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Print MiracleThe Official Journal of Kerala Master Printers Association

Vol. XX No. 5Sep - Oct 2016

Editor : Raju N. KuttyEditorial Board : P. S. Rajan Magesh Karthik Suresh Biju Jose Asst. Editor : Abhilash Fraizer

Office Bearers of KMPA

President : S. SajiGeneral Secretary : G. RajeshTreasurer : Yeldho K. GeorgeImmediate Past President : G. VenugopalJoint Secretary : R. Haridas Co-ordinator : O. Venugopal

Vice PresidentsCentral : T.F. JamesNorth : C.R. NandakumarSouth : K. MadhusoodhananHeadquarters : R. Gopakumar

Committee Chairmen

Exhibitions : G. VenugopalPublication : Raju N. KuttyMembership Promotion : Ajith Jose C.Training & HRD : D. Manmohan ShenoyAwards : K. P. UthupHospitality & Recreation : Shaji ManjooranExport Promotion : K.P. SabuMachinery : T.N. SajeevanTechnology : Magesh Karthik SureshPaper & Raw Material : Roy ThomasLand & Building : Nazir MarikavilGovt. Affairs & Taxation : Joseph MuttathottilWebsite & Media : Biju Jose

G.C. Members-AIFMP : O. Venugopal : G. Venugopal : K.C. Sanjeev : Raju N. Kutty

For commercial and editorial:

Kerala Master Printers’ Association Casa Grante Building, 2nd Floor, Deshabhimani Junction, Cochin - 682 017. Phone : 0484 - 4042715 E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] Website : www.kmpa.in

Published by Mr. R. Suresh, former President, KMPA on behalf of Kerala Master Printers Association, Cochin - 17 and printed by him at Anaswara Offset Pvt. Ltd., Elamakkara, Cochin - 682 026 for Jasmine Grafix.

All rights reserved. Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the KMPA or the editor or the publisher and they accept no responsibility for them.

RNI Reg. No. 65957/96

President’s Desk .............................................................................................3A tribute to the man who created the “Printing Street” ......................................4Philosophy of Incentives .................................................................................9That Golden Moment - Perumpadavam Sreedharan ........................................10KMPA Onam celebrations sparkle with a new spirit of unity ............................13Seminar conducted on the Revision of Wages ................................................22Golden glow to Shoranur IPT & GPT College .................................................22AIFMP Office Bearers ....................................................................................23KMPA paid tribute to P. S. Thomas .................................................................25KMPA stall shines at Skill Expo 2016 ............................................................27Know Your Member .......................................................................................29Industry News ...............................................................................................31

Dear Friends

I hope you like the look of what you have now in your hands. My colleague at Print Miracle; Biju Jose had this long standing desire of changing the layout of the magazine and after quite some brainstorming

and head scratching we have finally created this new look for all of you.

The last 2 months have been eventful to say the least. We had our Onam celebrations on the 2nd of October. Saji Annan (our president) was very clear that we have to make this onam a real celebration with maximum participation from the various members. The KMPA team accordingly worked (and enjoyed) very hard and everything during this Onam was refreshingly new. My colleague Shaji Antony of Koral Graphics did a massive job of coordinating the event and special appreciation for him for that.

In this issue, G. Venugopal of Sterling Print House, (our Immediate Past President) brings to you a quick perspective on his philosophy with people, and how to get the best out of them.

Our President always says that one of the ways in which the association can be further strengthened is by involving the spouses of the members in a special forum which will work within the framework of KMPA in organizing events. This concept has now come to life with the inauguration of the Ladies Forum along with the Onam celebrations. This is probably the first time that a Printing Association is also forming a Ladies Forum where the spouses of the members get together and plan activities and events.

One of the prominent sections of Society that shares a symbiotic bond with the Printer is the Writer. In Kerala we have a wealth of writers who would have interesting stories to share about their experiences with printing. My young new colleague Mr. Abhilash Fraizer brings to you a new feature which shares a writer’s excitement and nostalgia upon seeing his first work coming out in Print. Hope you enjoy reading about this new piece which we hope to replicate in upcoming issues.

