Mumbai’s Shah and Nahar Industrial Estate based Kunika Digital recently installed a Canon 10000 digital press to complement its existing offset printing capabilities.
“Every print job differs from the other. When it comes to making a final decision on which print process to select, clients take into consideration the quality and volume they desire, their budget and the timescale involved,” says Bhavin Patel, a partner in the firm.
The short-run print volume is a trend that has gained much significance in the market, resulting in many traditional printers boosting their digital infrastructure.
According to Patel, clients long for quick service turnaround and having an in-house technology to provide 3,000 impressions in an hour naturally gives an edge. The short quantity may comprise of 200 to 500 sheets; however, in a day it turns out to be 15,000 sheets, which is good productivity for digital printers. Interestingly, although the click charges have come down, digital continues to be expensive vis-a-vis offset, argues Patel.
Digital printing is incredibly fast, making it ideal for projects with a tight deadline. Clients pay a visit, and with Canon digital press, Patel effortlessly churns out 5,000 copies in an hour. Earlier, Kunika Digital used to provide offset plates to print service providers, but now they are more focused on the digital print business. “No doubt, offset will never become obsolete. However, digital printing is fast gaining traction and market share.”
In digital press, an operator can identify any issue at an early stage, which helps in saving time as well as money. Additionally, there is hardly any bidding of short-run quantity compared to offset jobs. A fast turnaround of short-run jobs helps to meet the tight deadline.
Apart from the Canon 10000 digital press, the 1,500 square feet shop floor houses a Konica Minolta digital press as well. The offset-like vibrant and stable output quality with a high resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi at print speeds of up to 100 letter-size images per minute on textured and film substrates are the key reasons why Patel opted for the Canon digital press. “We received a lot of positive views about the Canon press and went ahead with the installation. Also, we required a press that can be utilized for more than five years,” he adds.
Going ahead in the next phase of investment, Patel informs that he plans to bring in-house finishing capabilities to Kunika Digital.
