Mr. Ashwani Arya

Views on the Indian digital printing industry

Digital printing industry is growing at a very fast rate unlike the any other segment of printing industry. Economy though showing the signs of improvement but down the line it is not true as there is no healthy competition in the market.

Recession and its effect on printing industry

Recession has hit the Indian markets at large. Be it an insurance, banking or telecom industry, they all are facing downturn which ultimately worsened the printing sector as eventually every industry is a print buyer.

Offset Printing Industry has huge un-utilized capacities leaving an effect on the working of the entire printing industry. People are not counting on their capital investment and other expenses in a lure to keep their plants running.

Perfact’s Solutions and infrastructure

PERFACT with the turnover of 6 million USD caters various Industry verticals like Insurance, Education & Healthcare etc, at present we are feeding 5 insurance companies with 6 lac policy booklets a month. Our developing and innovative technologies have helped us to establish web links with the leading corporate’s.

With the investment of more than 2 crore we were the first to provide the web to print solutions, printing 1 million cards daily without any calls, mails and other problems. Our new venture “Print My Emotions” was initiated with an investment of 50 lakhs. It is a powerful tool that empowers to create a personalized photo album in less than five minutes. Our other applications like business card; admit cards, certificates, medical reports, school kit etc have helped in creating demand and utilizing opportunities which are profitable. With this we will achieve our target of 100 crores.

Indian scenario Globally

The digital printing companies are growing at a fast pace in Europe and there is a wide scope for digital printing in the Indian markets too as there is just a need to understand the areas which are overlooked in particular vertical, than create an application and solution for that vertical.

The digital printing industry in India has neither the dearth of money nor the orders, nor any kind of unutilized capacity. “I am printing 1 million cards a day without any mails, calls or other problems and still there is a huge opportunity that hasn’t been looked upon”.

Clientele

• Max New York Life Insurance • Teri • DMRC Ltd. • CII • MLIC • UNDP • Hewitt • IFFCO-TOKIO • Airtel • Quality Council of India • Pizza Hut • ibibo • HSBC • Sona • NIIT • Yum • KFC• GESEACO • Reliance Group • ICAI • Canon • ICICI Bank • Bharti Telecom • Xerox • Global Business Impact • Fidelity • Bank of America • Aviva • American Express • ABN-AMRO.

Profile

Started his career as an electrical engineer with Modi Xerox Limited and now playing a role of an entrepreneur but he says, “Xerox is still a part of my life. It flows in my blood; it is actually in my DNA”.

My Drives

I am the driver who is hitting the ball everyday to beat the recession as possessing the technology from leading equipment manufacturers is not the only solution. It’s our applications, quality service, pioneering team and software technology developers that are attracting the customers and increasing demand.

Mr. Christopher Reid

The association between Infoprint and EIH is expected to help telecommunication companies and financial institutions such as banks in order to increase their customer loyalty and revenue per subscriber. Introduction of TransPromo, the largest personalized marketing application in the world is added to bills and statements, thereby eliminating the low value mass-marketing inserts and helps to increase customer’s retention. The association with EIH is a next step ahead for telecommunications companies in India.

We had an interaction with Mr. Christopher Reid, Vice President & General Manager – Asia Pacific, Infoprint Solutions Company; here are the excerpts of the dialogue.

“We had number of opportunities of working with some of the largest scales in the world in terms of total number of deals, number of engines, potential employees and major share was driven by telcos and banks in India for us. It’s an exciting thing for us because if the industry continues to change and offset entrepreneur are coming to digital which is happening in India much faster. This is happening mainly because the Indian customers are really leaping, as they are moving towards value-added applications and more volumes. Rather than investing in the monochrome business they seem to be much more interested color business. Infoprint 5000, the inkjet color technology is doing really well with 60% market share in India and dominating the Asia-pacific as well”, highlights Reid.

Q: How do you compare India and China in this sector?