The attempts at conducting knowledge enhancing seminars and sessions is ongoing and we had during this time a session on the Minimum Wages Act of the new government in Kerala. The session conducted by Mr P. V. Mohandas (former Additional Labour Commissioner) was very informative and well received.

Last but not least, like my good friend Ramu Ramanathan once wrote in one of the previous issues of Print Week, I doff my hat to the memory of Mr P. S.Thomas who left us on 20th October, 2016. May his soul rest in peace.

Raju N. Kutty Editor

Print Miracle | September - October 2016 | 2


Dear friends,

The existence of any organization depends upon its unity. The members of Kerala Master Printers Association (KMPA) proved the famous dictum ‘unity in diversity’ true by our Onam celebration that was a real pageant of

unity and solidarity. There was a freshness and tangible difference in the way Onam was celebrated this year. Every member and their families enlivened the celebrations with cordial participation. The programmes they staged were really entertaining and heart-warming. The delectable Onasadya and the marvelous Mahabali made the celebrations a memorable one.

The inauguration of Ladies Forum, which was held on the same day along with Onam celebrations, was a golden moment in the history of the Association. The forum is envisaged as a podium for ladies. Behind the victory of every KMPA member there is a silent but strong support of their spouses. We are so happy and proud to have the august presence of highly respected personalities like Mrs. Sarada Rajendran, the spouse of Rajendran, the founder of KMPA for the inaugural ceremony. The Forum upheld the cordiality among the ladies, and heralded their potentials to do great things for the society.

‘Print Yatra’, the novel venture flagged off by us recently, is an example of the innovative vision of the new committee. This initiative aims to visit every printing institution owned by our members to directly know the achievements they have attained and the challenges they are facing. I am very happy to inform that the journey (yatra) that was commenced with our visit to Sterling Print House is successfully going on.

Last but not the least, I am indeed happy that Print Miracle is being packaged in a totally new form, just as our committee had envisaged it. Your feedbacks and suggestions about Print Miracle, the official journal of KMPA, are most welcome. I solicit the whole-hearted support from each and every member of KMPA to go hand in hand for a smooth functioning of the Association for the benefit of all.

Thank you all!

Yours sincerely

S. SajiPresident


Man who created the “Printing Street”

During the condolence meeting in remembrance of Mr. P. S. Thomas, my good friend Venu Chettan of Sterling

Print House said that people ahead of their times might sometimes not be very popular or respected when they are around. But they will be remembered long after they are no more around. I suspect Thomas Sir is one such man.

Here is a man who has touched various industries, and succeeded in most of them. A master disruptor who always had an instinct for what the next best thing was. He also had an uncanny instinct for what is no more going to be there; and what is going to take its place. A man whose career kicked off selling calculators and office stationary, then went on to doing Pre-Press and CTP, to investment and creation of contemporary Digital Printing unit and on top of everything selling LED Lights and Solar panels.

It occurred to me while attending the

condolence meet upon the demise of this very interesting entrepreneur that here is a story of a man who deserves to be written about.

I thus ventured into Paramara Road with my friend Magesh to meet the young Sebastian Thomas who takes off from where his father left. In order to understand more about this man who most likely has dimensions not fully understood by us. We started off with a cup of tea at “City Mess” which along with Computer Park; was the go to place for print buyers and brokers who went to take a quick film or make a quick design at Computer Park; during the 90’s. Computer Park is not as crowded now as it used to be, but City Mess still is. A fresh cup of tea is always sought for by customers. It’s a technology which is not going to be obsolete anytime soon, I guess.

But coming to Computer Park, Computer Park is a story in itself. As we climbed up the stairs to the first floor of this very prominent

A Tribute to the

P.S. Thomas

Editor Raju N. Kutty recaps the life and times of P.S. Thomas.


landmark of Paramara Road, I remembered the early days of my career when I used to come to Thomas Sir to discuss the possibilities of promoting CTP Plates in the market. This was in the late 90’s and CTP then was looking to be the next big technology which the industry would eventually adopt. Seeing printers afraid of investing 2 lakhs odd on a Proteck Plate exposing system; I had no idea whether the same printers would invest in expensive technologies like CTP. Of course Thomas Sir was not as clueless as me. He said he would invest in the plate making technology; you invest in buying and selling the plates. The superiority of the technology would eventually make it “the” way of making plates. Our joint venture did not take off, but the technology obviously did. I don’t need to say any further about that.

