5-billion copies annually. That volume has created deep industrial capability in managing scale, paper procurement, binding consistency and time-bound delivery.

Yet when books cross borders, capability becomes more important than scale.

In markets such as Africa, India has historically supplied textbooks because of limited local paper manufacturing capacity and logistical constraints in several landlocked countries. However, Sajith points to Bangladesh as an instructive example. Once paper mills were established locally, textbook printing quickly shifted inward. Distance advantages can evaporate when raw material ecosystems mature.

European markets tell a different story. Here, India has gained traction in complex illustrated children’s books and premium hardbound editions. These are not low-value commodity exports. They demand precision engineering, specialised finishing and strong quality control. Printers who once supplied basic paperbacks at two dollars per copy have, in some cases, increased value per book to nine dollars by handling greater complexity.

Complexity, in effect, allows books to travel further.

The United States market is currently influenced by a China plus one sourcing approach. Publishers are looking to diversify supply risk. This presents an opportunity, but only for those who can deliver consistent quality and manage compliance requirements.

Interestingly, Sajith notes that the strongest growth in books is not necessarily in exports, but within India. Digital printing has enabled publishers to move away from large speculative print runs. Instead, they are printing smaller quantities more frequently, often aligned with actual classroom sizes or niche demand.

He cites examples of print runs as precise as 126 or 221 copies. These are not symbolic numbers. They reflect real class strengths or specific institutional orders. Digital technology has made such precision economically viable.

“Books are travelling less but reaching more people,” he says.

The number of titles is rising, even as individual runs shrink. Regional language publishing is expanding. Second prints are no longer rare events. They are routine.

In this sense, distance in books is being reshaped not by freight, but by production technology and content fragmentation.

Risk is the new cost

If geography defines operational economics, risk now defines strategic thinking.

For decades, globalisation rewarded cost arbitrage. Production migrated to wherever labour or raw materials were cheapest. Long supply chains were tolerated because the savings justified the distance.

Today, risk is often more important than cost.

Pandemic disruptions, shipping delays and geopolitical tensions have exposed the fragility of extended supply networks. Procurement teams increasingly weigh reliability and predictability alongside price.

Sajith observes that manufacturers are now asking what can be sourced within India before looking outward. This does not imply isolation. It signals recalibration. He refers to the pharmaceutical sector, where API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) faced severe competition from China. The government did not do anything, thinking the value is added on finished product – medicine. But when supply chains reopened after Covid, we struggled - and now companies are trying to build API capabilities. The lesson for print is that overdependence on distant sources can create vulnerability.

At the same time, rising finished goods exports offer new opportunities. Smartphone exports from India have crossed approximately 30-billion US dollars in recent years. Packaging suppliers have followed these manufacturing clusters, establishing plants to serve mono cartons, inserts and related printed components.

When print is embedded within a finished product value chain, it benefits from the growth of that product category. Standalone export printing, by contrast, remains more exposed to local capacity development abroad.

“If India exported more finished goods, print would ride value, not chase volume,” Sajith says.

The distinction is important. Volume can disappear when local alternatives emerge. Value embedded within integrated supply chains is more resilient.

Education finds its anchor

The education sector offers a compelling counterpoint to narratives of digital displacement.

During the pandemic, digital schooling became unavoidable. Yet as physical classrooms reopened, parents and educators began to reassess the long-term effects of sustained screen exposure. Several countries have introduced restrictions on digital device use in schools. Debates around attention span and cognitive development have intensified.

Sajith points to an emerging consensus that physical reading reduces distraction and improves retention. When reading from a printed page, the reader is less likely to shift to another application or notification. Focus remains anchored.

For Indian printers, this is more than a philosophical observation. It has commercial implications. With one of the largest school-going populations in the world, India’s demand for textbooks remains structurally strong.

At the same time, digital print enables flexibility. Publishers can reduce inventory risk by printing smaller batches more frequently. Regional language content can be expanded without locking up capital in unsold stock.

Education is therefore not a battleground between print and digital. It is an evolving ecosystem in which print continues to play a central cognitive role.

From steel to systems

Sajith also challenges printers to look inward. Indian print has historically been asset-intensive. Investments in land and machinery have built impressive capacities across offset, packaging and post-press. Yet capacity alone does not guarantee competitiveness.

“Machines create capacity. People create relevance,” he says.

When customers visit a print facility, they are often shown presses and finishing lines. While impressive, these assets do not necessarily address the customer’s core concerns, which increasingly revolve around reliability, communication and risk mitigation.

Sajith argues that printers must invest more consciously in systems and people. Research and development, for instance, remains underdeveloped in many print shops. Testing new substrates, documenting failure cases and creating controlled sample runs can reduce uncertainty for customers.

He advocates transparency. Showing customers both successes and failures builds trust. Testing before committing reduces disputes. Proving capability before promising scale shifts conversations away from price alone.

In book printing, sample copies created under near production conditions can reveal potential issues such as spine colour variation or binding inconsistencies. While it may not always be possible to replicate full-scale production in a sample, the effort signals seriousness.

In an increasingly competitive market, differentiation may lie less in machinery lists and more in how well printers manage complexity.

The rise of hyperlocal

Consumer behaviour is evolving in subtle but powerful ways.

Quick commerce platforms have trained urban consumers to expect near immediate fulfilment. Purchases that once covered a week are now made daily. This habit formation has broader implications.

If consumers grow accustomed to same-day delivery for everyday goods, expectations may gradually extend to other categories, including books and customised print.

Digital files already travel instantly. The physical act of printing and delivering may increasingly occur closer to the point of consumption.

Hyperlocalisation becomes viable when digital production, data analytics and decentralised capacity align. Instead of shipping finished goods across long distances, printers may increasingly serve micro markets within tighter radii.

For Indian printers, particularly in metropolitan regions, this could reshape investment decisions. The question may no longer be how large a central plant should be, but how intelligently distributed capacity can meet demand.

Win at home first

Despite the global themes of his address, Sajith returns repeatedly to the importance of local credibility.

He recounts an early experience involving a small bookbinder who invested in automation. Previously made to wait outside publishers’ offices, the binder’s status shifted once reliability improved. Automation delivered consistency, and consistency earned trust.

Excellence in local markets precedes global recognition.

Sajith offers a personal example. A former global chief executive of a leading European binding equipment company, Kai Buntemeyer, travels from Rahden (Germany) to Thiruvananthapuram to work with Bindwel Stelda. The decision was not driven by marketing brochures. It was driven by sustained engagement and demonstrated capability.

Sometimes, he suggests, you do not need to chase the world. You need to build something strong enough that the world comes to you.

Choosing distance wisely

As the keynote draws to a close, Sajith returns to his central question. How intelligently will you choose your distance?

For corrugation, the answer may lie within a 200-kilometre radius. For complex book exports, it may lie in engineering sophistication. For mono cartons serving manufacturing clusters, it may lie in integration with industrial growth. For education, it may lie in cognitive relevance. For digital print, it may lie in accessibility and proximity.

The industry stands at a point where supply chains are shortening, risk considerations are intensifying, and digital tools are enabling hyperlocalisation. Sajith says, “In this environment, scale remains important, but it is no longer sufficient. The printers who thrive will be those who understand where they add the most value and who align their physical presence accordingly.”

Life, as Sajith reflects, may expand with distance. Print, increasingly, may succeed by coming closer.

Loupe, formerly Labelexpo, showcases technologies shaping the future of packaging

PrintWeek Team — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:54:00

Flexible packaging has led the way. We have seen at Labelexpo in the last 12 years the building of a network of suppliers covering all aspects of flexible packaging relevant to label converters. At the last two Labelexpo Europe exhibitions, 40% of visitors registered an interest in flexible packaging as well as labels.

HP Indigo still leads the way on the digital printing of flexible packaging, most recently with its 200k press. Now, we are starting to see the evolution of water-based inkjet, with Screen bringing its TruePress PAC 520P to the show for paper-based flexible packaging and Pulisi launching a water-based inkjet flexible packaging press at Labelexpo Asia. Miyakoshi demonstrated a prototype machine in Barcelona, where FujiFilm was promoting its FP790 technology.

At the same time, we have seen the development of wider, mid-web flexo presses (670-850-mm/26-30-in) optimised for the printing of flexible packaging, often configured with extended IR/hot air flexo or gravure units for water-based coatings and inline lamination.

We have also seen a growing number of suppliers demonstrating offline laminators tailored to the mid-web format, including ABG company Enprom, while JetFX demonstrated how tactile digital embellishment can be added with an inkjet bar at the laminating stage in a joint project with Karlville.

Pouch manufacturing has also emerged as an area of growing interest, with Galaxy, Karville and Zhoutai all demonstrating machines at Labelexpo shows.

Materials knowledge is a critical part of the learning journey when diversifying from labels, because the pouch, sachet or flow-wrap is now the primary product container. Synthogra pioneered the supply of flexible packaging materials to label converters, and its mission has been to impart in-depth knowledge about the properties of laminated structures. Other materials suppliers have followed.

Similarly, ink suppliers have tailored their exhibition space to focus on flexible packaging as well as label applications.

Loupe events, formerly Labelexpo, also host exhibitors who specialise in barrier coating technology, which is helping to make film and paper-based flexible packaging more sustainable by eliminating incompatible lamination layers. These are companies like Actega, Archroma, Tullis Russell and Sun Chemical.

Why has flexible packaging proved such a perfect match for label converters, once the very steep learning curve has been mastered? Because buyers of flexible packaging usually deal with wide-web converters with long lead times, high minimum orders and long delivery times.

Adapting core narrow and mid-web label technology – digital, flexo and hybrid – to this market harnesses the skills and agility of the label printer to deliver short lead times, rapid response, value-added inline decoration, personalisation and mass customisation.

Folding cartons next

Folding cartons will be the next package printing market to be positively disrupted by core labels technology, and for broadly similar reasons.

At the last two Labelexpo Europe shows, 25% of visitors registered an interest in folding cartons.

Industrial-scale folding carton production is overwhelmingly carried out in a multi-stage operation where offset-printed sheets are moved between multiple offline processing stations. This involves long lead times, considerable work in progress and increased cost and work time for each subsequent decoration process.

Inline technology allows the production of finished folding cartons in a single pass. At Labelexpo Europe in Barcelona, Canon-Edale demonstrated a CartonLine press configured with inline technologies well understood by label converters – turnbar, cold foil, UV flexo print and coating stations, cast+cure holographic film application, followed by an inline flatbed die cut/crease module, waste ejection and delivery of finished pieces on a shingling conveyor.

In principle, an inline narrow/mid-web press, flexo or offset, could include any module common to a label press, including screen or inkjet bar for variable imaging or digital embellishment.

For longer runs, rotary cutting and creasing dies can be used for single-pass production, a configuration shown by Hontec at Labelexpo Asia.

‘Near line’ digital printing with off-line finishing is another possible labels-derived workflow. We can expect our existing finishing and embellishment suppliers to develop innovative solutions here, just as they have for narrow web flexible packaging.

Hybrid inline folding carton production systems are another option for future development, again developed on the basis of existing label technology. A system such as the Bobst DM-55 is a good example.

Inline or near-line production changes the landscape for buyers of folding cartons, presenting them with new options in terms of lead times, speed of delivery and cost-effective and innovative single-pass decoration.

There are many possibilities for adapting label technologies to folding carton production. One might be incorporating RFID labels into folding cartons in an automated single-pass operation or adding inline multi-sheet booklet labels.

At the first Loupe show, Loupe Americas 2026 in Rosemont, we can expect to see suppliers of equipment, materials, consumables and software building on the foundations created by Labelexpo to deliver new and compelling solutions across labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons.

The Tushar Dhote Column: Seeing the future of print in action

Tushar Dhote — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:41:00

As chairperson of Pamex 2026, I had the privilege of engaging with many leading print enterprises across India. But every once in a while, a visit leaves a deeper impression, not only for what is being produced, but for how a company thinks, evolves, and redefines what print can achieve. My recent visit to Seshaasai Technologies’ manufacturing facility was one such experience.

Walking through their operations, I was struck not merely by the scale or sophistication of equipment, but by something more fundamental, a culture of continuous innovation. Seshaasai was no longer just a print company in the traditional sense. It was a technology driven enterprise where print, electronics, data, and automation converged to create solutions that add tangible value to modern life.

Innovation beyond traditional print

Over three decades, the company had transformed itself from a secure business forms printer into a listed technology enterprise serving banking, retail, logistics, healthcare, government, and beyond. Seeing this evolution unfold on the shop floor made one thing abundantly clear. The future of print lies not in resisting change, but in embracing new roles within changing ecosystems.

What fascinated me most during the visit was the degree of automation and process integration. From prepress to production, assembly, inspection, and packaging, human intervention was purposeful and precise, supported by intelligent systems that ensured accuracy, consistency, and traceability. In sectors where zero defect delivery was non negotiable, such as secure documents, payment cards, RFID tags, and smart labels, this level of control was not a luxury. It was a necessity.

Seshaasai’s facilities reflected a mindset that went beyond buying machines. They built customised assembly lines, modified processes, and engineered solutions in house to extract greater efficiency and capability than standard configurations allow. This willingness to go beyond the spec sheet was a hallmark of enterprises that move up the value chain. It demonstrated that competitive advantage in print today is as much about process engineering and systems thinking as it is about print quality.

Print as the digital bridge

Another striking aspect was how print served as the interface between physical and digital systems. RFID enabled labels, BLE based trackers, smart credentials, and sensor integrated solutions were no longer experimental projects there. They were production realities. In each case, print was not the end product. It was the bridge connecting data, automation, and real world applications. This was where print transitioned from communication to intelligence, from delivering information to generating insights.

For our industry, this offered an important lesson. Many printers still viewed diversification as abandoning print. Seshaasai showed that growth came from building around print, not replacing it. By adding electronics readiness, data handling, security workflows, and automation capabilities, they had extended the relevance of print into high value, mission critical applications.

Equally impressive was their customer integration. Seshaasai had steadily moved from being a vendor to becoming a trusted operational partner for clients. When regulatory frameworks changed, when transaction volumes surged, or when new customer experiences were designed, they were part of the solutioning process early. This shift from transactional supplier to strategic partner was perhaps the most valuable transition any print business can aspire to make.

As I interacted with their leadership and teams, one theme emerged repeatedly, invest ahead of demand. Infrastructure there was not treated as a cost centre, but as a capability builder. Early investments in automation, security printing, variable data, and electronics integration created readiness when new opportunities such as payment cards, smart labels, and IoT driven solutions emerged. This forward thinking approach allowed Seshaasai to scale confidently as markets evolved.

