The Sign India 2024 show held from 9 – 11 August in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan was a meeting ground for manufacturers, importers, traders, distributors, converters, and end-users in the signage industry. Exhibitors from India and abroad launched new products and latest technologies at the show organized by Chennai-based Business Live.
As the economy grows, branding becomes all the more important to advertise businesses. Signage, LED and showroom display play a very important role in branding. In India, the advertising industry is worth more than US$ 3.5 billion annually with a growth rate of approximately 20% per annum, the Sign India exhibition website stated.
Epson – launched Surecolor SC-R5030L large format signage printer
Epson launched its Surecolor SC-R5030L large format signage printer with UltraChrome RS resin inks through its distributor Om Trading India. Based in New Delhi’s Paharganj, Om Trading India is setting up a demo center for customers who want to see the Epson machines live before making a purchase.
The Epson Surecolor SC-R5030L is a six-color printer with CMYK, light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM) and optimizer, said S Hasan, business development manager at Om Trading India. The life of outdoor signage printed with the Epson Surecolor SC-R5030L is three years, he said. All kinds of media can be used with the printer, including wallpapers, vinyl and fabric. An advanced PrecisionCore TFP 12-channel inkjet printhead with ink-repelling coating technology is used in the machine with a one-year warranty on the printhead, he said.
“This is the first time we are showcasing the Epson Surecolor SC-R5030L at any show in North India. The response was good and we expect more inquiries. Three installations have been done in Mumbai and South India. We have 2-3 installations in Delhi in the pipeline and the machines may be installed in the next month or two,” Hasan said.
Umpire Technologies – CNC router machines, laser, metal laser machines, welding machines
Sumit Gupta, partner at Umpire Technologies with the UT-GEM 1325 standard stone CNC routermachine. Photo IPP
Ahmedabad-based Umpire Technologies deals in CNC router machines, laer, metal laser machines, welding machines and their spare parts and consumables. The company exhibited its UT-GEM 1325 standard stone CNC router machine, UT Nova 1325 CNC router machine, and A130 UT channel letter bending machines at the exhibition.
The UT Nova CNC router machine works on wood, aluminum, MDF and WPC. The CO2 laser machine in the sizes 4 feet x 8 feet (Spark 1325) and 4 feet x 3 feet (Falcon 1390) were also displayed. The Umpire A130 UT channel letter-bending machine works on aluminum profiles.
The response at the exhibition was good, said Sumit Gupta, partner at Umpire Technologies, adding the Indian signage industry is growing and LED signage is doing well. The introduction of laser and channel letter bending machines and a growth of government infrastructure has further spurred the signage market, he said.
True Colors – UV flatbed and hybrid printers
(L–R): Charanjeet Shah and Tandeep Singh, both directors at True Colors with the Xline PN 3302-EC large format inkjet printer. Photo IPPNew Delhi-based True Colors showcased its Xline PN 3302-EC and PN 3304-EC large format inkjet printers, F-2513 and F-3220 UV flatbed printers and the H-1600 UV hybrid printer.
The combined signage, advertising and marketing industry is big, said Charanjeet Shah, director at True Colors, adding the company has been into signage printing for the last 20 years and explored many options in UV printers. “Our printers can print on glass, acrylic, frontlit and backlit media. We have solvent printers, UV flatbed printers, eco-solvent printers, CNC routers and laser cutters in our portfolio,” he said.
The signage industry in India has grown with signage printers present in all cities, he said. Before 2002, it was a very small sector with a limited number of printers in the metropolitan cities. Indoor and kiosk signage is coming up well with an increase in photo framing from online portals, he said.
Satyam Plastics – PVC-free signage materials
(L–R): Dixit Kalra, director, Purva Dhingra and Rajiv Kalra at the Satyam Plastics stand at Sign India 2024. Photo IPPNew Delhi-based Satyam Plastics started with acrylic sheets and later transitioned to flex. Today, the company sells PVC-free and eco-friendly flex, vinyl, laminations, and fabric. Last year, the company joined hands with Orafol as its official distributor for North India. Though the company operates from its head office in Paharganj, it supplies its products across India through its distributors.
