Lower Parel-based digital print service provider Manifold Graphics has a reputation of being a forward-thinking organization when it comes to technology and customer service. It consistently invests in high-end technology to stay ahead of the competition. Continuing with this philosophy, Manifold recently bought Mumbai’s first MGI JetVarnish 3DS press with digital foil and spot UV to cater to the growing print enhancement segment. The machine was installed in the third week of June and currently training process is on. The MGI is expected to be fully operational by the first week of July. The variable data foiling kit is expected to arrive by mid-July and put to use by end-July.
“As you are aware, competition is extremely fierce in the industry and one has to keep upgrading technology in order to offer something new to your customers. If you will not do this, you can’t survive,” says Dhwanil Shah of Manifold Graphics.
The JetVarnish 3DS can spot varnish all types of digital prints, highlight defined areas or add 3D effects, which makes print jobs more vivid and tactile. The digitalization of the spot UV finishing allows a printer to take a few sheets from each job and spot UV coat it.
Manifold plans to utilize the MGI for enhancement jobs on invitation cards, visiting cards, wedding cards and menu cards, among others. It is also looking to cater to packaging jobs such as enhancement of chocolate packaging boxes, sweet boxes and gift boxes, to name a few.
“Being the first one to install an MGI in Mumbai, we feel we will be able to get the first mover’s advantage. We are going to do a lot of innovative things on the MGI which I am sure our customers will appreciate,” says Shah.
Manifold generates large print volumes per month to the tune of almost 600,000 impressions. It has four digital presses in its pressroom: a Xerox IGen 4, a Xerox Versant 80, a Ricoh C9110 and a Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 1052. In the postpress department, it has a Duplo 646 which it has recently bought as well. There is also a thermal lamination machine and a coating machine. The prepress section has a basysPrint 861x CTcP.
New web venture to come online soon
To capitalize on the growing popularity of digital media, Manifold has been toying with the idea of launching a web portal pustaksagar.com, which brings authors and readers together. Android and IOS applications and an eBook reader have been developed to make it easily accessible via the mobile device. Pustaksagar.com will mainly focus on all Indian regional languages and presently sells eBooks in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati.
“We had planned to launch the website much earlier but due to some operational issue the launch had to be delayed. We are now testing the website, and everything is going fine now. We hope to make the venture live in another two months,” says Shah. Not only will this venture sell regional language literature online, Shah shares that it will also encourage budding writers and poets to publish their work as pustaksagar.com also offers publishing services.
Shah says that the MGI can come in handy for this venture as it can be used to customize book covers. The website will have a ‘gift a book’ section where customers can order a book and can gift them to their friends or family. “MGI can be very useful in customizing the books that will be gifted,” he says.
At the moment pustaksagar.com does not have many titles but Manifold is working on increasing the portfolio by interacting with publishers. “The more publishers we tie up with the larger will be our portfolio and therefore customers can choose from a wide variety of titles,” Shah says.
