L–R: Karan Arora, Dheeraj Sharma and Swati Arora of Insight Print Communications. Photo IPP
At Hemtextil, HP and its channel partner, Insight Print Communications, had a joint stand displaying the HP Latex 560 printer. “The HP Latex 560 is primarily used for signage and display, but now we are exploring the home furnishing and decor segments,” said Dheeraj Sharma, regional sales manager, Insight Print Communications. With the Latex technology, customers can expand their opportunity beyond printing on vinyls and banners to films, papers, textiles, canvas, wall paper, and more.
At the exhibition, HP and Insight showcased the versatility of Latex technology through a range of flexible coated and uncoated materials, including applications such as wallpapers, canvas, printed flooring, textile and faux-leather. “Latex is a green technology. Under this portfolio, we have machines of different sizes from 5–10 feet. Predominantly, these machines are used in the branding or advertising segments but one can also use the machines to print different media for the décor market, such as the wall paper showcased in this expo. We are promoting green technology for the décor market. Most of our signage customers are now adding this extended segment to their portfolio.”
Speaking about the exhibition, Sharma said, “We are getting a good response from the visitors. After being witness to the brilliant print quality of the Latex technology, they have come to meet us at the exhibition. Many of them are print agents who collect jobs from the market and get them printed at third-party print shops; they are showing interest in setting up their own business by investing in the HP Latex 560.”
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