The Computer Park room was as spacious and full of computers as it always was. The other common feature was the frequent clippets of sayings basically asking you to excel in what you do. “Imagine having 50 odd computers in one room during the 90’s. It was quite a sight. It was the place where youngsters who love programming use to assemble because they get to work with their favorite device- the computer. I was also a regular here though I was more interested in computer games rather than any serious programming” says Sebastian. Among those starry eyed young programmers was a certain Jayakrishnan whom Sebastian remembers to this day as a particularly brilliant programmer who was ahead of his times. Suspecting a link, I ask Sebastian the whereabouts of this particular person and I am told he is very much in town running his own company – XTend Technologies making what else... Software. I had guessed correct. This Jayakrishnan is my next door neighbor and good friend. More on that later.

Having 50 odd computers during the 90’s was not a Joke. Thomas Sir had this idea of leasing out these computers to professionals working in varied fields like Graphic Design to structural CAD designs. This must have unleashed the creativity of an entire generation who had the talent but couldn’t afford an expensive gadget like a computer; back in the day. He even had a Microsoft Certified Training center in the early 90’s when NIIT or Aptech were yet to make their real impact.

I was trying to take in the impact of what this institution would have looked like at that time; when I was still in high school and only used to see computers in English movies.

With computer prices coming down and their popularity going up; Thomas Sir realized that it’s time to “let go”. As the interaction with Sebastian progressed, we realized that this was a recurring theme in Thomas Sir’s career. He was never shy of exiting a business when he sees that its time is up. And more often than not he had a better idea in its place. While letting go of the Computer Park he

that accounting softwares in computers would replace books and calculators. He had computerized billing during the DOS Foxpro times itself, long before Windows and Tally came to the scene. The computer he used to type his bills were being used until as recently as 2014. He had a strategy for this also. His view was that you should be able to generate a bill in as few steps as possible. Thus you get to minimize wastage of time and energy. For instance he would not appreciate a software asking you whether you wanted to print – Yes/No. Of course you want to print. Why would you hit ‘Control-P’ otherwise?

The steady influx of designers created a ripple effect, with other pre-press houses setting up in the vicinity, then other Offset Printers, Digital Printers, Signage printers following each other in quick succession. By the early turn of the century Paramara Road had arrived. The term “Printing Street” started becoming a common usage in the industry. Often in not so flattering terms because of another phenomenon – Cheap prices.

This was another pattern in the Computer Park story. His entry into any business would be followed by a drastic drop in prices. This would leave the overall industry confused and existing players frustrated while tremendously benefiting the end customer. And he would only deal in cash. Here’s the price, pay the cash and take your goods. The customers obviously took full advantage of this situation. This happened with Lith films first, then CTP and eventually digital printing. Digital printing would probably be the only activity that he carried on doing, till the very end.

Exhibitions were the other activity that Thomas Sir was obsessed with. He made it a point to visit every technical trade fair that he could. With DRUPA of course being his preferred destination. I was in his company during the 2012 DRUPA. The man whom I have never found wearing anything other than a light blue shirt with a white dhoti suddenly turned up immaculately dressed in a 3 Piece suit. He had a clear thought process behind that also. For Drupa obviously; you dress like you mean business. That’s a given. I was more interested in his ascetic like dressing back home. His logic was simple. When you provide contemporary technology with killer pricing, the end users come here to get things done. You dress meticulously when you go to

The steady influx of designers created a ripple effect, with other pre-press houses setting up in the vicinity, then other Offset Printers, Digital Printers, Signage printers following each other in quick succession. By the early turn of the century Paramara Road had arrived. The term “Printing Street” started becoming a common usage in the industry.

simply leased out the space to independent designers. The designer gets to install his own computer to a plug point inside Computer Park. He gets the customer who would not know him otherwise. And he pays a rent to Thomas Sir for using the space and Computer Park identity, or location or both. The simplicity of the strategy left me stumped.