For visitors and exhibitors preparing for Pamex 2026, Seshaasai’s journey offers timely inspiration. The Indian print industry stands at a crucial inflection point. Customers expect faster turnaround, greater personalisation, supply chain visibility, and sustainable production. Meeting these expectations requires technology adoption, automation, and new service models. Those willing to invest in infrastructure, partnerships, and innovation will find ample room to move higher up the value chain.

My visit reaffirmed a belief that Pamex has always stood for. Print is not declining. It is transforming. Enterprises that understand this transformation are not only surviving. They are shaping the future.

Seshaasai Technologies exemplified how a print origin company could become a technology driven solution provider while keeping manufacturing excellence at its core. The company’s story was not just one of growth. It was a roadmap for how Indian print businesses can evolve, diversify, and remain indispensable in a connected world.

(This is the third of Tushar Dhote's weekly columns leading up to Pamex 2026)

Daily safe, deep cleaning for anilox roller: LaserEcoClean

Prabhat Prakash — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:42:00

Anilox maintenance is often a hidden profit drain, where improper cleaning can quietly destroy a USD 300,000 inventory. Vasily Burmistrov, director of LaserEcoClean, introduces a patented Single Small Spot Scan technology that vaporises ink at 400°C without ever reaching the 1,500°C ceramic melting point. By replacing cumulative heat with targeted precision, the solution eliminates the mirror effect of bridge melting, preserves ink volume, and provides the 1000x diagnostic proof required to protect multi-million-dollar production lines.

The surge in India’s flexible packaging sector has brought the Central Impression (CI) Flexo process into the spotlight, but with it comes a hidden profitability killer: improper anilox maintenance. Burmistrov mentions that the Indian market is currently saturated with misinformation regarding laser technology. "The customers are curious, but they don't understand differences," Burmistrov explains, noting that printers often mistakenly believe all laser cleaners are identical. While many believe that any laser will suffice, the wrong equipment can turn a USD 300,000 anilox inventory into scrap metal by significantly reducing its service life.

The science of destruction: Why standard lasers fail

The silent killer of flexo profitability is ceramic melting. Conventional laser systems often rely on beam-scanning methods where multiple pulses hit the same spot or on using one-spot technology bigger than 200 microns. All these methods unevenly deliver the laser energy to the anilox surface. As a consequence, the ceramic surface overheats to 1,500°C, melting the fine microstructures on the bridge walls, which measure only one to three microns.

"The laser radiation begins to melt the microstructures... as a result, elements of approximately two microns disappear," Burmistrov notes. This laser polishing creates a mirror-like appearance that reflects more light, often fooling operators into thinking the roll is cleaner, when in reality the cell edges have melted, bridge widths have increased, and ink transfer volume has plummeted.

The LaserEcoClean patent: Precision over power

LaserEcoClean’s differentiator is its patented Single Small Spot Scan technology. Unlike competitors that may apply between five and 15 pulses to the same point or one dot bigger than 200 microns, LaserEcoClean uses a beam-scanning system where a small, single, ultra-short pulse impacts a single point.

"The energy of a single pulse is sufficient to evaporate the ink (400°C) but not enough to melt the ceramic of the roller (1,500°C)," Burmistrov clarifies. This precision is maintained by high-precision motion systems and a rotation system featuring minimal radial run-out, ensuring focal accuracy down to 10 microns across the entire length of the roller.

The strategic partnership

In the Indian market, this technology is supported by Flexitest Printing Solutions. Driven by a commitment to collaborative, sustainable solutions, Flexitest is expanding its footprint in the Indian packaging industry.

Ravi Fotedar of Flexitest explained, "What this technology does for the converter is that it simplifies the process. It automates the cleaning process of the anilox rollers without human intervention." He emphasises that Flexitest operates as a partner, not merely a transactional seller. "We have a strong R&D base, and we work very closely with the brands and with the converters... Our job is to listen to the converters who have a very high degree of understanding of the processes."

High-magnification: The true safety audit

Burmistrov insists that standard 200x magnification is insufficient for high-line screen rolls. To detect the first stages of melting, LaserEcoClean provides an inspection system capable of up to 1000x magnification.

"With 200 times magnification... you will not be able to see it. With 800 times, especially if we are talking about high-line screen rolls, you will be able to see it," he says. This allows engineers to verify that microstructures remain intact even after 60 consecutive cleaning cycles, a stress test that would cause standard laser systems to liquify the ceramic bridges.

Automating safety for the Indian workforce

The transition to automated laser cleaning also eliminates the human factor and the hazards of manual scrubbing. Traditionally, cleaning is considered dirty work involving toxic chemicals; however, LaserEcoClean equipment is fully autonomous. "Every roll is assigned... the operator just has to press the letter and the digit, and everything happens automatically," Burmistrov notes regarding the one-touch control system. Furthermore, the system includes a cloud-based database that stores machine parameters and cleaning results for every roll, ensuring total transparency for management.

A proven standard of excellence

With 15 years in the market and over 60 machines installed worldwide, LaserEcoClean has zero safety-related complaints. In India, pioneers like Mehta Flex have already commissioned its second unit, confirming the technology's reliability and return on investment. Burmistrov concludes, "Our engineers have invested tremendous effort into developing a safe, precise, and reliable machine... because we understand that we are responsible for the money you have invested in your anilox inventory.”

CDC Printers’ Ahmedabad blueprint — The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:00:00

Ahmedabad is not yet a household name in global book printing. But it might soon be. Kolkata-based CDC Printers, helmed by director Manu Choudhury, has launched a new plant in the city that blends sustainability, process intelligence and just-in-time transparency into one seamless operation. It is not flamboyant. There are no towering claims. But the factory represents something quietly radical: a vision of Indian print production built on process maturity, AI-enhanced systems and cultural clarity.

The story begins in West Bengal
For over a decade, CDC’s two plants in Kolkata served as test beds where hard lessons were learnt. Faulty book batches were returned, margins were squeezed, machines were pushed beyond their limits. “We did lots of errors in ten years,” Choudhury says. “We used Kolkata as our laboratory. All of that learning we’ve implemented here in Ahmedabad.”

Every mistake in Kolkata has found a preventive fix in Ahmedabad. For example, the chaotic multi-stage packing in Kolkata has been streamlined into an inline setup in Ahmedabad. Signature tracking, previously reliant on human checks, now uses a colour-coded logic system, drastically cutting errors. “In Kolkata, printing hota hai, binding hota hai, fir alag se packing hota hai (printing is done, binding is done, then packing is another process). That introduced errors,” Choudhury recalls. “In Ahmedabad, we’ve done it differently.”

The Ahmedabad layout itself is a reengineered version of everything CDC has learnt about the management of space. While the current book production facility uses 80,000-sqft, the plan includes a complex for packaging with dedicated zones for waste management and worker housing. “We’ve doubled the utility of the site with better planning, not just more real estate,” he notes.

Visibility as a value system
At the heart of CDC’s Ahmedabad facility is not just machinery but visibility. The live customer portal, currently in its demo phase, will soon offer end-to-end traceability to every buyer. “Sab kuch dikhega,” Choudhury jokes. (Everything will be visible.) Clients can refresh their dashboards every five minutes to see how many books have been printed, how many cartons packed, and critically when their shipment will reach the destination port. Not when it left the factory. Not when it boarded a container. But the actual expected delivery at their door.

“To them, dispatch date is meaningless. What matters is when the container reaches them,” Choudhury explains. The ERP integrates with external APIs and shipping trackers to offer clients full transparency. Even internal quality checklists are logged live, with deviations flagged in real time. “You cannot go home and fill it in later. Live hona chahiye (It has to be live),” he says.

And this visibility is not just external. Internally, it serves as an accountability mechanism for quality teams. “If everything is on record, no one can fudge numbers. That alone raises quality,” he says. In fact, it creates a feedback loop: accurate reporting leads to accurate fixes. Even the barcode scanner on the packing line feeds directly into the portal, so clients see real-time progress.

For global clients who demand transparency, this is not just a feature. It is a filter. “When buyers in the UK ask if we have a customer portal,” Choudhury says, “We tell them: not just a portal. Something you haven’t seen before.”

A leaner, smarter engine
The big numbers behind CDC’s shift are not about speed alone; they are about people. In Kolkata, one-lakh books required 50 to 55 people working across three shifts. In Ahmedabad, the same volume is produced by 20 to 22. “Packing is inline,” Choudhury explains. “Which means errors that used to creep in, those have been eliminated.”

This drop in headcount is not about automation alone. It is about rethinking processes. Signature labels are now colour-coded. Material flow paths are minimised. “Koi bhi samajh jaaye, chhata signature pink colour chahiye, turant mil jaata hai,” he says with a grin. (Anyone can understand. If the sixth pink signature is needed, it appears instantly.)

Two Kolbus binding lines, and a Muller Martini perfect binding line, relatively new, European-standard installations, anchor the floor. Choudhury recounts a key decision: not just buying good machines, but investing in the way they are installed. “Engineers often benchmark Indian installs at speeds of 5,000 per hour,” he says. “We told them: 8,000 chahiye (we want 8,000). Just like in Europe.”

To get there, CDC paid extra for parts and labour during installation, expenses most would skip. “Earlier, we tried to save on installation and suffered. This time, we didn’t cut corners.” As a result, the machines are running close to rated capacity, delivering better throughput, lower downtime and higher precision. “That’s penny wise, pound foolish thinking corrected,” he says.

Soft-spoken culture, hard-edged tech
While the factory buzzes with automation, the people running it speak in measured tones. “If someone is not soft-spoken, fit nahi hoga (They will not fit),” Choudhury says. That softness, borrowed from CDC’s Kolkata roots, is now a cultural expectation.

It is not incidental. Choudhury believes softness signals something deeper: intent. “Ninety-nine per cent of people don’t have bad intent,” he says. “And if the intent is right, everything else is trainable.” He draws a line between capability and character. “If someone’s loud or brash, they might perform on metrics, but they won’t align with us long-term.”

This emphasis on culture came from experience. In Kolkata, where politeness is part of the city’s texture, the early team evolved organically into a calm, self-managed group. “That Kolkata environment, it teaches you meethapan (sweetness),” Choudhury reflects. Over time, that approach hardened into policy. Now, whether it’s a manager or a new machine operator, CDC looks for tone, not just skill.

Recruitment for Ahmedabad followed no playbook. “No assessments. No walk-ins. Just phone calls,” he recalls. “We trusted our gut. And for some reason, sab badhiya nikla (Everything turned out great.).”

Even now, those who are hired continue to train and shadow veterans from Kolkata. Some have been sent back for rotation. Others join refresher sessions at CDC’s tutorial centre set up in collaboration with Jadavpur University and RIPT. The message is simple. Be open, be respectful, everything else can be taught.

The culture has side benefits. Fewer disputes. Less absenteeism. And a clearer sense of ownership on the floor. “When people feel they’re being treated with respect, they treat the product the same way,” Choudhury says.

All of this sits in parallel with a highly digitised factory backend. ERP dashboards track not just production but profitability. WhatsApp bots handle customer queries. APIs fetch delivery timelines. It is a paradox that CDC has come to embrace. Soft voices. Hard data.

“Earlier, real-time tracking was for shopfloor people,” Choudhury says. “Now, we give that to customers too. Do-teen kadam aage nikal gaye hum.” (We’ve gone two or three steps ahead.)

Designed for scale and dignity
Beyond the 80,000-sqft in operation, CDC’s Ahmedabad site is evolving into a blueprint for integrated manufacturing. The next phase, already under construction, will include a new packaging plant spread over 2.5-lakh-sqft. The structure, a ground-plus-two layout, has been planned not just for efficiency, but for dignity.

One wing of the building will house mono-carton and board conversion lines. The other will include an on-site waste management unit and residential accommodation for workers.

“This is not just packaging expansion,” Choudhury explains. “It’s an ecosystem upgrade.” The decision to integrate waste handling at the site came from years of fragmented experience. In Kolkata, waste was handled by third parties with inconsistent results. “Here, we wanted to own the loop,” he says. “If we claim to be sustainable, we must deal with what we discard.”

The worker housing, still under planning, is similarly intentional. Instead of long commutes, rented hostels or dormitory shifts, CDC is offering something that blends convenience with continuity. “The idea is to give people a stable base,” Choudhury says. “If they feel settled, their work gets better.”

Even the spatial layout of the building has been drawn with process logic in mind. “Our biggest learning is that mistakes happen not on machines, but between machines,” he notes. So material movement, loading docks, rest areas and packing lines are all being designed to reduce crossings, misflows and downtime.

If CDC gets this right, the packaging complex will not just be an extension of the book facility, it will be a demonstration of what responsible, future-ready manufacturing can look like in India.

The profitability paradox
CDC’s profitability model runs counter to industry myth. Many assume that high throughput requires high headcount or cheap pricing. Choudhury disagrees.

He breaks it down: “I am not here to do cold foiling or niche embellishments,” he says. “I am a process guy. I will make you a Chinese-quality copy at a price no one else can.” The trick? Cost control through process design. “I can’t make the iPhone. But I can make a brilliant iPhone copy, and still make money.”

Critics often accuse the CDC of underpricing its services. Choudhury’s reply is simple: “Your profit calculation is wrong.” He believes most Indian printers are unknowingly making money, but cannot see it because their accounting systems fail to reflect this. “Their formula is outdated,” he says. “They think there’s no profit, but they just haven’t tracked it properly.”

In Ahmedabad, CDC’s formula is visible on screen. Job by job, shift by shift. That visibility combined with high throughput and low overheads is what makes the site work.

As Choudhury puts it, “It’s not that we’re doing anything exotic. We’re just doing the basics right, bahut achhi tarah (very, very well).”

A quiet leap in the margins

The conversation around edtech in India has largely centred around unicorns, digital classrooms and premium online learning platforms. But there’s a quieter corner of the education ecosystem that has received little attention: the B-grade publisher. These firms print lakhs of books, serve mid-tier schools, and operate on margins where every paisa counts. They want in on digital learning but don’t have the capital, bandwidth or know-how to build it. Enter Manu Choudhury.

In a move that reframes the relationship between print and digital, Choudhury has led CDC Printers to develop a white-label app, a virtual Q&A and assessment engine that helps publishers create their own learning ecosystem without spending a rupee on tech.

“We created a question-answering app,” Choudhury explains. “A student buys a book. They download the publisher’s app, not CDC’s, and register the book. The app becomes a virtual teacher, asking questions from the book. The student answers. The app evaluates, gives scores, and offers feedback like - you got 2 out of 3, but if you’d written this, it would’ve been better.”

The interface is gamified. Students can see how they rank among others who’ve bought the same book. Questions escalate in difficulty. Scores climb. The learning deepens. But the model remains brutally simple. It is based entirely on the content of the book itself.

What makes the offering compelling is not just the tech, but the economics. CDC offers the platform to publishers for free, provided they print the book with CDC. It’s a trade. A tool to grow the publisher’s reach, and in turn, CDC’s print volumes.