India is probably more ahead of China in terms of the offset to digital migration for the POD, both behind the Americans and Europeans, but India seems to be moving faster and China has just started in that transition. The color technology is pretty adopted in both the countries, like if you see devices from leading equipment manufacturers. But, the big transition in high point printing is moving faster in India. Apart from that the government control in China is highly regulated and controlled which makes the transition period very slow whereas, here in India we have a straight economy, as soon as the one makes a plan he executes it.

Q: About your workforce in the region.

Talking about our head quarters at Singapore, we have 30 people in Singapore and around 200 people in across the region in Asia pacific and continue to grow. In India there are about 30 people, with our marketing, sales and customer support. Also at present we are relying on IBM for IT support and personal solutions but in future we will be 100% RICOH owned company. Thus we are working on our single most important project internally, which is the disconnection of IT from IBM and are planning to bring more people over the next year for this front.

Q: What are your growth projections for India?

In terms of engines we can see growth of 50% next year, based on the large opportunities with some of the telcos and banks. We didn’t see this type of the growth opportunity anywhere. There is net new and continuous technology coming in the Indian market. In other countries especially in the North America and Europe it’s really a replacement model, replacing orders, slower and continuous form of work and technology. While in India it is all new and consolidated, positioned at centralized locations.

Q: What are the future expansion plans?

For next 1 or 2 years our focus is really on India for execution, doing customer interface, driving our business, continue to be a well managed company having a reasonable profit share. Whatever it takes to strive in India, our team is extremely confident in software services, project management, providing complex solutions, which would be advantageous for us. We had opened up a demonstration facility in Shanghai, and we are working with our partners to bring such demonstration facility here in India.

Q: About Paper stocks used.

With our technology one can use extended range of papers including offset papers, digital papers, inkjet coated papers. So they have an option of choosing different types of paper depending on the application and also managing the cost and quality of print. In the coming time people will use more inkjet coated papers as it improves the print quality. The advantage of using Infoprint 5000 is the high quality of dyes and ink pigments which delivers good quality print on low cost paper.

The paper selection is done like one is the offset paper and the other is inkjet treated but both of them are doing the work of the traditional offset papers. The next revolutionary technology is moving into coated stocks, so we have kept a number of maps for the coated stuff that is suitable for various applications. We are using papers from Indian manufacturers, which are certified by us. We have now a list of 200 papers that are certified and approved for the RICOH machines.

Q: What challenges did you faced in the Indian market?

Most of the people were saying that they don’t want to initiate as they first want to see as what will happen in the marketplace. We got the concept and we made the initial investments and now the conversations with those people are totally different, partly because the market has moved faster. More customers are coming because of which print economy has increased the drive of transpromo and also the telcos are willing to invest in more integrated multi-channel marketing.

INTRODUCTION

Digital printing technologies are rapidly replacing traditional offset for many forms of print solutions. This signifies more than a production shift. It represents a radical marketing shift & this is occurring because digital print production enables marketers to produce applications and manage their documents in ways not possible or cost-effective with offset. This report examines how digital print technologies are reshaping print marketing by changing cost structures, changing document management models, and driving customization and personalization. Points are illustrated and special emphasis is placed on the importance of changing the way marketers evaluate the printing sector. Also the Report concludes with best practices and strategies for success.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A telephonic survey with digital print providers has been done. Following an exploration of printer’s demographics, questions were asked to understand how and why different papers are selected for digital printing jobs, factors which influence their paper buying behavior, their challenges and expectations. The following categories were explored:

• Paper grades commonly used for digital printing jobs
• Time span of business
• Number of digital printing equipments
• Factors which affect brand decisions
• Relative importance of different paper properties and characteristics
• Paper characteristics are need to be  improved, and
• Limitations imposed by digital press.

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Digital print shops and marketing services providers
• Digital press and other vendors

OBJECTIVES

The main aim of the present study is to accomplish the following objectives:

• To find out the perception of the digital printer’s regarding factors influencing their paper buying behavior
• To find out the awareness of the digital printers regarding new technologies and applications
• To understand the satisfaction level of the digital printers and their expectations.

