As an exercise to keep themselves on their toes, the Hyderabad-based Pragati Offset has introduced the 2024-25 edition of its famed annual calendar. Titled ‘Colourful Idioms’ this year, it harnesses the power of print in offering a visual journey through the hues of idiomatic expression. Each sheet features vibrant illustrations that not only capture the essence of the idioms but also underscore the significance of color in conveying messages across various mediums.
In a video interview with Indian Printer and Publisher editor Naresh Khanna as part of the weekly IppStar Conversation, Narendra Paruchuri, CEO of the Hyderabad-based Pragati Offset, said, “Every year we find a story for the calendar. Relying on our expertise with color, we stuck to the idea of printing intense color this year that gave rise to ‘Colourful Idioms’. We got AI-generated images and enhanced them with our print specialties.” He says they have the fastest calendar ever produced. “Three weeks from inception to finishing the calendar.”
The calendar is not only a visual masterpiece but also a testament to the quality and variety of printing technology that Pragati Offset constantly explores and attempts to master. The idiomatic phrases on each page of the calendar convey emotions, scenarios, or abstract ideas.
For instance, ‘Tickled Pink,’ on the first page of the calendar (May and June 2024) with a spot-raised UV effect and AI-generated image, implies the baby girl is filled with joy and delight as if one’s heart has been gently tickled by happiness.
Similarly, ‘Golden Opportunity,’ printed in March and April 2025, represents a chance of great value or significance, with gold symbolizing not just precious but also promise and potential.
Other Colourful Idioms included in the calendar are Green Thumb (July and August 2024), Black Sheep (September and October 2024), Painting the Town Red (November and December 2024), and White Elephant (January and February 2025).
While Tickled Pink, Green Thumb, and White Elephant are printed with extended color gamut (ECG) printing technology and spot-raised UV effect, Black Sheep is printed on CMYK with micro embossing, gloss, and matt UV varnishing, and Golden Opportunity with multiple hits of white and CMYK is printed with golden effect applied on a gravure press.
Although the calendar is an advertising piece for us, it’s a benchmarking standard for us as well,” Paruchuri said. The calendar allows the customers to try out different new technologies demonstrated in the calendar. “Our customers take references from the calendar to apply the effect on their printing jobs without knowing about the effects used in the calendar images,” he said.
The use of colors in idioms extends beyond mere representation, it shapes cultural perceptions and adds nuanced layers of meaning. The idioms of the calendar reflect how colors are deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness, serving as potent tools for communication.
The Pragati calendar 2024-25 with the fusion of language and visual artistry, serves as a testament to the profound impact of color on our understanding and communication, seamlessly bridging the realms of words and imagery in a symphony of expression, he said.
Last year’s calendar ‘celebrated the essence of the humanity of emotions, where AI weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of joy, sorrow, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.’
