Digital print and digital label presses have been useful during the pandemic because they could be run by a single person, didn’t need plates to be made and the prepress design and workflow could be done by an operator working from home. Labels for multiple SKUs with short-runs and even those including variable end-of-line markings could be printed.
In India, digital printers have also brought a much-needed smile to front line health workers, nurses, doctors, and their Covid-19 patients. As Dr Sharmila said, “If I can’t recognize my staff, I can only imagine how patients must feel having nurses and physicians coming in and not being able to differentiate who is who.” she says. Her idea was simple: have staff members stick smiling pictures of themselves so that patients can see their faces.
projectsmiles.in
A special website projectsmiles.in and process was established by several partners including HP printers which delivers stickers free of charge to the doorsteps of health workers. The site says, “We needed special material in accordance with the standards of the medical center, and we decided to go ahead with HP’s Indigo Prints, printed on a special environment-friendly media appropriate for use in sensitive environments like hospitals and flights.”
Unit assistant Jagan says it’s also helpful among staff members, who may not immediately recognize who is working alongside them. “It’s nice for co-workers to be able to see a friend who is still here.”
But the focus is on making the patients feel as comfortable as possible. “We’re the only ones the patients have right now, so when you smile behind your protective equipment, you hope your eyes are showing it,” Pankaj from Vysmo says. “But at least in the picture, it’s a reflection of your eyes and smile, the care, the comfort you want to offer patients knowing their families are not able to be with them.”