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE DIGITAL PRINTERS

This survey reviews the literature relating to the issues faced by the digital printing industry in India, in particular. The survey discusses the main challenge of technology and business services by showing how the drivers of this industry are aware about the new developments and applications. The survey looks at how printers & print buyers should be made aware about the industry that facilitates knowledge, information sharing, communication and integration with customers in today’s highly networked and digitalized market. A printing service provider can perform many applications including commercial printing, book printing, banner printing, brochure printing, print digital photos, personalized & variable content, business card printing, security printing and many other special applications.

1. Lack of awareness: Several consumers are unacquainted about the new and special applications coming in way of digital printing. There is lack of awareness among the users about the possibilities that digital printing can offer to its customers. Various high-end technologies are available in the market and each is suitable for doing a different job. People should be knowledgeable about capabilities of different machines & getting the jobs done through correct machines.

2. Quality of paper: Many times the quality of the paper is not up to the mark as required for printing. Also the improper packaging and mishandling of the paper affects its quality which in turn make the production suffer.

3. Technological Tribulations: Technological faults lead to breakdown of machines for a long time subsequently loss in productivity and a setback for printers as it affects the profitability & relations with the customers due to delayed deliveries. Another huge problem faced with the technology is its maintenance. It’s complicated as their parts are sensitive and these machines are advanced equipped with latest technology.

4. Paper choking: At times paper gets choked in the machine and creates a lot of internal problems in the machine which hampers the expected life & quality of the machine. This severely affects the on-going production as the choked paper is needed to bring out and then re-start the entire process again which escorts to loss in quality and delayed delivery of work.

5. Market scenario: Penetration of digital presses is increasing, making the market more competitive. Anticipating the highflier market potential, people are installing digital equipment, without calculating their capital investment and other expenses like fixed cost, variable cost and depreciation of machines. Ultimately expelling the market by selling at low price and compromising on profits.

6. Just in Time: Digital technology is considered as a quick service mechanism. It is a flexible unit which provides high-speed jobs within the specified time to their customers. There is always a bell ringing on the top of the operator and is required to fulfill the jobs on time which is tough to do always.

7. Non- availability of paper: Paper is the primary raw material for printing and the non availability of this material brings a lot of trouble. Keeping the consumption in mind advance stock of papers are stored which adds up to the inventory cost. Further the availability of economical unbranded paper has reduced the market size of superior quality papers which has in turn reduced the paper traders interest in stocking quality branded grades.

8. Recession: Every person in an industry is a buyer of print but due to the recession the industries are cutting the print & marketing budgets drastically as a part of cost cutting policy profit trade. Market is departing in the downward track due to recession prevailing in the digital printing industry.

9. Point of shift to offset: Cross over point from Digital to Offset is less than 300 impressions in India but it is more than 2000 in US, hence short run market is limited.

10. Re-sale of old machinery: Investment in the new technology is really expensive, everybody can’t think for the brand new machines. Selling of the used digital equipments is a great challenge as their re-sale value is minimal and is sold at throw away prices.

EXPECTATIONS

The digital printing community suggest some viable solutions for the challenges they face. Along with that they expressed the further expectations from technology providers, paper manufacturers and the industry as a whole.

1. Online UV coating is one thing that is present in offset printing, but introduction of the same in the digital printing will make the work effortless and attractive.

2. Paper Quality: Every person doing the job of digital printing desires the best quality paper to provide outstanding results to their customers. Hence, the quality of the paper should be improved. The high-quality and other special papers should be easily accessible in the market at reasonable prices.

3. Technology: Multiple application equipments should be introduced. Up-to-the-minute technology should now be launched in digital printing to thump the growing competition and attain economies of scale. The processing speed of the machines should be flying in order to complete the jobs before time. Cost of technology, software, its running cost, ink cost and other solutions should be reduced which will eventually lend a hand in growing the digital printing industry. The services provided by the distributors should be fast and improved.

4. Magnitude of machinery: The size of the paper should be enlarged to make possibility of further different applications.