“We don’t charge for the app,” Choudhury says. “It’s a lever. If you print with us, this is yours. It helps you engage more students and engage more schools. That helps us too.”

There’s also an exam module, a timed 100-mark test format. Unlike the real-time Q&A, this mode gives no feedback until the very end. Once completed, the app analyses the responses, generates a score, and offers a chapter-wise breakdown of strengths and gaps. “It shows which areas you need to revisit,” Choudhury explains. “Again, only from the syllabus. Nothing outside the book.”

The proposition has already generated interest from unexpected quarters. Choudhury has demonstrated the tool to leading names like Oxford University Press. “They’re spending millions on their own platforms, but they haven’t built this yet. We’re already ahead,” he says. But the core market remains the underserved publisher, the ones that don’t have in-house teams or fancy tools.

This is not just about modernising assessment. It’s a strategic ecosystem play, a way to lock in publishers, offer them growth, and keep CDC’s own press lines running. It is not flashy. It will not be featured in a VC newsletter. But it is clever. And it could quietly reshape how books and digital tools align in India’s educational middle tier.

Prinova Solutions: A digital leap in Chennai’s packaging scene

Noel D'Cunha — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:21:00

Atul Sonthalia’s entry into printing came not from legacy or inheritance, but curiosity and timing. While working at a venture capital accelerator, surrounded by start-up energy, he was already looking to strike out on his own. What drew him to printing and packaging was the versatility: products across categories, brands of every shape and size, and the chance to collaborate with a wide network of clients doing compelling work.

The spark came from a conversation with his now business partner. That nudge led to six to eight months of deep research and learning before taking the plunge. Sonthalia immersed himself in the sector, visiting Labelexpo India and HP’s Centre of Excellence in Singapore, captivated by the customisation and speed digital presses offered. “No plates, no long waits, just quick, customisable output,” he says. Digital printing felt like a tool built for the FMCG age, a bridge between brands and consumers.

In May 2023, Prinova Solutions took shape in a rented 5,800-square-foot space in Chennai, anchored by an HP Indigo press. Sonthalia, a self-proclaimed newbie, built the plant with a startup’s scrappy mindset, learning on the fly. The press room, temperature and dust controlled, hums with precision, while a finishing line handles cutting, foiling, and more. His team of 18, including an all-rounder crew trained across machines, keeps the operation lean.

A new path with a digital press
Sonthalia’s journey to printing began far away from ink and presses. Two years ago, he worked in Chennai’s venture capital scene, studying tech startups at an incubator. Though surrounded by digital ventures, he craved building something tangible. A conversation with Sanjay Kumbhat, an acquaintance and Sanjay’s wife Sarika, now a Prinova partner, steered him toward printing. “It’s interesting,” Sanjay said, planting a seed. Sonthalia, curious, started exploring an industry he knew little about.

Sonthalia hit the ground running. The trip to HP’s Centre of Excellence in Singapore, the promise of flexibility: no plates, no cylinders, just digital precision, hooked him. “I liked the concept,” Sonthalia recalls, voice steady with conviction. Digital printing meant quick turnarounds, ideal for brands launching new products or testing specialty runs. While researching, he compared digital flexo hybrids, inkjets, and electrophotography systems, weighing liquid versus powder toner. Flexible packaging was the initial plan, but India’s crowded flexo market, thousands of units churning out low-cost labels, steered him away. “We didn’t want to be new entrants in that space,” Sonthalia says. Digital offered a niche, a chance to serve FMCG brands with small, customised runs. The HP Indigo, installed in May 2023, became Prinova’s cornerstone, chosen for its ability to print labels, sleeves, and even flexible packaging on one machine.

Sonthalia’s startup mindset shaped the plant. The 5,800-square-foot rented space houses a press room, finishing line, and pre-press team. Upstairs, an office holds his designers, though design projects were dropped to focus on production. “We were disturbing our flow,” he explains. The team, 70-80% retained from day one, reflects stability despite early hiring challenges. “As a startup, it was hard to build trust,” Sonthalia says. Now, recruiting is easier, but those first steps were a gamble.

The Indigo’s installation marked a turning point. May 2023 was when Sonthalia’s vision took physical form. He’d studied, traveled, and debated tech options, but now the press hummed in Chennai, ready to print. “I prioritised flexibility over everything,” he says, recalling his rookie logic. That choice, flawed or not, got Prinova off the ground, a newbie’s bold step into a crowded industry.

Press room precision
Sonthalia walks through Prinova’s press room with quiet pride, pointing out sensors that monitor temperature, dust, and humidity. He gestures to the HP Indigo press, the room’s centrepiece, where conditions are tightly controlled. “HP has SOPs, and we follow them exactly,” he says. The room’s parameters are non-negotiable; stray outside them, and print quality falters. Every detail, from air quality to material prep, keeps the press running smoothly.

Raw materials sit nearby, organised with care. Paper, supported films, and unsupported variants like string-free films and laminates line the shelves. “We bring material in 24 hours before printing,” Sonthalia explains. It acclimatises to the room’s temperature, a small step that prevents misprints. The Indigo’s precision demands this rigour, and Sonthalia’s team of 18 sticks to it diligently.

The press, a 13-inch model (330-mm), handles labels and shrink sleeves, with laminates as a newer focus. Sonthalia notes they print on laminates but do not seal them yet. “We are looking into flexible packaging with sealing,” he adds, eyeing 2025-2026. For now, the press room prioritises digital output, especially for brand security jobs requiring tight tolerances.

Colour management is another hurdle. The Indigo’s seven ink stations, CMYK, white, and two flexible slots, promise accuracy, but Sonthalia’s frank. “It’s not perfect.” For colour-obsessed clients, Prinova uses a spectrometer off-press and HP’s SpotMaster on-press. Shade cards set expectations: light, medium, dark. “We bind variation to an acceptable range,” he says, a practical approach that suits most clients.

The pressroom’s compactness is its strength. Sonthalia marvels at digital’s efficiency: “You don’t need big machines.” The 5,800-square-foot plant, excluding office, feels agile compared to analogue setups. Labour costs are low, one operator per machine, but ink, spares, and service contracts are steep. “It’s a trade-off,” he says, a lesson from building Prinova’s disciplined core.

Smart labels
Sonthalia sees packaging as a bridge to consumers. Prinova Solutions leans into this with smart labels, where 50%-60% of jobs use variable data printing (VDP): QR codes, serial numbers, or custom designs, for anti-counterfeiting or consumer engagement. He says, “It’s customisation, QR codes, variable numbering.” These features combat counterfeiting and strengthen brand ties, especially in pharma and cosmetics, where fakes are a rising concern.

The HP Indigo press is built for this. Its digital set-up prints unique codes or designs without pausing for plates, perfect for track-and-trace or anti-counterfeit labels. Sonthalia’s team handles one to two-crore codes monthly, each meticulously tracked. “Every code we produce is accounted for,” he says. Missing or damaged codes are destroyed, following client SOPs that differ job-to-job.

Security is a mindset, not just tech. Sonthalia ensures no samples of live security labels are kept. “They are destroyed if damaged,” he explains, nodding to the press running a sensitive job. Clients, from MNCs to startups, demand this discipline. Some send codes via databases; others email Excel or CSV files. “Everyone wants something different,” he says, but a generalised SOP covers most, with custom ones for high-volume clients.

Sonthalia’s vision extends beyond security. “Consumer engagement is what I’m selling,” he says. Smart labels let brands connect directly with buyers: scan a QR code, no app needed, and access a web app or product details. He envisions labels that surprise, like tonic water bottles with unique cocktail recipes. “Imagine five bottles, five recipes,” he muses, seeing packaging as a conversation starter.

This focus differentiates Prinova in India’s fragmented market. Digital printing’s flexibility allows Sonthalia to experiment with ideas flexo cannot match. “VDP offers hyper-personalised experiences,” he says. A brand can print 10 artworks in one run, each with unique codes or designs, without slowing the press. It is a niche that clicks with startups and MNCs, though pricing remains a challenge.

Sonthalia’s passion for engagement shapes Prinova’s path. “Packaging is not used enough for connection,” he says. Smart labels are his answer, blending security with creativity. Whether it is a pharma label guarding against fakes or a cosmetic bottle sparking buyer curiosity, Sonthalia’s VDP focus carries his belief: a label can protect a brand and tell its story, one scan at a time.

Finishing line balancing analogue and digital
Sonthalia calls Prinova’s finishing line its Swiss Army knife. He points to a single-station flexo unit with semi-rotary die-cutting that handles foiling, varnishing, lamination, sheeting, and in-mould labelling (IML). “It does a bit of everything,” Sonthalia says, noting its conveyor and static removal features. Paired with a flatbed die-cutter for hot foil samples and a slitter-rewinder, it completes Prinova’s post-press set-up.

Versatility brings challenges. Sonthalia admits the analogue finishing line clashes with the digital HP Indigo press. “Some flexo issues creep in,” he says. Dies slow things down. Digital printing skips plates, but die-cutting needs dies, which can take a day. “You print fast, then wait,” Sonthalia says, describing a bottleneck that undercuts digital’s speed advantage.

Substrates complicate matters. Sonthalia explains clear-on-clear films cannot use flatbed dies because they cut too deep. Prinova uses pricier magnetic semi-rotary dies instead. “Clients see no plates, but balk at die costs,” he says. A digital plotter, recently invested in but not yet arrived, aims to fix this by cutting dies digitally to match the press’s agility. “It’ll resolve lead times,” Sonthalia hopes, eyeing a smoother flow.

The flexo unit’s strengths shine elsewhere. Sonthalia notes it applies spot UV or foiling, though plates are needed, adding prep time. For IML, the sheeter and conveyor streamline output, but each job requires adjustments. “It is a challenge the first time,” he says. His team saves SOPs and parameters for repeat jobs, pulling them up to avoid relearning curves. “We have covered most materials now,” he adds, sounding seasoned.

Labour remains lean. Sonthalia cross-trains operators from rollfed to flatbed, and slitter to sheeter, to minimise downtime. “If someone is out, we are covered,” he says. Unlike the Indigo, where HP certification limits flexibility, post-press allows this all-rounder approach, keeping Prinova nimble with its small crew.

Maintenance is uneven. Sonthalia says the Brotech finisher faces service issues, prompting thoughts of replacement. “It has been a challenge,” he admits. The Sankit cutting machine, an Indian brand, holds steady, but all machines face downtime, typically once a month and usually fixed in hours.

Sonthalia is planning digital embellishment next. “The day we go fully digital on finishing, it will be as easy as printing,” he says. Digital die cutting is a start; digital foiling or varnishing could follow. These upgrades align with Prinova’s digital-first ethos, reducing analogue bottlenecks. “We are getting there,” Sonthalia says, nodding to his start-up’s iterative growth.

Future growth with consumer focus
Sonthalia’s sights are set on expansion. Prinova Solutions’ rented space has outgrown its Chennai base. “We are out of space,” he says, planning a Greenfield move by 2025 or 2026. A plot is secured, and talks are underway to build a larger facility, spacious enough for new machines and bigger goals. “Any further expansion happens there,” he adds, voice firm with purpose.

Consumer engagement fuels his plans. Smart labels with variable data printing (VDP), including QR codes and custom designs, are Prinova’s niche. Sonthalia wants to deepen this. “A label can tell a story,” he says.

Sonthalia’s vision remains consumer-centric. “Every package should start a conversation,” he insists. Whether through smart labels that verify authenticity or QR codes that share recipes, he sees packaging as the final and most personal touchpoint between brands and buyers.

To read the complete feature, subscribe to our magazine and get your hands on the latest edition (October 2025) of PrintWeek magazine

Avery Dennison: An industry blueprint driven by detail and guided by vision

Noel D'Cunha — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:09:00

In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, Suryakumar Yadav’s audacious catch turned the tide for India. Leaping at the boundary, he tossed the ball back into play while crossing the line, then secured it upon return, clinching victory. Jitesh Mehta sees this as a vivid metaphor for the packaging and labelling industry, where “he showed he had the mindset to go to emerge beyond boundaries.”

For Mehta, this blend of skill, risk, and vision is critical to meet rising demands for speed, sustainability, and innovation. His strategy, rooted in cultural sensitivity, regulatory mastery, and trend-spotting, offers a blueprint for businesses to thrive in a fiercely competitive global market.

Geographical constraints
The packaging industry faces a stark choice, evolve or stagnate. “If we continue to do what we are doing today, possibly it will make us well less valuable for the customers,” Mehta warns, highlighting the risk of clinging to outdated practices. Customers now demand faster deliveries and sustainable products, pushing firms to rethink their approach. Growth lies in venturing into new regions, products, and market segments. Failure to adapt risks losing relevance to agile competitors.

Geographical limitations bind many businesses. “If 70%, 80%, 90% of your orders are coming from a restricted geography, then it very clearly tells you that you are born by your geographical constraint,” Mehta observes. Physical visits for quotations or orders further expose this dependency. Without digital platforms, firms remain tethered to inefficient models. Embracing digital tools is essential to unlock the global markets.

Digitalisation transforms operational reach. “If you don’t have a digital platform where your customers can place their order, then it means that you are born by geographical constraints,” Mehta asserts. Online systems enable seamless global client interactions. Investing in such infrastructure enhances efficiency and competitiveness. This shift is a cornerstone of sustainable expansion.

Product limitations pose another challenge. “If you are stuck by standard products, what does it mean? Standard products, extreme competition, thinning margins,” Mehta explains, urging firms to innovate. Developing novel products tailored to niche demands requires robust research.

Customisation offers a path to higher margins. “If we are saying that bulk of my business is coming from a few customers, my bulk orders, that’s what we prefer, then again, we are going to a situation which is high competition, thinning margins,” Mehta cautions. Small, bespoke runs cater to specific needs, yielding better returns. Firms must balance volume with value-added services. This strategic pivot can reshape revenue streams.

The urgency is clear. “Your competitors, be it from this industry or from the other industry, are not going to honour the boundaries,” Mehta notes, warning of ruthless market dynamics. Firms must act swiftly to transcend geographical limits. Digital adoption, product innovation, and customisation are non-negotiable. Only by breaking these barriers can the industry secure its future.

Cultural sensitivity, a strategic edge
Global expansion demands cultural acumen. “As the print business goes beyond the known geographies or the customer types, you are not just delivering print on, you know, ink on paper or ink on film, that’s not what you are delivering,” Mehta says, emphasising the emotional weight of content. Misjudging cultural nuances risks alienating clients. Teams must master local languages and aesthetics to connect authentically. Cultural fluency is the linchpin of market entry.

This goes beyond politeness. “When you are being sensitive culturally, it is not just being about polite, about being nice. This can be your competitive advantage,” Mehta argues. Precision in regional language printing avoids costly errors. Marketing must align with local values to resonate. Firms that excel here gain a distinct edge in crowded markets.