At Sign India, the company launched its in-house brand called MLK, which includes wallpapers and window films in vinyl and flex material, Purva Dhingra from Satyam Plastics said, adding the company also promoted its PVC-free options.
Orafol India has a very good range of non-PVC graphic films, and creative print media, she said, adding it has a hot-selling product in cast vinyl, which is used for vehicle wrapping. “Though we joined hands with them last year, we have managed to create a good customer base for Orafol,” she said.
The Indian signage industry is growing fast and expanding to architecture and interiors, she said, adding they have launched new products and joined hands with brands in European countries to sell their products in India.
AT Inks – water-based inks for the Indian market
Kamlesh Joshi, president – manufacturing, AT Inks with artwork printed with AT Inks at the company’s stand at Sign India 2024. Photo IPPVadodara-based AT Inks is a 25-year-old Indian manufacturing company with an R&D department developing digital inks and coatings. Today, it is the only company manufacturing UV digital inks in India, said Kamlesh Joshi, president – manufacturing, AT Inks. The company, which launched pigmented water-based inks for the laminates, textiles, and corrugation industry in April, has a pigment manufacturing plant on Vadodara’s outskirts. AT Inks manufactures 4 lakh liters of inks per month.
At Sign India, the company mostly promoted its UV inks for the signage industry along with its water-based inks. Water-based inks have a very good color gamut with brighter colors, he said, adding though the price of water-based inks is a bit on the higher side, most companies would switch from solvent-based inks to non-hazardous water-based inks.
AT Inks currently exports its UV inks to 35 countries in South America, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, including Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is working with a network of 250 – 300 dealers in India to supply inks across the country.
Colorjet – upgrading machines and consolidating production
Devang Karia, GM – Domestic and International business, Colorjet with the SoniqDuo solvent printer at the company’s stand at Sign India 2024. Photo IPPColorjet showcased the SoniqDuo solvent printer, Polo XL high-speed solvent printer and VerveLED 2513/3220HB/3225HB series at the exhibition. The company showcased the Roland DGXPRESS ER–642 eco-solvent printer, and the Roland DGXPRESS UG series UV printer and cutter. The Roland TrueVIS AP–640 large format resin/latex printer was also promoted though not physically displayed.
“In India, there is a mass market that needs to be addressed purely from an application perspective related to the outdoor signage industry. That’s where Colorjet is presenting solutions such as the SoniqDuo solvent printer, which is future upgraded and protects our customers’ investment right from the day they choose the product to the time when their productivity increases. The customer can just upgrade the machine without the need for purchasing a new device altogether,” said Devang Karia, GM – Domestic and International business, Colorjet.
The Colorjet Polo XL targeted at high-volume production customers is a part of the solvent family, he said, adding it is for customers who wish to consolidate their operations and use a single machine.
“We are trying to address the requirement of the market both from a future upgradability perspective as well as customers looking for solutions to consolidate their production. The cost of production is going up, and not just in terms of real estate required to install these industrial printers. We are coming up with solutions to address this issue,” Karia said.
UV is getting popular in the Indian market purely because it addresses printing on different substrates on one single platform, he said, adding it also addresses the requirement for greener technologies. Sustainability and compliance have become a mandate and to help brands achieve their branding objectives in terms of marketing campaigns that they run both indoors as well as outdoors, Colorjet is introducing UV flatbed solutions.
It also has a complete portfolio of UV roll-to-roll as well as UV hybrid solutions. For customers looking at high-quality printing for retail applications, it showcased the portfolio for Roland. Colorjet is a strategic partner for Roland in the Indian subcontinent, he said.
The Greenguard-certified inks in the Roland DGXPRESS ER–642 eco-solvent printer helps brands address requirements from a cost and quality perspective, he said. The Roland TrueVIS AP–640 large format resin/latex printer is a green solution that offers an alternative to latex. Being a water-based solution it can print on a wide variety of coated as well as uncoated media and is primarily playing in a space where the requirement of brands is not being addressed by traditional water-based technologies.
Colorjet is organizing the Print Innovation Summit on 11 September in Delhi to bring together the entire printing ecosystem, including brands, print service providers and media partners to address the challenges the Indian print industry is facing today.