5. Awareness: Both the consumers and the users are required to be aware about the digital machine applications & its capabilities with supportive softwares which will lead to increase in business for digital printing in the market.

6. Organized sector: The size of the industry should be monitored from time to time in order to eradicate any fragmentation. So, the need to work as an organized sector arise.

Number of digital press

Respondents identifies with the number of digital machines used by them to carry out the printing applications, the major chunk of printers (55%) owns a single machines. The printers employing 2 machines portion out the market with (32%) marker share. The printers with 3 or 4 machines were sharing the market more or less equally with (7%) and (6%) respectively. The analysis shows that the people with less degree of market share (7% & 6%) have foreseen the potential in digital printing industry and made a continuous investment by employing 3 or more machines. The major portion of market with 87% is jointly is held by the initial starters employing 1 or 2 machines.

Type of jobs

Respondents identified the types of jobs produced with digital printing; the leading categories ranked as a “major portion” of the business were Marketing and Promotional Materials, Quick Printing Applications, and Specialized Application which are tailored according to the consumer. When asked to indicate only one predominant job type, the leading application is again Marketing and Promotional Materials (86%), followed by Quick Printing (82%), Specialized Applications (72%), and Books, Manuals, Periodicals and Direct mail with (63%) each, Proofing (57%). The outcome of above analysis shows that most of the printers’ executes diversified portfolio of applications.

Paper used

Respondents when asked about the preference of paper used by them were identified as using both branded and unbranded with a share of (48%). But, when analyzed out of the whole index respondents were more inclined towards branded paper (43%). Therefore, it is necessary for the paper industry to upgrade themselves in the perspective of technology, quality, service, price, knowledge, competition and thereby offering better product portfolio.

Type of paper

Respondents identified in area of paper grade categories which are used for digital printing and their frequency of its use. Coated gloss is the leading grade (90%), followed by coated matte (85%), and premium uncoated (75%). The frequency of using paper like premium bond (57%), tinted/colored (53%), recycled (48%) is fair but the quantum is limited. The paper like coated high gloss (46%), coated satin (31%), and uncoated (21%) were used in squat amount.

Factors Considered in Paper Buying

Runnability (96%) and print quality (98%) were the most important factors identified by the respondents statistically as these are the parameters on which customer’s satisfaction depends. Price (64%) was found not to be a leading factor in the purchase decision for these digital grades in this survey as normally, it is the most important factor in any purchase decision. The availability of the grades (85%) and appearance (88%) were the second most important aspect highlighted by the respondents.

Number of years

Respondents identified with the life span of their working in the industry. We found that the respondents in the first 5 years are above 80% reason being boost in digital printing industry in the recent years. The numbers of respondents doing digital printing business for more than 5 years is very less as people were not fully aware of the technology and were hesitant in making investment in new printing vertical.

Mr. S.N. Venkataraman

International Sales & Product Development Manager

ITC PSPD Ltd

The market for office and digital papers in India is witnessing 10% plus growth year on year, a trend which is likely to sustain based on forecasted economic growth and expansion in the number of installations of digital printing machines and photocopiers.

Increasingly print jobs like variable data printing, direct mailers, manuals, promotional leaflets and proofs are moving from short-run offset to digital printing. Copier papers including office communication papers are also growing at above average rate.

Indian paper manufacturer including ITC have expanded and upgraded their facilities to meet this demand of digital printing and office communication papers. By adopting clean technology like ECF bleaching with ozone treatment and sourcing wood from sustainable plantations we are able to offer our customers world class range of papers and paperboards linked with sustainable choice.

Mr. A.K. Ghosh

Vice President Sales

JK Papers Ltd

India’s economic growth has been driving the paper consumption in many ways. The rapid growth in the recent past has been accompanied by several structural changes. These include focus on literacy, greater urbanization, rise in disposable incomes, rise in infotainment, demographic shift, young aspirants, etc. These transformations are no longer confined to metros but have percolated to smaller towns as well.