Training is pivotal. “The teams who are going and interacting with your customers need to know, what are the cultural nuances there, the culture clash specific tools and who wants?” Mehta asks, advocating for education. Region-specific knowledge equips staff for diverse interactions. This preparation strengthens client relationships and boosts penetration. Without it, expansion efforts risk cultural missteps.

The rewards are substantial. Culturally attuned firms can charge premiums for tailored solutions, Mehta suggests, as sensitivity fosters trust. Misaligned campaigns risk reputational damage. Cultural competence transforms expansion into a strategic triumph. It’s a market differentiator that drives loyalty. Businesses that master it stand out.

Implementation requires investment. “Are we training ourselves? Are we training our teams, all the cultural sensitivity when it comes to going beyond our normal, going beyond the geographies?” Mehta queries. Research into local customs is essential. Partnerships with cultural experts bridge knowledge gaps. Fluency in cultural dynamics is non-negotiable for global success.

The challenge persists. “Going to different geographies means your ability to print in different languages,” Mehta notes, highlighting ongoing demands. Cultural landscapes evolve, requiring constant vigilance. Firms must embed training into operations. Sensitivity, as Mehta envisions, drives sustained market dominance.

Navigating the regulatory maze
Compliance is a critical barrier to global growth. “Do we know the law of land? Do we know what is happening on sustainability?” Mehta asks, pointing to laws like PPWR, EUDR, and EPR. For non-EU firms, mastering these is vital to access European markets. Non-compliance can block lucrative opportunities. Understanding regulations is a cornerstone of global strategy.

Sustainability laws are complex and fluid. “There are lot of acronyms that we keep hearing, PPWR, DFR, UDR, the North American EP, or even in our country, EPR,” Mehta lists, noting their rapid evolution. For instance, PPWR demands detailed technical documentation. Ignorance of such rules can derail exports. Staying informed requires robust systems and expertise.

Sector-specific rules add complexity. “If you are to really look at submissive pharma, what are the laws, if you are related to semi food industry, what are the laws?” Mehta questions. The Falsified Medicines Directive mandates anti-counterfeiting measures. Food packaging faces unique regulatory hurdles. Non-compliance risks penalties and eroded trust.

Compliance infrastructure is essential. “Till the time we are able to decipher this, till the time we are able to know very clearly what each of these means,” Mehta warns, these remain tricky. Monitoring regulatory shifts demands dedicated resources. Collaborations with specialists address knowledge gaps. Proactive engagement ensures market access and credibility.

The benefits are clear. “If you are non-EU player, it is so very critical that you are sort of able to demonstrate technological documentation,” Mehta explains, citing PPWR’s impact. Compliant firms avoid disruptions and gain reliability. Compliance is a gateway to global opportunities. Ignoring it invites failure in a strict landscape.

The path demands vigilance. “What is an everchanging scenario in sustainability?” Mehta asks, noting constant updates. Firms must integrate compliance into planning. Mehta’s vision positions it as a foundation for growth. Mastering this maze unlocks vast global potential.

Seizing emerging market trends
Trends are central to Mehta’s vision. “Can you create a new segment in your markets based on what you have learned from other geographies?” he asks, citing China’s wet wipes market. Spanning facial, toilet, kitchen, pet, and baby wipes, it drives significant growth. India lags, offering a chance to pioneer a category. Seizing trends requires foresight and agility.

Equipment is a key hurdle. “You will need to know the technology behind and beyond the printing presses. What are equipment is required?” Mehta queries. Identifying reliable Chinese suppliers and agents is challenging. Assessing equipment in operation is crucial. These steps demand meticulous planning and expertise.

Cultural creativity offers another niche. “There is another example, which is called cultural creativity. These are nothing but small stickers which youngsters are putting in their diaries,” Mehta marvels. This category thrives abroad, with high spending. Replicating it domestically could unlock revenue. Firms must act swiftly to capture such markets.

The beverage sector in Europe and Southeast Asia provides insights. “If you talk about Europe, if you talk about Southeast Asian countries today, the beverage category is driving the growth much more significantly,” Mehta notes. India’s market trails, driven by less innovative packaging. Sustainability demands eco-friendly solutions. Market surveillance is critical to stay competitive.

Collaboration accelerates adoption. “There are very specific resources that I would say, everyday Listen, offers that you can really leverage,” Mehta says, pointing to Avery Dennison’s ecosystem. It connects firms to global best practices. Leveraging such resources drives innovation. Trends become growth engines when harnessed.

The stakes are high. “It’s all about going to those geographies and bringing it back to your own markets,” Mehta urges, stressing proactive engagement.

Merging physical-digital realms
The future lies in blending physical and digital products. “Every physical product is going to have a digital clone, is what we believe very strongly in very near future,” Mehta predicts. Labels with digital triggers enable this convergence. Firms must lead in this space. Delay risks losing ground to innovators.

Technical expertise is critical. “That would require integration of a digital trigger into the labels,” Mehta explains, citing QR codes or NFC tags. These enable real-time data exchange, enhancing experiences. This is a transformative opportunity. Early adopters will set market standards.

Benefits are compelling. “How many of us are really wanting to emerge beyond our current boundaries and say, yes, we want to participate in this segment?” Mehta challenges. Digital triggers authenticate products or deliver personalised content. Pharma labels could link to dosage guides. Beverage packaging might connect to loyalty programmes.

Challenges remain. “We want to be the ones who have the capability of integrating the physical and digital,” Mehta urges, noting investment needs. Developing capabilities requires technology and skills. Partnerships with tech providers accelerate progress.

The digital-physical merger is imminent, demanding swift action. Avery Dennison supports this shift. “We also have a really big setup of R and D,” Mehta notes, highlighting their knowledge centres.

These offer training in advanced technologies. Firms can test solutions, ensuring readiness. Embracing digital integration future-proofs businesses. The roadmap is urgent. “This is a very classic example of something which is going to become very big in times which are not far away,” Mehta predicts.

Fostering collaborative ecosystems
No firm succeeds alone. “InsightX is our latest, newest initiative where we have set up something for the ecosystem called Connect,” Mehta says, describing Avery Dennison’s platform. It links brand owners, designers, recyclers, and converters. This fosters knowledge-sharing and resource access. Collaboration drives innovation and market entry.

The Knowledge Centre is vital. “We also have a really big set-up of R&D, and I would specifically like to quote the case of material science characterisation,” Mehta highlights. Labs analyse materials for specific applications. This supports product development for niche markets. Such infrastructure empowers confident innovation.

Practical support is crucial. “When we wanted to figure out who is a supplier of these kind of equipment, we would figure out a few suppliers out of China,” Mehta explains, citing wipes market challenges. Avery Dennison connects firms to agents and demonstrations. This reduces risks and streamlines entry. It’s a model for success.

Entrepreneurs gain immensely. “Lot of our team members have been trained at the Knowledge Centre,” Mehta notes. It offers cutting-edge converting training. Ecosystem Connect provides global trend insights.

The impact is transformative. Collaborative networks create industry-wide benefits. Firms that engage gain a competitive edge. Partnership drives breakthroughs, as Mehta envisions.

The call is clear. “We are here, willing to help you,” Mehta urges, inviting firms to leverage resources. Collaboration is a force multiplier. By connecting with ecosystems, businesses achieve more. The future belongs to those who build these networks.

Picture Gallery: Barcelona gets ready to welcome the industry

Rahul Kumar — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 06:25:00

The focus remains on helping converters boost efficiency, manage varied applications and deliver reliable, high-quality print.

PrintWeek Awards 2025 shortlist revealed — The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 18:16:00

PrintWeek Jury Meet was hosted from 9 to 12 September. The Jury Meet celebrated the best of print and packaging from all over India. 31 jury members deliberated and selected the most innovative and stunning entries over the span of three days.

PERFORMANCE AWARDS

PrintWeek Company of the Year

Afflatus Gravures
Any Graphics
Brilliant Printers
ITC Packaging & Printing Business
Kholsa Printers
Mantone Printpack
Manipal Technologies
Parksons Packaging
S&S Packaging

Small Company of the Year

Khetan Corru Case
Ocean's Deep Printers
Progressive Printing Press
S&S Packaging

Book Education Company of the Year

Brilliant Printers
CDC Printers
Quarterfold Printabilities

Packaging Company of the Year

ITC Printing and Packaging Business
Kholsa Printers
Parksons Packaging
Printmann Group
S&S Packaging

Packaging Company of the Year – Boutique

ITC Packaging & Printing Business
Ocean's Deep Printers
Printmann Group

Packaging Company of the Year – Flexible Packaging

Parakh Flexipack

Pre-Press and Design Service Provider of the Year

Afflatus Gravures
Creative Graphic Solutions India
NS Digital Flexo
Scarletline Design Studio

Green Company of the Year – Large

ITC Packaging & Printing Business
Any Graphics
Balaji Multiflex
Brilliant Printers
Lovely Offset Printers
Manipal Technologies
Multivista Global

Green Company of the Year – SME

Khetan Corru Case
Orient Color Art Printers

Export Company of the Year

Brijbasi Art Press
Brilliant Printers
CDC Printers
Manipal Technologies
Quarterfold Printabilities
Replika Press
S&S Packaging

QUALITY AWARDS

Book Printer of the Year (Education)

Brilliant Printers
CDC Printers
Multivista Global
Replika Press
Silverpoint Press
Thomson Press

Book Printer of the Year (Specialty and Trade)

CDC Printers
Lovely Offset Printers
Manipal Technologies
Replika Press
Silverpoint Press
Thomson Press (India)

Book Printer of the Year (Print on Demand - POD)

Arihant Publications
Manipal Technologies
Silverpoint Press
Thomson Press (India)

Brochure & Catalogue Printer of the Year

Fine Art Digital Imaging
Hira Print
Silverpoint Press

Digital Printer of the Year

Any Graphics
Avantika Printers
Fine Art Digital Imaging
Letra Graphix
Macromedia Digital Imaging
Sri Sivarama Digital Press
Thomson Press (India)
Trigon Digipack

Digital Photo Album Printer of the Year

Avantika Printers
Fine Art Digital Imaging
Photopark Digital Press
Sri Sivarama Digital Press

Fine Art Printer of the Year

Nisarga Works
On Dot Enterprises
Prodon Enterprises
Screen Art Enterprises
Silverpoint Press
Thomson Press (India)

Innovative Printer of the Year (Paper / Paperboard / Corrugated)

Brijbasi Art Press
Khetan Corru Case
Kumar Printers
Perfect Packaging
Screen Art Enterprise
Surge Seven
Synthesis Comm
Thomson Press (India)

Innovative Printers of the Year (PET, LDPE, HDPE, PVC, PP, PS, metal/glass)

Antz Innovations
Flexure Print N Pack
Globe Print & Pack
Holostik India
Kwality Offset Printers
Lynx Designers & Creators
Orianaa Decorpack
Prayag Advertisers
S Kumar Multi Products
TCPL Packaging

Label Printer of the Year

Any Graphics
Gujarat Print Pack Publication
Kwality Offset Printers
Letra Graphix
Prayag Advertisers
Renault Paper Products
S Kumar Multi Products
Trigon Digipack

Newspaper Printer of the Year

ABP
Jagran Prakashan

Packaging Converter of the Year (F&B)

CDC Printers
Edelmann Packaging
HBD Packaging
ITC Printing and Packaging Business
Letra Graphix
Orianaa Decorpack
Parksons Packaging
Synthesis Communications
TCPL Packaging
Trigon Digipack

Packaging Converter of the Year (FMCG)

Any Graphics
CDC Printers
Fibre Foils
HBD Packaging
Parksons Packaging
Perfect Packaging
Rukson Packaging
S Kumar Multi Products
Shree Pack Containers

Packaging Converter of the Year (Pharma)

Edelmann Packaging
Holostik India
Letra Graphix
Printmann Group
Rukson Packaging
Shree Pack Containers

Packaging Converter of the Year (Rigid Box)

Balaji Postpress
CDC Printers
Meraki
PM Offset Printers
Screen Art Enterprises
Trigon Digipack
Unbox

Packaging Converter of the Year (Paper Bag)

Lynx Designers & Creators
Ocean's Deep Printers
Screen Art Enterprises
Synthesis Communications

POS / POP Printer of the Year

GKW Retail Solutions
Prodon Enterprises
Spectrum Scan
Unidos Exports

Pre-Media Company of the Year

Azure Communication
Design Horse
IMS Group
SA Graphics

PrintWeek Printer of the Year (Self Promotional Merchandise)

Azure Communication
Gujarat Print Pack Publications
Letra Graphix
Ocean's Deep Printers

SPECIAL INDUSTRY AWARDS

Factory of the Year

Afflatus Gravures
Brilliant Printers
CDC Printers
Khetan Corru Case
Kholsa Printers
Replika Press

Customer Service Company of the Year

Any Graphics
CDC Printers
ITC Printing and Packaging Business
Kholsa Printers
Lipi International
Manipal Technologies
Printmann Group
Synthesis Communications

Student of the Year

IIT Roorkee – Prachi Jain
PVG Maharashtra Institute of Printing Technology – Sutirth Vishal Doshi

The PrintWeek Awards are co-presented by: Bindwel, Canon, Heidelberg, NBG, Pidilite Industrial Adhesives, Sigloch. The associate partners are Bobst, Siegwerk, Super Bond Adhesives. Ink partner: DIC. ERP partner: Indas Analytics. Print partner: Kala Jyothi. Automation partner: Pratham Technologies. Embellishment partner: Kurz. Paper partner: Sona Signature Papers. Citation partner: TechNova. Security print partners: Rotatek, Vinsak.

How two print firms are boosting Chennai's stock — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 19:16:00

The hum of the Canon press is steady, the foot traffic modest but dependable. On a street once buzzing with printers before demolition crews intervened, Diamond Xerox survives as a corner-shop constant. Behind the counter is M Radhika, a woman with a postgraduate degree in botany who never planned to run a print shop but now owns every inch of it.

M Radhika with her husband

“I had no idea how to run a print shop,” she says, recalling the moment she stepped in after her brother-in-law’s death in 2015. She was stepping into a world of files, substrates, and deadlines. What she did have was her family. Her husband, who runs an electrical business, stood by her and continues to help with operations. Her in-laws encouraged her to keep the doors open. The Canon press upgrade was her decision. The Fiery calibration tweaks, her experiments. 1,000 daily prints? All her doing.

Diamond Xerox proves there’s still room for the walk-in print shop. Quick jobs. Fast delivery. A handshake’s worth of trust. It’s not a print empire, but it’s a business with a beating heart.

From botany to CMYK
With her background rooted in botany and no formal printing experience, Radhika learned the trade on the fly. When the family needed someone to take charge, she stepped in, motivated by responsibility and guided by sheer adaptability. “I had to keep the business running,” she says.

