Gurugram-based Lalit Printers, a commercial printer and a signage provider, recently installed a Konica Minolta AccurioShine 3600 digital press at its facility to enhance its production capacity and print quality. The company, which started with offset printing and later on diversified into signage and flex printing, has a good penetration in Delhi-NCR and nearby areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Dev Nuhani, the owner of Lalit Printers said, “I worked with newspaper distribution, which got me curious about the printing industry and I started Lalit Printers in 2002. In commercial printing, we print books, brochures, leaflets, and letterheads with a completely digital setup, which includes embellishments and UV foiling solutions from Konica Minolta.”
For signage, Lalit Printers does both indoor and outdoor branding with eco-solvent-based printing machines from Epson Roland and solvent-based printing machines from ColorJet.
According to Nuhani, Konica Minolta has been very supportive of his business. “We considered many machines. There are a lot of options and one can easily get confused. But the focus is not just on printing. UV foiling, digital embellishments and spot UV are becoming major highlights. To stay in the competition, we need to provide excellent quality in a shorter downtime. So I found Konica Minolta to be better suited for our operations, especially with their prompt after-sale services.”
Elaborating on competition, Nuhani said that every time a bulk provider reduces cost, it affects the customer’s perception in general. “When the same customer approaches a small printer for a short-run business, it’s obvious that there would be a bargaining session. And, ultimately, the small printer would have to reduce his or her profit margins as the argument boils down to other providers willing to drop the rate.”
Technology becomes a differentiator, he said, adding the market is currently in a transition with UV on the growth oath. UV is more sustainable and efficient but the costs associated are not affordable for all. “So switching from solvent-based to UV-based is another hassle. That is why many small print job owners are catering to multiple segments only to sustain in the market.”
Major customers of Lalit Printers are corporations and schools for the printing of promotional pamphlets, books, etc. Real estate provides a chunk of the signage business. “Country Delight is a key customer for us. We make pamphlets, promo banners, and design templates for them.”
Lalit Printers is looking for expansion opportunities for better design. “The current market is more interested in finishing than printing. What you see is what you get is the current culture and we hope that with more office space and better shop floors, we can grow at a better pace,” Nuhani says.