There has been a significant change in terminology for cut-size A-4 Paper  from ‘Copier paper’ to ‘Multiuse Office paper’. The term copier paper reflected the predominant use of this paper for photocopying but with various transformational changes the quality of this paper also improved sharply, this began to be known as multiuse office paper. The shift in terminology also reflects the growing consumerism and importance of young population both of which favor high quality paper.

The better quality A-4 size paper finds its use not only in modern and high speed printer & photocopiers but also in uses like letterheads and for graphic printing as also in high quality power point presentations. As the modern office shifts towards modern printing & copying medium the older ones have a ready-made second hand market especially in rural areas and tier 2 towns. The economy copier paper satisfies the growing demand for photocopying & desk top printing as a result of increase in literacy and more use of internet & thirst for infotainment.

The market now covers a wide range: from the low priced copier paper in the economy segment to top end premium priced branded copier. Today the branded copier paper market is growing at over 15% which is much faster than the overall growth of Indian paper market. In the present market of 3.9 Lac MT, JK’s copier brands enjoy the position of being a market leader with over 34% market share.

Mr. Jaspal Singh

Vice President Marketing

The APP Mills Ltd

Demand for paper is expected to be on its growth trajectory and consumption of paper is closely linked to the economic development. The writing and printing segment moves in line with GDP growth due to its strong correlation to population, literacy and other demographics. Amongst various varieties of paper which form the W&P segment, demand for coated and copier is expected to grow at a faster pace while demand for creamwove and maplitho grades are expected to slow down as they are mature segments and account for almost 70% of the W&P segment. Demand driver for copier is related to consumption of office stationery by SOHO, BPOs, KPOs and other such activities which have resulted in increasing demand.

Mr. M.S. Venkatasubramanain

General Manager Sales & Marketing

Khanna Paper Mills Ltd

The photocopy paper market size is estimated at 3,25,000 MT p.a. The Year on Year (YOY) growth is 22% approximately. Though the economic meltdown has taken a toll on this segment, but it will be temporary only. Economic growth, digital and variable data printing, thrust for education, export opportunities are the main growth drivers. We expect a growth of 2530 % p.a. over next three years.

Mr. S. Krishnamurthy

General Manager Marketing

Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd

In India, digital printing is making significant inroads into the conventional printing process which is evident from the demand growth of 25% per annum in cut size paper. Print on demand is becoming the order of the day. The major segments switching over to digital printing includes desk top publishing, variable data printing, SOHO, book publishing, on-demand printing, souvenirs & books.

However, every mill is trying to increase its capacity for digital paper considering the higher CAGR which is likely to result in over supply resulting in pressure on sales and prices temporarily. When the supply demand balance normalizes the scenario for the paper mills would improve. The CAGR in the digital printing and papers is likely to sustain around 15-20% for another 15 years on account of the economic growth in the developing countries namely Asia and Africa. Globally also, research has proved paperless office as a myth and there is no drop in consumption of paper even in developed countries except the form and size have changed to suit digital printing.

Parallel to the digital paper growth we also observe the growth in awareness towards environmental protection i.e. climate change, carbon trading, carbon footprint are some of the popular watch words among the consumers.

Mr. Sharad Dube

President Marketing

Abhishek Industries Ltd

Copier Paper is a growing market requiring quality product. Demand for mill cut and pack copier paper is growing at a fast pace, in tandem with growth in various segments of the economy. The customer has become very demanding and right quality product and services needs to be provided by copier paper manufacturers. Quality aspects among others include apart from good intrinsic quality of paper, other essential attributes like trouble free running on new generation high speed photocopying machines, desktop printing and other printing machines, good quality of prints, proper cutting and finishing, good packing from point of view of both functional value and aesthetics. On the other hand, optimum services include timely availability, deliveries, after sales services.

There has been a sharp increase in availability of copier paper in the country, which is poised for further increase. This poses a lot of challenge to marketeers in terms of product differentiation, distribution, branding, creating demand pull and effectively meeting needs and wants of the customer. The export market offers good opportunities for paper manufacturers provided they meet quality and service criteria.