In 2016, she made the decision to replace the older Xerox press with a Canon digital press equipped with a Fiery front-end. This has provided Diamond Xerox a sharper edge, including duplex precision, substrate flexibility, and improved consistency for everything from wedding invitations to waterproof labels. Her husband helped her navigate technical issues, and she soon began solving routine problems on her own, from print lines to registration mismatches.

Unlike larger firms with pre-press departments and design teams, Diamond Xerox runs lean. Clients arrive with ready PDFs or image files. For those without, Radhika collaborates with designers nearby. The goal is quick turnaround, no frills, just reliable prints.

Technology that’s just enough
The Canon press handles substrates up to 350-gsm, including synthetic and non-tearable media. “We print on paper, film, and just about everything,” Radhika says. The company’s daily output averages 1,000 sheets, though larger orders, anything above 500, are directed to offset printers to keep costs in check. Ease of use is key. Radhika can troubleshoot most issues herself with phone support from Canon engineers. “I don’t have to wait for someone to come down,” she says. That autonomy is critical when every minute counts for clients wanting same-day delivery. Pricing is straightforward: INR 20 for a single-side print, INR 15 for additional prints, with discounts for bulk orders that still leave room for a modest INR three to INR four margin. “It’s enough for our needs,” she says.

Post-press tasks like lamination and binding are outsourced to specialists nearby. This keeps the operation focused and efficient. “We stick to what we do best,” she says. And it works, especially in a market like Chennai where speed and consistency win clients.

Chennai’s print street soul
Post-pandemic, India’s short-run digital print segment has surged, spurred by the demand for just-in-time printing and event-specific customisation. Chennai, with its tight-knit commercial districts like Royapettah, reflects that shift. Amid high-tech print hubs and export-ready operations, walk-in shops like Diamond Xerox still serve a massive local clientele.

The shop’s original location, on a prime main road, brought in steady foot traffic until a nearby building demolition reduced visibility. “Our earnings dropped, but the regulars still find us,” Radhika says. Her client base ranges from students and wedding planners to local filmmakers, all relying on fast turnaround and consistent quality.

Unlike larger commercial printers chasing volume, Diamond Xerox thrives on immediacy. “Customers want it today. They want to see a sample, approve it, and pick it up in two hours,” she says. That speed, paired with colour accuracy, is what sets her apart.
A future in modest growth

Diamond Xerox isn’t aspiring to become the next big name in Indian printing. Radhika’s goals are clear and practical: upgrade to a new Canon press in two years, double daily output, and possibly relocate to a better spot to regain lost foot traffic. The current press, now nearing a decade in use, remains reliable. “But a new machine could help us do more,” she says. Her dream isn’t of expansion but of optimisation, better tools for the same loyal clients.

Samy Shrinath, founder of Print & Design, has built a versatile printing firm in Chennai, blending digital and offset capabilities to meet diverse client needs. From a self-taught designer to a business owner, his approach fuels the company’s growth in the city.

Samy Shrinath, founder of Print & Design

In a Chennai print shop, Samy Shrinath recounts his journey from a 19-year-old newcomer to leading Print & Design. “I learnt design software online, without classes,” he says, highlighting the passion that shaped his career. Starting at Saroja Printers in Shrinath, originally from Hyderabad, transformed his skills into a 14-year-old business balancing urgent digital jobs with high-volume offset printing.

Founded in 2011, Print & Design evolved from brokering print jobs to operating a Canon V900 digital press and a Mitsubishi offset press. Employing 56 staff across 5,000-sqft, the firm produces brochures, packaging, leaflets, and gift items for clients needing quick turnarounds or bulk orders.

Shrinath emphasises innovation over price competition. “We prioritise quality and service,” he says. A new offset press planned for 2025 and specialised finishing aim to capture Chennai’s growing demand for enhanced prints. Resilience forged during the pandemic and strategic investments position Print & Design to thrive. By merging digital flexibility with offset capacity, the firm delivers quality outputs in a competitive market, meeting varied client expectations.

From humble beginnings to dual operations
Print & Design started in 2011 after Shrinath, then 23, left Saroja Printers, where he managed accounts and learnt design for two years. He arrived in Chennai at 19 due to his father’s migration. “I knew nothing about printing,” he admits, but self-taught design software online, driven by enthusiasm.

As an agent, Shrinath outsourced jobs to local presses, building a client base. In 2016, he acquired a Canon C800 digital press, enabling in-house printing of small-batch jobs like invitations, leaflets, and brochures. This shift allowed the firm to meet urgent demands efficiently.

In 2019, Print & Design invested in a five-colour Mitsubishi offset press to handle larger orders, expanding its capabilities. Post-recovery from the pandemic, the firm upgraded to a Canon V900 digital press in April 2025, supporting jobs such as posters and multi-fold leaflets.

The company operates two units, with a third planned for expanding to 8,000 square feet. This setup caters to both short-run and high-volume clients, offering flexibility across a range of print applications.

Chennai’s print sector, bolstered by post-Covid digital adoption, supports firms like Print & Design that blend digital and offset technologies to serve clients needing both speed and scale.

Technology for flexibility and scale
The Canon V900 digital press handles jobs up to 13x51-inches and supports variable data printing with PDF imposition software. “It calibrates colours automatically,” Shrinath explains, minimising manual tweaks.

The five-colour Mitsubishi offset press manages orders exceeding 100 sheets. Offset colour matching uses a monitor-based system, with operators adjusting density via printed strips. “Digital suits runs below 100,” Shrinath clarifies.

Digital presses handle a variety of substrates, while offset demands stricter tolerances. “They serve distinct needs,” he notes. This duality supports a wide range of print jobs.

Clients supply PDFs for pre-press, with the team handling minor adjustments like bleed and CMYK conversion. “We guide clients on RGB issues,” Shrinath says, ensuring files are print-ready.

Canon’s service team resolves issues swiftly, often within hours. In-house finishing includes cutting and centre-pin binding, with specialised tasks like lamination outsourced to keep operations lean and efficient.

Automation and operator skill drive consistent output. “Automation cuts waste, but operator skill is crucial,” Shrinath says. This approach aligns with Chennai’s shift towards efficient digital presses, driven by fast-turnaround expectations.

Operational model for diverse demands
A custom-built software system, developed with a freelancer, manages estimation, billing, and job scheduling. “It oversees every step,” Shrinath says, streamlining the process from order to delivery.

Digital printing handles urgent jobs under 100 sheets, such as 10–20-leaflet runs. Offset presses support bulk work like 1,000-unit packaging orders. This division optimises output and resource use.

The firm produces brochures, letterheads, wedding cards, stickers, leaflets, and paper bags, alongside outsourced gift items. This diversity helps meet varied customer expectations in a competitive environment.

Quality control relies on trained operators. Offset jobs involve manual colour matching, with proof approvals for key jobs. The V900’s auto-calibration ensures consistent output for time-sensitive assignments.

Print & Design achieves three-lakh impressions monthly and generates INR 21-lakh in billing. “We’ve recovered INR eight-lakh of the V900’s cost,” Shrinath says, with full recoupment expected within six months.

The facility supports in-house finishing; outsourcing is limited to highly specialised jobs. This hybrid model lets Print & Design balance agility with scale, ensuring client satisfaction.

Future plans in a shifting market
In 2025, Print & Design will add a 20x32-inch offset press in its third unit, expanding its footprint to 8,000-sqft. “It will boost packaging capacity,” Shrinath says, aligning with a broader market pivot as traditional commercial printing declines.

He is evaluating a INR one-crore investment in blue foil and UV finishing, citing a rising demand for embellished outputs. “Clients demand embellished prints,” he says. This upgrade aims to distinguish the firm in a market where speciality finishing is gaining ground. Shrinath replaces machines every five years to maintain technological relevance. He plans to retire the V900 by 2030, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to quality and consistency.

He advocates a broad client base. “Avoid relying on a single client,” he advises, cautioning against dependency on exclusive accounts. Diverse, high-value work offers insulation from market shifts and economic uncertainty.

Print & Design is also exploring online foil finishing to reduce material wastage. With a skilled team and planned investments, the firm is positioning itself for sustained growth in Chennai’s evolving print ecosystem.

Three impactful Women to Watch of the industry

Sai Deepthi P — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:55:00

In the world of print, packaging, and publishing, three remarkable women—Priyanka Rathi, Kaveri Satija, and Tania Hansoti—are not just leading their respective fields but are actively shaping the future.

Chandigarh-based Kaveri Satija, the Young Business Leader from Janvi Arts, has revolutionised flexographic printing through an unwavering commitment to technical excellence. She instilled a "flexo-first mindset" in her team, emphasizing precision with a rigorous 35-point quality checklist. Kaveri Satija navigated the challenging investment in a new CDI imaging system, akin to "changing the wheels of a car while it’s still racing down the highway," by relying on extensive simulations. Her service-led approach ensures client loyalty with responsive, often overnight, plate delivery. Kaveri's advice to young professionals: driving change isn't about grand gestures, but the courage to start and the resilience to "keep showing up, keep trying."

New Delhi-based Priyanka Rathi, honoured as Mentor of the Year, believes in demystifying the industry for young women. As head of marketing communications at Holostik India, she champions visibility for female leaders and advocates for structured pathways like internships to showcase the sector's diverse impact. Her secret? Using digital media as a "conversation engine," blending data with storytelling to build trust. Priyanka Rathi's leadership cultivates ownership, continuous learning, and a culture that celebrates even the smallest victories, embodying her mantra: "When you reach the top, remember to send the elevator back down for others."

Ahmedabad-based Tania Hansoti, recognised for Execution Excellence, seamlessly transitioned from a structured MNC to a family-owned packaging business, S Kumar Multiproducts. She introduced process-driven systems, sustainability initiatives, and talent programs that significantly bolstered operations and culture. Tania Hansoti implemented SOPs and ERP adoption, measuring success through tangible KPIs like reduced turnaround times and improved material usage. Her strategic phasing of sustainability initiatives, including solar power and LED adoption, ensured continuity while delivering measurable returns. Beyond internal improvements, Tania Hansoti leveraged social media with her #LabelLearning series, establishing the company as a knowledge resource and generating new leads. She also strengthened company culture through recognition programs like the ExtraPunch award and structured internships, fostering motivation and grooming future leaders.

These three women, each a trailblazer in her own right, exemplify resilience, innovation, and impact, proving that the future of print and packaging is bright, shaped by their transformative leadership.

Ashish Bhushan, as the new country head of Haymarket Media India, said, "This is the third edition of PrintWeek's Women to Watch Awards, and it’s great being part of a growing community of women in print and packaging and publishing. It shows our industry has space for creativity, diversity, and strong women voices."

"We hope this reflects a broader transformation within the sector, and hope your win will help inspire more young women to consider a future in print-packaging-publishing," Bhushan said.

The third annual PrintWeek Women to Watch Awards, powered by Bindwel and co-powered by Siegwerk India, has celebrated the extraordinary women shaping India’s printing, packaging and publishing industries.

This year, there have been eleven Women to Watch winners. Watch the video here.

How Konica Minolta is building print momentum in Chennai

Noel D'Cunha — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:49:00

The meeting had run into its second day. A printer from Chennai had booked time at Konica Minolta’s newly opened demo centre. His need was simple, but uncompromising: colour consistency across high-volume tag printing. He had already tested a few presses in the market. At the demo centre, he ran 5,000 prints, checking colour balance and sheet alignment. By the end of it, the deal was done.

SR Vasudevan, regional general manager for South PPDC sales at Konica Minolta Business Solutions India, was not surprised. “We tell clients to test the machines the way they would use them in real life,” he says. “If the machine passes that test, it is a partnership, not just a purchase.”

The firm’s investment in this tactile, test-based approach is paying off. In Tamil Nadu, Konica Minolta’s footprint has expanded rapidly, KM has digital production machine in three digits installed in Tamil Nadu with Chennai leading in the number of installed machines. In the high-volume production digital segment, it holds a leadership market share. But beyond the numbers lies a shift in how digital printing is now understood in the region. It is not just as a tool for volume, but as a solution for control, consistency, and application diversity.

Digital is no longer an alternative
Over the past decade, Tamil Nadu has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing regions for digital printing adoption. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the pace only quickened. For Vasudevan, the shift was visible across sectors. Printers serving religious institutions, photo studios, educational publishers, and packaging vendors all began turning to digital not as a fallback, but as their first line of production. “Inventory aversion drove the wave,” he explains. “Printers didn’t want to stock 10,000 calendars and wait to sell. Now they print 1,000, or even 100, as orders arrive.” That agility has now hardened into expectation.

Digital presses, unlike offset, can accommodate short runs without any setup time or material waste. In Chennai’s Royapettah print zone, where more than 450 presses from brands like Canon, Ricoh, Xerox, and Konica Minolta jostle for attention, the real game is no longer about the machine. It’s about who can deliver application-ready precision with the fewest complications.

A different model for every print corridor
“Each printer has a different lens about the market,” Vasudevan says. One shop prints high-colour devotional posters. Another runs ITC booklet jobs. A third serves export clients from Sri Lanka. “The kit needs to reflect the specificity.” Konica Minolta’s portfolio is built around this fragmentation. Its AccurioPress range serves the commercial and creative segments. Its high-chroma toner variants, especially the AccurioPress C84hc and C74hc target South India’s love for deep, vibrant colour. Over 200 such machines are in operation in Tamil Nadu alone. Meanwhile, the AccurioPress C12000 caters to firms pushing a lakh prints a month, while light production presses are ideal for niche applications like photo albums, certificates, and labels.
Label printing, a growth segment, is handled by the AccurioLabel (AL) series. The AL-230 and AL-400, supported by Konica Minolta’s industrial division, have been installed in Chennai, Bengaluru, plus Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Software and service as competitive weapons
A consistent theme across conversations with printers in Chennai is that Konica Minolta’s hardware is dependable, but it’s the service and software that sets it apart. Vasudevan points to the Image Quality (IQ) software as a key differentiator. It performs real-time colour calibration during the print run, which not only improves colour accuracy but reduces misprints. “We’re seeing almost zero wastage on machines running with IQ,” he says. For clients printing tags, labels, or brand-compliant packaging, this is critical.

The AP Flux software further enhances value by making variable data printing more accessible. Clients use it to produce unique invitations, QR-encoded labels, or sequentially numbered documents, all without external design plugins.
Behind the software sits the service team. Based out of Konica Minolta’s 8,000-sqft regional office and its 2,000-sqft demo centre, the company’s Chennai operations are set up to provide same-day response for both installations and technical issues. “Our promise is: machines don’t stop,” Vasudevan says. The engineering team even trains client operators to resolve basic issues, cutting downtime to a minimum.

