At the recently concluded Pamex 2017 show, Hyderabad-based Venkataramana Graphics displayed two products aimed at the commercial printing and photo segment. A leading dealer of graphic arts equipment, the company represents some highly popular brands in the industry.
The Infiniti spot UV enhancement machine inkjets spot UV coatings on a variety of media such as wood, glass, metal sheets, paper, PVC, and ceramic tiles. It can print on media with maximum thickness of 100 mm and has a maximum print width of 1200 mm x 1000 mm. “It is meant for commercial printing as well as photo segments. This machine has been shown for the first time in India at Pamex and has already been sold to a customer in Hyderabad who is in the photo business,” said BV Krishna Prasad, managing director, Venkataramana Graphics.
Receiving many good queries for the Infinti Spot UV machine during the show, Prasad has set a target of selling more than ten machines in the coming year. Also on display was a CtCP by Amsky, which attracted strong visitor interest. Prasad said that Pamex was overall a very good show. “The first day was a bit slow but then the footfall picked up. We got many enquiries as well,” he confirmed.
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.