Mr. V. Subbiah

Vice President Marketing

The West Coast Paper Mills Ltd

Paper industry is passing through a difficult phase due to additional bunch of capacity which had been already added up and is going to be added up to the extent of about 1.2 million TPA within a span of two years i.e. 2008-09 & 2009-10. This has naturally caused a kind of imbalance between demand and supply in printing and writing paper. But there is a slight ray of light we expect to see from current quarter starting Oct.09.

Paper Industry is no more a cyclical industry in view of the recent trend we have been experiencing for the last 4-5 years. Certainly, the global recession has impacted the paper industry slightly but the major impact on sales is because of the additional capacity mainly in writing and printing paper otherwise called office paper and copier paper. No major player manufactures the digital quality paper due to the technological constraints so far. But majority of the major manufacturers have upgraded or added world-class brand new machines wherein Indian paper industries now will compete with the any international players of any nature and quality of paper. The consumption and demand for printing and writing paper is expected to surpass the supplies by 2011-12 with increased thrust & spending by Government on literacy.

SHORT RUN PRINTING

The easiest digital printing opportunity to tap is short-run digital printing in color. Print customers are continually demanding shorter runs, produced on demand with fast turnarounds. Many printers have made the move to add digital printing to their traditional offset business and are discovering that short run digital color offers equally good image quality. Digital printing proves to be both complementary and incremental business for offset printing business.

PRINT ON DEMAND (POD)

With the help of order on internet digital printing enables print customers to buy exactly what they need, when they need it – web-based electronic storefronts are a perfect match for this POD model. Already, 60% of businesses order their print work online, helping to drive a 14% compound annual growth rate in POD, according to CAPV and PODi.

DIGITAL BOOKS

The capability to print short runs economically also is changing the publishing industry. More and more publishers are taking advantage of the opportunity to minimize their risk in taking on new titles, by producing them in shorter run lengths to match demand. In some cases, they can actually sell a book, then print it. More often they use digital printing to supplement their longer offset runs, with shorter runs for review copies and end-of-life reprints.

NEW WAYS OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

The value added applications in digital printing today deliver significant value by doing things that offset can’t. Their significance is measured in terms of higher response rates, high profit share, and cost savings. Most of these applications can be developed with a reasonable investment in technology, knowledge, and skills. And, with skilled workforce and business development tools making it easier to implement. Organizations of all scales use personalized business communications to capture and maintain market share. For example, banks that target existing account holders with additional product offerings such as mortgages and home-equity loans have greater success rate than those sending monotonous direct mails.

Companies using customer data to tailor according to the client communications receive a more positive response compared to organizations that treat all customers as one. Customer information is often available, such as transaction histories and demographics, and this source largely goes untapped. With variable data, companies are able to alter communications as part of a dedicated mailing or embedded as a personalized message within a statement.

Both digital color and variable data increase the influence of a personalized message. Color highlights the message and draws attention to it with higher visibility and retention rate of information. Personalization demonstrates the value a company places on its individual customers.

Organizations looking to develop variable data applications or expand customer communications should consider the message and channel that best serves the end-consumer. For example, companies deliver detailed documents, such as financial statements, in print or online formats that are readily accessible and legible, whereas end-consumers accept mobicommunications for account status information. In some cases, regulations dictate the delivery channel. These needs must be considered when determining a delivery channel strategy.

A comprehensive document strategy allows organizations to align the many requirements of multiple applications across various communication channels like print, email, web, or mobile. The latest digital color presses and document composition solutions work together to enable organizations to take personalization to the next level. The real question is how your organization can utilize variable data, current workflows, and color to drive cutting-edge customer communications.

Kraftile International, sister company of Santosh Group, a known name for constant innovation and introduction in the Indian paper industry, have always been the leaders in introducing new products and concepts. Whether it’s introduction of products like Lumi Art or Galgo paper for the first time or conceptualizing the idea of introducing a design award for the first time, Kraftile International have always taken a lead in different instance.