The showroom that sells without selling
The demo centre in Chennai opened 18 months ago and has already received more than 2,500 visitors. But its function is not just transactional. It is built as an experience space.
Printers are encouraged to bring their own files, substrates, and print objectives. They run live jobs on the presses, with engineers on hand to tweak settings. “Some clients print five sheets. Some print five thousand,” Vasudevan says. “The important part is they leave with certainty.”

This approach also helps the brand capture niche requirements that often fall outside the generic sales pitch. If a printer wants to test duplex alignment on 350-gsm synthetic media, they can. If another wants to compare gloss variance between the C84hc and C14000, they can.

That ability to de-risk the purchase is what drives trust. “No two printers in Chennai do the same thing,” Vasudevan says. “The demo centre lets them find their own reason to commit.”

From print to partnership
Konica Minolta’s push is no longer just to sell hardware. It is to become a technology and training partner. Konica Minolta’s pre-sales engineers work with clients to understand their current volume and help them plan for growth. Machines are mapped to print cycles. Software is matched to applications. Skill gaps are closed with training.

“A printer running 300 sheets a day could be running 3,000 in two years,” Vasudevan says. “Our job is to make sure the investment today can be scaled-up for tomorrow.”
That level of integration is what allows Konica Minolta to build relationships with long-term value. Clients don’t just buy again; they buy deeper. A shop that began with a KM Bizhub Press C6000 may now operate a AccurioPress C12000, with a label press and variable data software layered in.

A city and a brand both on the move
Tamil Nadu’s printing sector is shifting from a traditional offset print economy to a more agile, hybrid ecosystem. Digital printing is no longer niche. It is embedded in the system. What Konica Minolta has done in this environment is engineer both speed and certainty. In a market that prints everything from religious ephemera to export-ready packaging, the ability to serve without overproducing has become a competitive advantage.

As the company looks ahead, Vasudevan is optimistic. Packaging and labels are heating up. Customisation is no longer a novelty. And younger printers are bringing new expectations into the industry. “They want automation. They want low waste. They want software that works out of the box,” he says.

Konica Minolta is responding with an evolving product roadmap, a regional service network, and a demo experience that reduces decision-making friction. The goal is not to replace offset. It is to define the kind of digital print economy that works for the next decade. “It is not about being the fastest or the cheapest,” Vasudevan says. “It’s about being the most relevant press in the factory.”

Digital printing in the spotlight at PrintWeek Awards — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 19:26:00

Print-on-demand (POD) was introduced in India in the late 1990s, with Xerox’s Safida often cited as one of the earliest examples around 1999. However, it took until the late 2000s for POD to gain wider acceptance in the industry.

According to an industry veteran who has worked with two leading digital press manufacturers, the market began to form in 2003, but the real turning point came in 2018. He stated that 2010 or 2012 did not mark a significant inflexion, but rather, momentum gathered after the Indian government imposed a ban on the import of refurbished machines in 2017. As a result, the jobber market saw a notable surge in activity.

In recent years, digital printing has become a preferred option for short-run and variable data jobs. PrintWeek’s internal data projected that the number of digital presses in India would reach approximately 2,300 by the end of 2023. The estimated revenue from equipment sales in that year stood at around INR 450-crore, which represented the highest annual figure to date. Industry expectations have indicated that growth will continue throughout 2024.

This shift in trajectory has been driven by four main factors. There has been a clear increase in the number of installed machines. Volumes per machine have also gone up. The year 2024 has been marked by drupa, a major event where new technologies and product innovations are unveiled. Additionally, there has been a renewed focus on finishing, particularly in binding processes.

Digital Printer of the Year

In this category, judges are looking for companies that demonstrate strong colour output and creative use of digital printing technology.

Silverpoint Press and Letra Graphix were declared joint winners in this category in 2024.

Silverpoint Press submitted four projects for consideration.

The Club 10 Gymkhana brochure featured a Mont Blanc white 130-gsm cover, along with inner pages on the same weight paper. Gold foil stamping was applied, and the cover included both embossing and debossing to enhance its finish.

The Crown Coin brochure was digitally printed and included embellishments such as gold foil, spot UV, and satin aqueous varnish.

For the India Leadership Council book titled Decoding D-Code, the company created a personalised design to highlight individual profiles.

The fourth entry was the Dream Dare Deliver book for Microland, which was section-sewn and bound in hardcover. The design made use of white space alongside vibrant colour spreads, giving the book a clean, modern look.

GMG colour management tools were employed to ensure consistent and accurate colour reproduction across all samples.

Letra Graphix submitted four digital label samples.

The Red Wine Organic label was printed on PP silver, which gave the label a metallic finish. The design included textured veins to create a tactile effect. The metallic surface enhanced the pink gradient and complemented the wine’s visual identity.

The Mountain Reserve label featured a 1,200 x 1,200-dpi image, with details that created a three-dimensional appearance. Judges noted the effective use of gloss and matt finishes combined with foiling to produce a result suitable for premium packaging.

The Nefertum label was printed on black paper and used gloss and matt effects across different areas of the design to simulate embossing and debossing, without the use of traditional techniques. One judge observed that this gave the label a rich, textured look.

The Beer of the Sun label was printed at a high resolution of 1,200 dpi, which resulted in exceptional sharpness and detail.

Digital Photo Album Printer of the Year

In this category, the judges are seeking companies that can demonstrate strong colour results, effective use of substrates, and attention to detail in album fabrication.

Photopark Digital Press was the winner in this category for 2024.

Photopark distinguished itself by offering a comprehensive product range that included boxes, covers, calendars, mini books, portraits, bags, and album presentations.

Each design was customised with additions such as lace, ribbons, and laser-cut elements. The albums were printed on Luster 240-gsm media at a resolution of 2,400 dpi. Post-press enhancements were carried out by Photopark’s in-house team, with minimal reliance on automated machinery.

The album produced for Roopesh Pai featured a central image on the cover, framed with dark blue suede rexine. This material was also used for the box.

The album for Lights on Creation included a mini book, a tabletop calendar, and a pen drive compartment, all placed beneath the main album. A distinctive feature was the triple wood circle laser cut applied to both the cover and the box lid.

The album created for Adam Lights, a photographer specialising in baptism events, followed a white colour theme. Its cover included a large three-quarter acrylic glass panel with a printed pattern that added visual interest.

The album for Weva used a two-level box structure. The top section included a calendar and portraits, while the lower compartment housed the main album.

Fine Art Printer of the Year

In this category, the judges are evaluating fine art books, catalogues, and limited-edition prints that demonstrate high standards of origination and printing.

Prodon Enterprise and Archana Advertising were named joint winners in 2024.

Prodon Enterprise used a Mitsubishi 1000 LS four-colour press with an inline coater to produce its entries.

The books Beyond the Shadow and Life Drawing, Studies and Sketches for artist Yuri Jain were printed on 160-gsm Rendezvous Hi Print paper with a matte coating. These hardbound books were presented in slipcases.

Fantasy was printed for the auction house Saffronart on 160-gsm Rendezvous Natura paper with matte coating and was packaged in a fibreboard box with a central cutout; and for the Saffronart Summer Online Auction catalogue, Prodon used section sewing and perfect binding, and applied three-dimensional foil embossing on the cover.

A box set was also created for Akara Art, which contained Akara Modern and Akara Contemporary, printed on 130-gsm Rendezvous Natura paper with satin coating. These books were bound in hard case with cloth covers and featured foil debossing.

Archana Advertising submitted a book titled Raza for Vadehra Art Gallery, printed on a Konica Minolta AccurioPress and finished with an aqueous coating. The book included around 600 old photographs. Since the original images were unavailable, Archana relied on digital restoration techniques to match the visuals.

MF Husain: The Journey of a Legend was produced for the Stellar International Art Foundation using a Komori Enthrone press and Rendezvous paper. Post-press processes included foil stamping, UV, and debossing. This book featured early works from the artist’s private collection.

Looking Back by Sudip Roy was printed using Komori, Heidelberg, and Mitsubishi presses on rough-gloss fine-texture paper. The artist supplied the original paintings, which were photographed at Archana’s studio and colour-matched during processing.

Sujata Bajaj’s Ganapati for Galerie Patrice Trigano was printed on the same types of presses and paper, with post-press treatments such as UV on the cover and foil on the slipcase.

The 15th edition of the PrintWeek Awards will take place on 13 October 2025 at The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake. Those wishing to enter can express interest here.

For assistance during the process, entrants may contact avinash.bhakre@haymarket.co.in or call +91 99303 51282.

Packaging and labelling at the PrintWeek Awards — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

Noel D'Cunha — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 15:17:00

The PrintWeek Awards are gearing up for their fifteenth edition in 2025, continuing a 14-year legacy of recognising excellence and setting standards in the print and packaging industry.

This year’s awards, themed "Print and Packaging That Pushes the Boundaries," aim to celebrate bold innovation and daring new approaches. We're looking for the pioneers and risk-takers who are challenging traditional methods with fresh, bold ideas in printing and converting.

With 33 categories across Performance, Quality, and Special Industry Awards, the PrintWeek Awards showcase the very best.

The 2024 event saw over 260 entries and 800 samples from more than 100 companies, with a panel of 22 industry experts recognising 55 winners for their dedication to quality. The packaging and labelling segments at the PrintWeek Awards fared well.

What the jury looks for: Insights from last year’s experts
The jury plays a crucial role in identifying the best in print and packaging, meticulously examining entries for innovation, quality, and impact. Here’s a look at what the experts on last year's panel focused on:

The jury to examine the samples included Amit Saurkar, Deepa Naik, Deepti Kshirsagar, Nitin Virkar, Peter KA, Rahul Nainani, and Sanjay Ghoshal.

(l-r) Rahul Nainani, Amir Saurkar, Deepa Naik, Peter KA, Nitin Virkar, Deepti Kshirsagar, Sanjay Ghoshal, and Noel D'Cunha

Amit Saurkar, group packaging development manager at Marico, a packaging professional with over 14 years of experience, highlighted the increasing importance of sustainability. He noted the shift that quick service restaurant (QSR) chains made from buckets with barrier coatings to those without, stating, “sustainability is now a bigger part of the conversation and that small choices like these, ones that make a lot of difference, are slowly being made by companies.”

Deepti Kshirsagar, co-founder and director of strategy and design at TCT Strategic Branding, with 15 years of experience, was particularly impressed by the finishing alignment. She observed the use of various processes like 3D drip and was pleased with the “structural alignment achieved through print on the packaging,” adding, “The samples I have seen so far have great finishing for these reasons.”

Rahul Nainani, co-founder and CEO of ReCircle, a clean-tech organisation driving the circular economy, emphasised the need for more sustainable choices. He specifically observed a “lack of sustainable choices, especially in rigid boxes,” despite knowing it's a client requirement. His comment, “I’m not seeing much sustainability,” signals a strong desire for more environmentally conscious packaging solutions.

Sanjay Ghoshal, head of packaging, packaging sustainability, and strategic packaging productivity at Diageo India, highlighted positive trends in sustainability and branding communication. He noted, “People are not using metPET so much anymore. I also think they are realising the value of packaging as a tool for branding communication.”

Peter KA, AVP of packaging development at Godrej Consumer Products, focused on innovation in texture and craftsmanship. He remarked, “Something I have noticed is the innovation in texture and craftsmanship in the samples. The finishing is great and impressive.” This indicates that tactile qualities and superior artistry in packaging are key differentiators.

Deepa Naik, general manager of packaging innovation for India and AMEA, observed a market shift towards rigid boxes. She found it “curious to see the shift to rigid boxes from mono cartons.”

Nitin Virkar, chief creative officer at Therefore Design, highlighted the importance of specialisation and quality execution. He said, “The companies that specialised in a certain thing did a far better job.”

Label Printer of the Year
In this category, judges look for outstanding labels printed using any process (letterpress, offset, flexo, digital). Of particular interest are the use and application of special colours and finishes, and printing on challenging or unusual substrates.

In 2024, Kwality Offset Printers, Letra Graphix, and Renault Paper Products were crowned winners in this category.

Kwality Offset’s Greater than Gin labels featured intricate Kurz copper hot foil stamping, reverse hot foil, and tactile UV for a raised effect.

The Bandarful Coffee Liqueur labels masterfully told a farm-to-bottle story through their design. Only Olympic Mixture You Needed mouth freshener labels stood out with matte UV, raised tactile effects, and Kurz special shade hot foil for a luxurious feel.

Finally, the Teller Coffee Rum Liqueur label featured stunning 3D layered foiling and CMYK print, creating an eye-catching mystical figure.

Kwality Offset's winning samples

Letra Graphix showcased innovation with a near-field communication (NFC) chip label designed to combat counterfeiting, integrating a chip directly and eliminating QR codes. Printed on a Gallus Labelfire press using three special colours, it offered enhanced security and a seamless user experience.

Their Galatea label, crafted on Maretele Blanc paper, featured screen embossing, silver foil, and highly intricate print techniques combining foiling, embossing, and tactile 3D effects.

Letra also produced two Kimirica Hunter International labels on PP clear substrate using the Gallus Labelfire, incorporating embossing, window matte varnish, gold foil, and flexo elements on both inner and outer sides. Notably, the Eiffel Tower on the Kimirica label was printed on the adhesive side for a subtle, see-through effect.

Letra Graphix's winning samples

Renault Paper Products demonstrated mastery with Mussafir labels for The Living Liquidz Spirits and Sports Bar, featuring deep, contrasting colours printed with special anilox rollers on uncoated substrates, and carefully selected foil areas for a premium appeal.

The Crafters Stamp label, designed by Alcobev UK, saw Renault expertly manage files from the design agency, creating bespoke textures and blind emboss patterns on the brand name while prioritising cost and production efficiency for a quick launch.

Their Varchas Bourbon label was a linework marvel for a double-headed eagle emboss, involving tooling for print, emboss, micro-texture, and die-cut on 240-gsm aluminium paper.

The Ruslan label for Vijay Distilleries was a complex mid-run job, combining two unique substrates – aluminium foil face material converted to PS label stock and PP clear precision-registered on 80-micron aluminium foil for one-pass bottling.

Renault Paper Products' winning samples

Packaging Converter of the Year (F&B)
This category covers all printed packaging for the food and beverage segment, including cartons, flexible packaging, pouches, boxes for food, wines, spirits, and presentation packs.

ITC Packaging and Printing took home the award in 2024.

ITC’s Burger King fries tub showcased an eco-friendly approach, replacing polyethylene-coated tubs with a compostable, patented BioSeal food-grade coating developed by the ITC Life Science and Technology Centre. These tubs, made from virgin folding paperboard, featured high deposition of two different grades of BioSeal coating applied via a roller coater, providing oil, grease, leak, and spill resistance.