Thomas Sir did the same thing with calculators. In the early 90’s itself he was able to predict that sales of calculators would come down and personal computers would take their place. He was far sighted enough to predict


customers. Dressing is not that critical when they come here. Then the important thing is to dress quick and get to the work place as soon as you can.

And get there quickly he did. Almost every day he would be in his office by 8 am. During the initial days of his CTP Platemaking venture he used to put in brutal hours often working till 2 O’clock at night. Sebastian is amazed how he pulled it off all these years. During his last day also he asked Sebastian to see the print that has come out of his latest Fuji machine. He fondly looked at the print from his bed, barely able to get up even. Strangely, I am not that much surprised hearing this as it looks typical of my previous generation whose resilience and capacity for hard work my generation often lacks.

My friend Gopan Chettan of GK Printers tells me this interesting story of a high ranking manager from Heidelberg Germany who visited Thomas Sir along with his Indian colleague. Upon seeing the man he immediately mentally made a note that he is wasting his time. What happened later stunned this German gentleman. He was amazed to see this man in a dhoti and beard asking him where he studied Printing Technology... in German! What he learnt later is even more interesting. Thomas Sir apparently studied Printing Technology in the same college in Germany! Subsequently, during one of his marketing team training sessions, this gentleman cited this story while telling his people to never underestimate a customer based on appearance.

The biggest impact of his career is the fact that he was a pioneer in digital colour printing. Back in the day he was the first man to show people that you can take out a colour printed sheet from a computer without the complete process involving film, plates, et al. This is how the Paramara Street achieved the traction of printing designers, getting quick digital proofs and so on. His first machine was a Xerox Majestic in 1995 it cost 22 lakhs which was a lot of money those days, he took a loan to buy the machine and the auditor and bank manager came to see the machine as they couldn’t believe the price of the small digital colour printer. Infact the auditor Mr. Mohanan who was the last person to visit Thomas Sir told Sebastian, “when your dad bought that machine in 1995 I thought he was crazy to

buy such a machine, that too in Paramara Road, which had only a temple and empty plots.” Needless to say, the auditor never had to question any of his subsequent decisions.

There is another dimension to the story of course. Just like every other story. His detractors accuse him of spoiling multiple industries with predatory pricing like what he did for the film making industry. But in the process he made it affordable and cheap to the vast majority of people and this eventually resulted in Print consumption growing at the pace that it did.

work. I may have been at the receiving end of many of his decisions but the fact remains that if not for Thomas Sir I would not have been where I am today” Jerry says. Jerry vividly recollects Thomas Sir’s ability to identify talent. During his initial days, he had designed a wedding card for one of his friends and those days Computer Park was the only place where he could get an A3 print and so he went there. Thomas Sir saw the design, asked him to wait and after some time once the print was handed over, he gently called him aside and made him a proposition. He said I have this design centre in mind where everybody can come here with and idea and go back with a computer design and or a print. I see a spark of creativity in you. Would you be interested to join? Jerry said yes and this little exchange changed Jerry’s life for ever.

Thomas Sir was generally not an easy man to understand. He had strong and unconventional views about many things including religion. One of his contemporaries, Babu Sir of Colortone Process remembers how he travelled with Thomas Sir together to Drupa and often found Thomas Sir a bit of an enigma. Because of this general reticence, Thomas Sir made very few friends if at all. This same sentiment was shared by none other than Sebastian his son who remembers that if there was one thing his father was not good at, it was delegation. He believed in doing things himself and never really created a team. Probably that is what Sebastian needs to be doing in the years to come.

More instances of Thomas Sir’s business-like approach were elaborated by his younger brother Rajan Sir of St. Francis Press. Rajan Sir mentioned about the basic enterprising genes running in the family with his grandfather himself being a printer in the 60’s when the letter press method was being used for doing print jobs. He remembers how Thomas Sir essentially smelled a more lucrative opportunity selling engineering student’s material like drafting tables, set squares, scientific calculators and so on. Thus was born Engineering Equipments which is still a prominent shop in Paramara Road along with Computer Park.