Mr. Jain, the company head says “We want our client base and the community to share and understand our vision of social and environmental awareness in everything we do & this achievement is one more step in that process. This certification will allow us to provide our clients with a globally recognized standard of assurance that the paper come from forests that are managed to meet the strictest criteria of sustainability”.

Mr. Christopher Reid

InfoPrint Solutions Company Pte. Ltd., a joint venture between RICOH & IBM and Sudhir Papers Ltd. has opened India’s first ‘Print Solutions & Application Centre’ based in Bengaluru located at the Karnataka Offset Printers Association’s Technology Centre (TOPTEC). The 2500+ square-foot facilities, representing an initial investment of Rupees 5.5 million, demonstrate Sudhir Papers Ltd and InfoPrint’s strong commitment towards providing of world class printing solutions in the Indian market. The ‘Print Solutions & Application Centre’ is part of Sudhir Gupta Innovation Centre (SGIC) named after late Mr. Sudhir Gupta, a visionary and man of principles, who lead Sudhir Papers Ltd to the path of great heights and innovation.

The Centre is conceptualized, designed and developed to enumerate modern technology in printing related hardware and software solutions across various segments. This Innovation Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art capabilities designed to deliver previously unseen high-value-added services and digital printing solutions to customers in India.

“Through this strategic alliance with Sudhir Paper Ltd, InfoPrint Solutions Company aims to enable customers and business partners from around region to collaborate on the development and testing of next-generation output management solutions, which are focused on generating competitive advantage for our clients, along with significantly improved cost effectiveness” said Rohan Vaidya, GM, India & South Asia.

SGIC will showcase comprehensive printing solutions for production centres, graphic art vendors, industrial groups and general office environments; in areas such as TransPromo, Fleet Management, Workflow, Optimization, Productivity, RFID, and Personalized Mailing. With well-equipped showroom, classroom-style executive briefing centre and office, SGIC provides a workspace for local R&D engineers and employees who offer a spectrum of industry-oriented expertise to share ideas, offer consultancy and enable customers and partners to innovate and transition to new applications and technologies. Customers and business partners can see live demonstration of latest leading edge InfoPrint solutions offering at SGIC and make proof-of-concept, testing and sampling at the Centre.

The Centre is also well equipped to conduct training and seminars for its existing & prospective clients. “With the Innovation Centre, we aim to accelerate innovation for diverse client challenges. With India as a top global economic powerhouse, Indian enterprises are transi-tioning into world-class global operations. At Sudhir Gupta Innovation Centre, we will offer technology and application resource to enable our customers to innovate, transition and transform.” said Varun Gupta, Sudhir Papers Ltd.

On display at SGIC is the latest InfoPrint WorkGroup, Industrial, Thermal & Cutsheet printer for live demonstration & information sharing. InfoPrint will soon be launching the state-of-art color Cutsheet printer model ‘Pro C900′ & Continuous form WorkGroup Laser Printer ‘Rocky’ in the market. Innovations, Enablement & Transition are the three customer-centric objectives of the Centre. About InfoPrint Solutions CompanyInfoPrint Solutions Company, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, will bring to market the advantages IBM and Ricoh have in development, manufacturing, marketing and building strategic solutions for customers, creating a growth-oriented global enterprise that is strategically focused on the output market.

“When more advanced colour presses & printers are installed, we expect printouts with improved results. If we want to take advantage of the true capabilities of the equipment, the choice of paper is an important quality factor”, says Mr. Shobhit Jain, Director (Sales & Marketing), Shree Paper Co. Pvt. Ltd.

At present Shree Paper offers various high-end communication papers to meet the need of quality image reproduction, runnability which is available in a range of sizes, grammages and surface finishes  Berga Image, 4CC, Superior. These grades are used for various applications on digital, inkjet & laser printers including advertising & design agencies, corporate letterheads, presentations, house style range, leaflets, important certificates, reports, architect firms, financial service providers and corporate marketing departments, rapid turnaround or short runs etc. These grades come with various certification like ISO 14001, EMAS, PEFC, FSC and uses ECF pulp.