The Antiquity Blue Ultra Gold whisky carton featured a blend of blue with a natural white-grey background reproduced through offset. Post-press treatments included coarse matte varnish, smooth post-glass texture, copper shade hot foil stamping, and registered embossing, enhancing branding and structural competence through a three-ply carton with a micro-fluted layer, top tuck-in, and auto-lock bottom.

Paper-based envelopes for Twinings are aligned with global efforts to reduce plastic waste, abandoning traditional packaging for sustainable alternatives. These designs, with detailed halftone images, were printed on a gravure line with base coatings and specified cylinder engraving depths.

The Oaken Glow carton combined different printing technologies to achieve a rich, sturdy look with value additions and rigid high-grammage board and reel lamination. Its graphic designs featured a high-resolution natural, burnt, and smoky wooden texture, with a solid black shade gravure-printed on the inner surface.

ITC PPB's winning samples

Packaging Converter of the Year (FMCG)
This category encompasses all printed packaging for the FMCG segment, including cartons, flexible packaging, and other containers. Last year saw joint winners: HBD Packaging, Letra Graphix, TCPL Packaging, and Bharat Containers (Nagpur).

HBD Packaging submitted samples printed on 300- and 400-gsm FBB on an RMGT 970 seven-colour press with LED and online coating.

The Tynor Patellar Support carton featured a top tuck-in and a hanger, with special features including reverse gold foil stamping and spot UV coating.

The Brufica Plus carton, with a reverse tuck, incorporated radium UV coating for security features, Braille, and embossing, notable for its glow-in-the-dark utility.

The Sharbat Sandal sample was a lock-bottom carton printed with LED ink, reducing ozone emission and featuring inline texture coating.

The Odonil Exotic room spray carton was developed and launched in just 12 days from final artwork, including proofing. HBD developed the lock-bottom in-house, enhancing quick assembly, and the five-colour (CMYK plus reflex blue) carton, printed on the RMGT press, featured gold foil, texture UV coating, embossing, die-cutting, and glueing.

HBD Packaging's winning samples

Letra Graphix provided four label samples for an FMCG company, printed on PP clear and PP silver on a Gallus Labelfire.

These samples featured gold ink that enhanced the overall aesthetic. Designs included a gloss finish in the middle and on the text, creating a sleek, shiny effect that beautifully caught light and highlighted essential information.

A notable feature was the sand varnish applied to the snakeskin pattern, adding a realistic, tactile quality that contrasted with the glossy elements, creating a dynamic and visually captivating label.

Letra Graphix's winning samples

TCPL Packaging was another winner in this category. The design, shape, and formation of the Olivia Bright Boost serum’s carton, featuring a flip-top open mechanism, matte background and spot UVs, impressed the Jury.

The Nestle Munch Bites pouch, printed on gravure, featured a bottom gusset and easy-tear notch. The fully recyclable PE structure was printed on MDO film with white opaque PE laminations.

The sustainable and biodegradable Glow & Lovely face serum pack was printed on a holographic transfer metalised board.

The Dark Fantasy Desserts sample featured a carton printed on soft-touch laminated virgin board, with a black-gold combination and gold hot foil.

TCPL Packaging's winning samples

Bharat Containers (Nagpur) won for four variants of Fogg. The Fogg Oud Treasure featured the image of a treasure box and deep colours through a precise printing process.

The Fogg Wonder Woods featured the image of a forest with a three-dimensional effect, with a simple and elegant white background highlighting the brand name.

Fogg Evening Hues captured the beauty of a sunset with gradient hues transitioning from warm orange and pink to cool purple. Fogg Extreme Desire featured a vintage lamp with swirling smoke effects reproduced with precision.

Bharat Containers' (Nagpur) winning samples

Packaging Converter of the Year (Pharma)
This category includes all printed packaging for the pharma segment, such as boxes for medicines, blister packs, bottles, labels, inserts, and outserts. Last year, Art-O-Print and Printmann Group shared the win.

Art-O-Print impressed the jury with their commitment to standards, regulations, attention to detail, and innovative solutions.

For Trichup Hair Serum, they added micro-emboss on the pack shot and microtext on a comb image, visible through an eyeglass. Printed on 350-gsm FBB using offset, it featured matte and gloss UV, embossing, and hot gold foiling.

For Propofol injection cartons, an in-built partition was suggested to prevent bottle breakage during transit; these were printed on 400 FBB board.

The Nykron package included a special pocket for tablets, visible from a window, printed on a Heidelberg CD 74 five-colour press on 300-gsm Ultima board, with embossing, film window lamination, and an in-built partition.

For Ropinirole Mylan, Braille was added to three panels on 300 FBB, involving post-press work on a Bobst Experfold and using three Pantone colours plus black.

Art-O-Print's winning samples

Printmann Group produced the Diclofenac embedded carton with a leaflet and dosing card bound inside.

The Zolmist nasal spray carton, a five-panel carton, replaced a previous magnet with a sustainable locking mechanism. Post-press treatment included gloss lamination and silver foil stamping on the carton and both outer and inner panels.

The Diamicron foil incorporated security features like a guilloche pattern, microtext, and relief text to prevent counterfeiting, printed on aluminium foil using a combination of flexo and gravure.

The Hepbest carton featured metPET plus screen varnish on the front and back panels. During pre-press, the layout was designed to ensure strip laminations appeared on desired panels, printed on 270-gsm FBB.

Printmann Group's winning samples

Packaging Converter of the Year (Rigid Box)
This category covers all printed rigid boxes and containers for mobiles, electronics, food, sweets, and more. The 2024 Rigid Box award was won by Trigon Digipack and Unbox.

Trigon Digipack provided samples printed on an HP Indigo 25K. They designed a sleek switch box with a metallic handle and slanted lid, and an innovative canister prototype with a divided interior.

For Livogen, the box visually represented how tablets flow from mouth to gut, printed on silver PP, two-mm kappa board, and folding box board and foam, keeping it minimalistic and easy to carry.

The Kaapi Kit for Cafe Madras was a sustainable box for a French press and coffee pouch, focusing on brand premiumisation and sustainability. Trigon redesigned the central seal pouch to a quad one and added foiling for a minimalist premium look.

For the Paush perfume box, Trigon recreated a low-resolution watermark JPEG into a vector graphic, added blind spot UV for a premium look, and incorporated a silk cloth for luxury. This job was printed on silver PP and two-mm kappa board, with a silver material cutout for a metallic effect and a velvet finish.

Trigon Digipack's winning samples

Unbox printed samples on a Komori Lithrone four-colour press with a coater, with one sample screen-printed.

The Merve perfume box order involved 18 SKUs with different names, colours, and foil, requiring gold foiling on the entire box as a highlight.

The EZE perfume box was challenging due to the client's desire for a stylish yet minimalistic box for round bottles; Unbox designed an opening that made it stylish despite its minimalist exterior. The logo had three different foils and required six foil stampings, with ivory metallic paper giving it a rich look.

For the Nakshatra Grah incense stick box, Unbox had a session with the client to understand planet mythology. The structure was challenging, matching three trays, and inner elements were manually assembled. Produced in 10 days, incense sticks rested on triangular cartons and foam compartments.

The Oksana wedding box held an invite, candles, and a tea set, designed to be compact, easy to handle, and reusable with detachable elements. It featured velvet lamination and gold foil stamping for a classy, festive look.

Unbox's winning samples

Packaging Converter of the Year (Paper Bag)
This category encompasses all types of paper bags, including those for garments, FMCG, alco-bev, gift packs, and eCommerce. In 2024, Lynx Designers and Creators and Ocean’s Deep Printers won this category.

Lynx Designers and Creators produced the duplex board small carry bag for ARQ Providers, featuring gloss varnish, matte lamination, gloss leafing, embossing, die-cutting, stripping, bag-making, and eye-letting, with a golden cotton thread as a special feature.

The Opulin Blue carry bag for LA Niche, printed on both sides of the board, stood out with its prominent blue colour and blue ribbon handles, giving an opulent look. Other post-press treatments included matte varnish, gloss leafing, die-cutting, stripping, and eye-letting.

The Forest Essentials small kraft carry bag highlighted a tree shape die-cut on both sides, with additional matte varnish, matte lamination, matte leafing, and embossing.

The Kama Ayurveda gold carry bag was printed on Cyber XLPac paper from ITC, with matte varnish, matte lamination, matte leafing, die-cutting, and eye-letting.

Lynx Designers and Creators' winning samples

Ocean’s Deep Printers’ winning samples showcased a premium shopping experience, elegantly conveying brand messages. Printed on 350-gsm white FBB on a Heidelberg SM 74, the Vrund and Miloni bag was a modern ivory-coloured paper bag with a geometric pattern, gold foils, and a luxurious golden thread handle.

The House of Abeer bag featured a metallic gold accent, giving a soft and sophisticated look. The Vishwanath Builders bag was a minimalist white paper bag, emphasising sophistication, with a special feature being punching on the top of the handle.

The job was enhanced with precise printing, a matte finish, clean punching, and expert pasting. The Fabrika paper bag featured high-quality printing, velvet lamination, Scodix UV, and foiling, complemented by precise punching and meticulous pasting for a luxurious and tactile finish.

Ocean's Deep Printers' winning samples

The Awards Night for the 15th edition of the PrintWeek Awards will be held on 13 October 2025 at The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake.

To register for the awards, visit the official website: printweekindiaawards.com. For any queries or assistance, contact avinash.bhakre@haymarket.co.in or call +91 99303 51282.

Me & My: Wanjie WJPS-350 offset label press

Rahul Kumar — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 09:49:00

Please describe your company.
Based in Haridwar, Printwell is a packaging and label printing company founded by Gurpreet Dilawari. The company serves clients across Haridwar, Dehradun, Gurugram, Telangana, and exports to Australia and Nepal. It operates in three key segments — labels (33%), mono cartons (33%), and rigid boxes (33%). It is known for its focus on premium packaging and operates one of the only fully automated rigid box units in Uttarakhand.

When did you start using the Wanjie press?
We have been using the Wanjie printing press and other equipment for the last six to seven months. It is a part of our expansion plan.

What are the properties of Wanjie machine you like?
Wanjie machines offer reliable performance at a competitive cost and are well-suited for the Indian market, which is highly price-sensitive.

Why did you decide to use the Wanjie press?
After visiting Wanjie’s facilities in China and the demo centre in Gujarat, the decision was made based on the confidence in the technology and the value for money. The press supports enhanced production efficiency, allowing Printwell to meet the demand for short-run jobs effectively.

Did you look at other similar products?
Yes, we evaluated multiple technologies by visiting different Wanjie setups in China and Gujarat before finalising on the investment.

What are the features that tilted the favour in this?
The key features include cost efficiency, suitability for the Indian market, and the ability to handle short- and medium-run label jobs with intermittent offset technology and cold foil.

How much have these features helped you in your production?
The Wanjie press supports high variability in production, especially for jobs ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 labels, which constitute 60–70% of our workload.

For what applications is the Wanjie press used?
It is used for label printing jobs with short and mid-run requirements, particularly in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and liquor packaging.

Is there anything that you do not like or can be improved about this?
No. The installation was successful. We are the first company in India to install this model, indicating a positive experience.

If there’s a critical packaging job that has come your way, would you rely on this to see it through?
Yes. We are using the machine for a wide range of orders and have structured its operations to depend on its reliability.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes. Wanjie offers reliable performance at competitive pricing — making it ideal for Indian converters.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the use of the machine?
The machine was successfully installed and is performing as expected.

Who do you think the Wanjie Press is right for?
It is ideal for Indian converters who want to manage short-to-medium runs with high-quality output at a lower cost, especially those working in cosmetics, liquor, and pharma labels.

Under what circumstances would you recommend it to others?
We would recommend it to businesses seeking fast ROI, operational flexibility, and cost-efficient production of premium packaging jobs in short runs.

Conclusion
Supplier’s response
Rakesh Patel, director of the Wanjie India Experience Centre, says, “We are committed to empowering Indian converters with technology that combines precision, efficiency, and affordability. Our machines are engineered to meet the evolving demands of the market — enabling high-quality production with faster turnarounds and smarter cost control. We are proud to have partnered with Printwell for our first installation in India, and we look forward to contributing to its continued growth and innovation in the packaging space. We are ready with our demo centre in Gujarat and will be happy to host anyone interested from the packaging and printing industry.”

Contact details
Rakesh Patel
Wanjie India
wanjieindia@gmail.com
+91 98251 92289

Aaum Paper Products’ Ekta Chandan honoured with the Hidden Gem award

Anhata Rooprai — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 12:26:00

Ekta Chandan, founder of Bengaluru-based Aaum Paper Products, was recognised at the Mumbai Mudrak Sangh’s (MMS) Roundtable Conference 2025. She was one of two Hidden Gems awardees, becoming the first female recipient of the award. The event was held at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 10 to 12 July.

“I’m grateful to MMS for identifying me as a Hidden Gem,” Ekta Chandan stated. “I’m not very actively connected to industry associations, yet to be spotted and encouraged like this—feels truly special.”

Business development
Aaum Paper Products was registered in January 2020 and began operations in October 2020. Chandan secured a loan against property and a business loan to fund the venture.

Chandan established a connection with an individual in the European paper industry in 2019, which led to sourcing machinery. The machinery arrived in July 2020.

Shortly after, Flipkart contacted Aaum Paper Products regarding a shift to paper mailer bags. Flipkart subsequently booked 80% of Aaum's capacity. Chandan then expanded operations to include Amazon as a client. By late 2021, Aaum Paper Products had four European machines. The company currently operates 16 machines, with three more planned.

Focus on sustainability
Chandan stated, “The name Aaum itself is symbolic. It’s a spiritual sound believed to heal, and we want to heal the world through sustainable packaging.” Aaum Paper Products is certified by the Indian government’s sustainability council, having progressed from bronze to silver certification. The company aims for gold and platinum certifications.

Challenges and outlook
Chandan noted that trust-building was a hurdle as a first-generation entrepreneur and a woman. She stated, “Aaum is my child…my baby… and a mother never gives up on her child. I will never give up Aaum.” She also remarked, “It’s okay to be wrong; failure is not the end of life.”

Regarding advice for new entrepreneurs in the print and packaging industry, Chandan recommended patience. Her daily objective is to add value, stating, “What value can I add today?” She also said, “We are perpetually indebted to Mother Nature.”

MMS Roundtable Conference 2025: Experts speak

Anhata Rooprai — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:42:00

The Mumbai Mudrak Sangh (MMS) Roundtable Conference 2025 is taking place at the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 10 to 12 July. The first day of the conference concluded with an expert panel discussion where leaders from the eight roundtables elaborated on insights from their interactions.