While leaving the family business for independent things, he left the more time and effort consuming printing business of St. Francis Press to Rajan Sir. Rajan Sir being a

The biggest impact of his career is the fact that he was a pioneer in digital colour printing. Back in the day he was the first man to show people that you can take out a colour printed sheet from a computer without the complete process involving film, plates, et al. This is how the Paramara Street achieved the traction of printing designers, getting quick digital proofs and so on.

Nobody can vouch for this more than Mr. Gerard Chandy (Jerry Chettan) of Jerry’s Colorzone who once worked with Thomas Sir as his partner. “I learnt the basics of business from Thomas Sir. According to him, business is all about the facts and figures and there is no room for sentiments here. Today I know it in my head but when I do business my sentiments always have an impact on how I


pure engineer enjoyed every bit of the printing business and to this day derives satisfaction out of tinkering with a broken down printing machine and getting it up and running. Needless to add, St. Francis Press is still one of the well run and prominent printing companies in Kochi.

I still remember Thomas Sir casually mentioning to a visitor while I was waiting for him to talk about the plates business. This visitor was hesitating to buy a house that he liked; because he had to pay 20 Lakhs or so which was a huge amount of money at the time. The visitor was apprehensive about the huge loan that he would take. Thomas Sir simply said “Go for it, the 15000 Rupees you will have to pay as your EMI will look daunting now. But 15 years later you will still be paying the same 15000 per month. That day it will be worth nothing. You will not even notice it”.

It took me close to a decade to figure out the significance of this simple statement.

My journey to know more about this man finally ended right next door at my friend Jayakrishna Kurup of XTend Technologies. He remembers his early days as a student of Zoology who had very little interest in Zoology and whole lot of interest in Computer Programming. Many things that Jayakrishnan Chettan told me flew over my head and he forgave me for not possessing his depth of knowledge on computers and programming. But he mentioned about those days in the early 90’s when internet had just started making its appearance and the only provider at the time VSNL had 2 schemes or plans: one was the TCPIP Plan which would give you a complete graphical user interface (just as you see the internet today) and the other plan was the shell plan which gave you a basic internet platform looking more like the DOS Interface of the time. The shell plan costing `5000 and the TCPIP Plan costing a princely sum of `15000! Jayakrishnan Chettan and his partner Kurian had just started XTend Technologies at the time and they created a new interface which gave you the best of both plans: meaning an interface which could give you the TCPIP experience at the price of the shell plan. He remembers to this day how VSNL immediately filed a case immediately saying this is hacking! At the time the young founders of XTend along

with some other entrepreneurs and Thomas Sir started what was called the Cochin Internet Forum, and they used to have regular meetings with round table discussions on how this new thing called Internet could impact our lives and how to create a business around them. The venue for these meetings was also …where else… Computer Park.

Jayakrishnan Chettan has the last word on

Computer Park. He says “What Thomas Sir did was to provide an incubation centre where techies could come together and hatch ideas and bring them to fruition. Please remember this was 2 decades before the start up villages of today”.

I bow down to the memory of this “Technocrat” who changed the face of the print market forever.

14 January 2017

7 - 9 April 2017

8 April 2017

2nd Floor, Casa Granté Building, Deshabhimani Junction Kaloor, Cochin - 682 017. Phone: 0484 4042715

Email: [email protected] Website: www.kmpa.in


Delux Machine ToolsAuthorised dealer of AtlAs Knives in Kerala

XVI/1063, D-7 Karothukudy Building, P.P. Road, Opp. SBI, Perumbavoor - 683 542. Tel: 0484 3120041. Mobile: 89432 94253, 93247 91813. Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

www.atlasknives.com


Greed is good: It’s not just an iconic line spoken by Gordon Gekko, the fictional character played by Michael Douglas in

the movie Wall Street.When it comes to business it rings fairly

true. Money along with power probably motivates more employees and builds a bigger, stronger business than praise or pretty offices. That’s why some companies wave carrots, like cash or other bonuses in front of the employees to get them to work just a little harder.

And the facts prove it works. In my personal opinion the most important part of structuring an incentive scheme in any department mainly Marketing, Purchase and production is “Assessment.” Management determined performance levels are inadequate because of a short fall in motivation. Part of this assessment process is a gap analysis to assess difference between a Company’s goals and employee performance. If the gap analysis shows that employees are capable but lack the effort necessary to improve performance then

PhiloSoPhy of incenTiveS

an incentive programme can be a useful way to change that behaviour.