Bespoke digital print considerations
Saifee Z Makasarwala, COO of Silverpoint Press, discussed bespoke digital print. He stated, "Bespoke cannot be mass. It is one or two at most." The key issues he found at his roundtable discussion included file management, where short digital turnaround times require quick client communication for rectification. Print consistency presents a challenge, demanding routine machine calibration. The entire machine ecosystem, including humidity and media, requires calibration for consistent colour. For short-run jobs to yield returns, hundreds of different jobs must be processed daily, which necessitates a proper pre-flighting setup.

Makasarwala also addressed the use of artificial intelligence (AI). He questioned how AI could improve processes rather than just present challenges. He noted the existence of software for deep artwork personalisation and stressed the need to deploy these tools.

When asked how Silverpoint Press manages hundreds of jobs with runs of one or two, Makasarwala explained their web-to-print portal and API integrations with clients. Jobs are pre-defined and templated, with specifications arriving digitally. Files are prepared based on paper grammage, then batched, imposed, and queued. This system handles 500 to 1,000 jobs daily, reaching nearly 2,000 jobs in peak seasons. He cited a UK printer handling a million jobs monthly, highlighting efficient execution as key.

Inkjet digital book printing and publishing
Vijay Jadhav, assistant general manager of manufacturing excellence at Repro India, led the discussion on inkjet digital book printing and publishing. Participants from India and Sri Lanka, including printers, publishers, OEMs, dealers, and material suppliers, agreed that offset and digital inkjet should operate in conjunction, not as replacements. Inkjet offers personalisation, short runs, and print-on-demand capabilities.

Jadhav described inkjet printing as an ecosystem encompassing substrate, workflow, profiling, and inks. A current challenge is the limited availability of suitable substrates for inkjet printers. The technology is developing, but a shortage of skilled manufacturers exists.

He noted that 1,300 inkjet presses are operating in China compared to approximately 35 in India. Questions arose regarding the impact of small temperature and humidity fluctuations on inkjet press performance. Machine operations present challenges, including maintenance costs, the importance of preventative maintenance, and selecting the correct feedstock.

Establishing the India-Sri Lanka printing corridor
Dammikka Sriwardhana, managing director and CEO of Design Logics Connect, explored the India-Sri Lanka Printing Corridor. He questioned how to build a strong alliance for mutual benefit between the two countries. He highlighted that the global printing industry is valued at USD 1.2-trillion, with China accounting for 30% of the market. Sriwardhana proposed immediate action to increase the market share for India and Sri Lanka in terms of volume.

Artificial intelligence in MIS and automation
Himanshu Pandey of Avantika Printers discussed artificial intelligence in management information systems (MIS) and automation. He observed a shift from "AI cannot be trusted" to "AI can be a best friend."

Pandey outlined AI's potential to identify and resolve bottlenecks, aid decision-making for their removal, and facilitate rapid implementation of AI-generated suggestions. He also addressed the challenge of training AI without losing data to global servers. AI can train employees, and owners should clarify how AI improves job efficiency to address employee concerns about job loss. In MIS, effective prompts can support business growth and scaling.

Regarding the perceived complexity of AI implementation, Pandey stated, "We are just using it." He explained that it involves comparing outputs from different AI agents. He noted that AI is new to many but widely used. The quality of AI's output depends on the prompt's conciseness and definition. AI functions as a data library, identifying optimal solutions for users to modify and apply.

Driving sustainability in print
Janaka Rathnakumara, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Printers, led the roundtable on sustainability in print. He highlighted the environmental challenge: "We now have eight billion people, and one planet. In 2100, the population will be 11-billion, but we will still have one planet." He stressed the need to cultivate a culture of responsible citizens.

Rathnakumara advocated for changing printing principles towards a circular economy, focusing on "reduce" to minimise waste, money, and emissions. He emphasised the necessity for clean air and water for future generations.

When asked about companies prioritising cost over sustainable products, Rathnakumara advised understanding the difference between genuine sustainability and greenwashing. He suggested that real sustainability can maintain costs, anticipating future carbon trading methods.

He cited Sri Lanka's apparel industry, which focuses on sustainable plants and products beyond monetary value. He called for a mindset change, beginning in schools, regarding sustainability and social responsibility. He suggested incentivising employees for sustainable ideas and considering material choices at the design stage.

Digital labels and flexible packaging insights
Isha Deshpande, director at Trigon Digipack, discussed digital labels and flexible packaging. The discussion focused on digital technology's role in anti-counterfeiting and variable data printing for various industries. A key question was whether brands are willing to adopt these services and acknowledge the need for rectification.

The roundtable also explored how inkjet, flexo, and gravure technologies complement and collaborate. Sri Lanka was highlighted as an export-oriented market with printing and packaging standards comparable to the European Union.

Deshpande shared that joining the print industry was not planned. She developed an affinity for packaging, describing it as an industry that "will never go out of style." Her company, Trigon Digipack, focuses on innovation and adding value to projects.

The craft of flexography and folding cartons
Gopi Ballarwad, business partner at Itek Packz, spoke on flexography and folding cartons. He described the process as an artist's job: "You are creating stuff which people imagine, and give it to them physically."

Discussions covered various aspects, including substrates, inks, and anilox. Ballarwad noted Itek Packz's history in flexography since 1994, starting with a three-colour Mark Andy press and producing self-adhesive labels for two decades before the acquisition.

Enhancing value with digital embellishment
Shailesh Sharma, CEO at Inndus Cards and Gifts, discussed digital embellishment. He questioned how to increase revenue by adding print processes and how to integrate embellishment from a job's inception. Embellishment, he stated, helps retain customers and differentiates a business in the market, becoming a necessity.

Regarding the decision to buy an embellishment machine in-house versus outsourcing, Sharma suggested generating demand for the equipment through outsourcing first, building a requirement, and then investing. He advised that embellishment should not be considered a mainstream product. He also recommended that print service providers create sample kits to demonstrate their printing capabilities to clients.

The MMS Roundtable Conference 2025 panel discussion underscored an industry adapting to technological advancements, environmental demands, and global market shifts. The conversations highlighted a sector dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and collaboration. The insights from Colombo provide direction for printers navigating a complex and opportunity-rich future.

Media Expo 2025: Print remains top ally for signage in India

Noel D'Cunha — Sun, 25 May 2025 11:39:00

India’s signage industry, propelled by advancing technology and consumer demand, is continuously evolving. The market is witnessing a rapid transition between print displays and digital signage solutions. Despite the growth trajectory, several challenges persist, from market saturation to the fragmentation of the domestic industry.

Growth of digital signage
Digital signage demand is witnessing an upward trajectory driven by an increasing shift towards interactive and visually appealing advertising solutions. Metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai are witnessing significant growth, where the demand for digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is surging.

Winston Pereira, executive director at Messe Frankfurt India, points out, “The digital OOH market currently stands at over USD one-billion, with expectations for it to expand to USD 2.5-billion by 2030.” The sector’s rapid development can be seen in the growing adoption of car wraps, train wraps, and digital billboards.

However, while the digital signage market is flourishing indoors, the outdoor sector has seen more cautious growth. The concern around the effectiveness of digital signage in outdoor spaces, especially with drivers having limited screen exposure, has slowed its impact.

Aditya Dadu, vice-president of Apsom Infotex, added, “Digital signage is here to stay, but it is more significant for indoor applications.” Digital billboards in public places and malls are more impactful due to prolonged exposure; they also offer higher levels of interaction as compared to print signage.

Print signage is still a market staple
As the digital signage market continues to expand, print signage remains indispensable in India’s advertising ecosystem. The Flag Company, founded by Dalvir Nagi, is tapping into this ongoing demand. The company has diversified its offerings, and it specialises in fabric-based signage, such as flags, banners, stadium branding, and modular exhibition stalls. It has created a robust business around print solutions.

Nagi says, “Flags and banners still constitute 60% of my business, though non-traditional applications like retail branding and backlit fabric light boxes are on the rise.”

Retail branding and backlit fabric light boxes now constitute 40% of the company’s sales, which reflects the growing interest in fabric-based products.

Nagi has created different weaves and fabrics for various applications. The company’s use of digital and dye-sublimation printing technologies allows for customisation and precision in creating high-quality designs. Even though digital signage is growing rapidly, print signage remains a crucial and profitable sector.

Push for better quality with innovation
Manufacturers are investing in technology to improve print quality, efficiency, and expand application versatility as digital and print signage continue to evolve and grow.

One of the notable advancements has been the introduction of UV printing technologies and eco-solvent solutions, which have seen increasing adoption in the signage sector.

Abhishek Bhatia, general manager of sales and marketing at Apsom Technologies, highlights the growing demand for UV printing solutions, particularly in Maharashtra, Mumbai, the capital, and its adjoining regions are a large signage market.

For outdoor applications, UV prints are becoming the preferred choice as the industry is moving towards longer-lasting, weather-resistant signage. “Mimaki’s eco-solvent printers, with their wide print beds and extensive colour profiles, offer superior quality and a more uniform finish compared to Chinese-made machines,” shares Bhatia. “Chinese machines are cost-effective, but lack the reliability and consistent performance of premium brands like Mimaki.”

Apsom Infotex’s introduction of the Sonik Aqua and Verve LED 2513 is are example of how manufacturers are innovating and driving the industry forward. The
Sonik Aqua’s dual application for indoor and outdoor use, combined with a six-picolitre drop size, makes it stand out in the solvent printer market.

This shift toward high-quality inkjet and UV printing technologies indicates a broader trend in the industry; consumers are pursuing better quality print outputs that make them stand out in crowded spaces.

Fragmentation and market saturation
The Indian signage market is growing, but several hurdles still exist. One major challenge that the market faces is fragmentation. Several regional players offer similar products, which has intensified the competition which making differentiation difficult.

Additionally, there is a lack of communication in the industry, which hinders collaboration. Nagi notes that one of the biggest obstacles to growth in the domestic market is limited communication, leading to missed opportunities and loss of business.

Future of the Indian signage market
India’s signage market will continue to grow; the rise of eCommerce and quick commerce will also bolster the growth. There is also an increasing demand for personalised and customised branding solutions that are driving innovation in digital inkjet and print-on-demand technologies. According to Dadu, the wallpaper market will also witness growth driven by digital inkjet printing. He estimates the market to grow at a CAGR of 20%.

Dadu also mentions that the Indian signage market will grow at 8% to 9% annually. The growing digital OOH market with newer applications in personalised signage will boost the growth of the industry.

The Indian signage market is rapidly growing and evolving, and the combo of digital and traditional print signage provides a variety of solutions that ensure businesses have several tools at their disposal to engage consumers and enhance brand visibility. Newer innovations, along with solutions for the ever-changing demands of the market, can help the industry progress and meet consumer demands.

Future Schoolz and its pursuit for setting standards in the printing industry

Sai Deepthi P — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:44:00

Jose Thomas, founder of Future Schoolz, illuminates this disconnect, arguing that India’s reliance on foreign benchmarks stifles innovation and efficiency. “Printing is no longer art; it’s pure science,” he asserts. Yet the adoption of standards lags in India to the fullest extent.

Future Schoolz–The need of the hour
Future Schoolz is a member of four global standardisation bodies, FOGRA, the International Color Consortium (managing cross-industry colour standards), it is the first educational member from India with the Ghent Work group (governing PDF standards), and CIP4 (automating machine-to-digital interactions). It is a member of the Bureau of Indian Standards locally.

Thomas explains how colour profiles—technical blueprints linking digital designs to physical substrates—rely on intensive research into paper reflectance, surface properties, ink behaviour, and lighting science. FOGRA, a German consortium, spearheads these standards, certifying materials and chemicals to protect machinery and ensure quality---from inks to chemical washes, right down to the interaction of dust with materials.

“Many countries are embracing this. This is not been taken up seriously in India, in industry,” Thomas says. In India, BIS is tasked with localising ISO norms, but there is a massive communication gap that is preventing the proper adoption of these standards in every printing press. “Standards aren’t adapted to Indian realities—our papers, inks, and even sunlight differ,” Thomas emphasises. For instance, reproducing the vivid greens of Rajasthan’s turbans or the vibrance of Hyderabad’s sarees is near-impossible with Euro-centric profiles.

Future Schoolz offers tailored support to printing presses in innovation and quality standardisation. The organisation actively collaborates with brands, OEMs, and printing presses to enhance colour standardisation, quality control, and press standardisation.

Jugaad and underutilisation of tech
When asked about the challenges facing the industry, Thomas explains that while companies invest heavily in advanced equipment, the real issue lies in its underutilisation. “They buy costly equipment and instruments like the latest Komori machines or KBA or Heidelberg, like high-end models of Merc, but they operate them like a basic Maruti,” he notes. Even spectro densitometers have not been properly utilised due to a lack of know-how or clarity about functions and understanding.

Operators often lack the training to fully grasp the advanced features of these machines. “Nobody is teaching them that these machines come with a lot of advanced technology. They use the same old tools and methods to operate digitally equipped sophisticated equipment,” he says. As a result, the benefits of these investments remain marginal. While modern machines can deliver superior performance by default, most operators settle for basic outputs, unaware of the untapped potential. He illustrates this with an example, “Earlier, printing 15,000 sheets took two to three hours. Now, it can be done in one hour. That’s progress, but we’re not pushing beyond that. We can achieve much more, but that space remains unexplored.”

Printers import European machinery but often tend to ignore protocols for temperature control or substrate compatibility. “They drive a BMW like a Maruti,” he says.

The trial-and-error method
Even when it comes to problem-solving, printers rely on trial and error to resolve issues instead of carrying out a root-cause analysis to find a solution. Thomas recounts that during a visit to a printing plant, teams repeatedly misdiagnosed problems. “Temporary fixes create waste, inflate costs, and erode margins,” he says. At one press, Future Schoolz filmed a job wasting 200 sheets daily, as the controllers did not note down the wastage accurately. Wastage of 200 sheets is usually approximated to and entered as 20 or 30 sheets, giving rise to another problem. Data and reporting.

Missing data: The incomplete story
Thomas stresses that AI’s potential hinges on reliable data, which the industry lacks. Printers struggle to track enquiries, conversions, or material performance. “Without organised data, productivity and profitability can’t improve,” he says. Future Schoolz’s Print Maturity Model (PMM) aims to benchmark presses on production capability, skills, and infrastructure, but adoption remains sparse.

“If the customer accepts a print, that’s the standard,” Thomas laments. This mindset hinders quality and consistency. Future Schoolz is pushing for a cultural shift to treat printing with the same precision as manufacturing. “Plants need internal benchmarks—then a lot of client education,” he says.

A call for change
Thomas acknowledges the uphill battle, especially with the pace at which the packaging industry is growing in India. In a day, a person interacts with at least 20 types of packaging, making it all the more important to maintain standards and efficiency. Legacy machines, skill gaps, and resistance to documentation persist in India. Yet he remains hopeful, “Once printers see data-driven profits, mindsets will evolve.”