A strong and authentic study in assessing what the employees are capable to do is the key for a successful assessment, ie., presume that a printer is capable of printing around 15 sets of four colour in a shift and the present production is averaging at 10 sets then the gap is 5 sets which can be successfully achieved through an intelligent incentive scheme (may be sharing around 20% of the net revenue on the additional production). It can be applied in pre-press, press and post press productions depending on the output parameters which need to be enhanced.

A study observed a 15-percent increase in performance when programs were first offered for completing a particular task. When an incentive program was brought in, their performance level soared by 27 percent. The study also found that incentive programs that run for a year or more produced an average 44 percent performance increase, while programs running six months or less

G. Venugopal

It is a well known fact that Indulekha written by O. Chandu Menon is the first novel in Malayalam language. Published in 1889, the novel which portrays the love story of Madhavan and Indulekha also gives a picture of the culture prevalent in 19th century Kerala. It was originally printed and published by ‘Spectator Achukoodam’ on 9th December 1889. The second edition of the novel was published by Kozhikode Educational and General Book Depot’ in June 1890.

showed a 30 percent increase. Programs of a week or less yielded a 20 percent boost, according to the research.

The study also concluded that five conditions under which incentive programs work best are:1. Current performance is adequate.2. The cause of the inadequate performance

is related to deficiencies in motivation.3. The desired performance type and level

can be quantified.4. The goal is challenging but achievable.5. The focus on promoting a particular

behaviour does not conflict with or override every day organizational goals.I have personally felt and studied that

various employees relate to incentives differently some are appealed by good words, others are happy when they realise they are a part of the growth engine of the company and the most common being monetary gain.

Each one of you in your organisation should realise which medicine will cure your ailment.

Who published Indulekha, the first Malayalam novel?


From the definition of M.P. Paul in the preface and the treatment of the novel itself, I understood one thing: a story must be based on real life experiences – intense experiences, to put it specific. Thus a desire blazed in me to write a novel based on the experiences of my life. I was not a person with vast experiences of life. But there were many lives of other which I knew were intense enough to be subjects of a novel. I considered many such stories and abandoned them one after

another. Eventually I got my theme. It was about ‘Sarpa kavu’ (abode of serpents), for which I always had a great fascination.

Abode of serpentsIn fact, there was a Sarpa Kavu in our

village. It was surrounded by hefty trees with creepers winding on them. With sunlight seldom peeping in, Sarpa Kavus often lay in darkness. Idols of snake gods like Nagarajavu, Nagayakhsi and Anjana maninadam rested under the trees. Though this Kavu belonged to a family, the festivals were a public affair. The festivals were flamboyant and spectacular. Sarpa kalams, which resembled dancing serpents, have spurred my imagination. Pulluvan and Pulluvathi sang songs playing their musical instruments sitting near the Sarpa kalam. Even today, I love to listen to this sarpam pattu (songs of serpents).

Traditional belief was that adoring serpent gods brought blessings, longevity and prosperity to the household. But, what I saw in front of my eyes was the contrary. I saw families with a sarpa kavu in their premises struggling with life’s miseries. This paradox spurred my imagination. The conflict between the belief and the harsh realities of life! I meditated deeply on the issue, and at a point

How I became a writer?Walking down the memory lane, I can

remember a fifteen year old boy named Sreedharan reading ‘Balyakaala Sakhi’, the evergreen classic novel by the legendary writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. What struck me deeply were the lines from the preface written by Prof. M.P. Paul to the novel. He had written: “This is a page torn off from the life itself, with blood trickling from its edges!”

The Story of my first novelM o M e n tGoldenthat

Perumpadavam Sreedharan speaks

A new segment commences in Print Miracle, which traces the unique experience of famous writers when they saw their first creation in printed form.This time, we present to you the experience of Shri. Perumpadavam Sreedharan, a luminary in Malayalam literature, mainly known for his masterpiece ‘Oru Sankeerthanam Pole’ which is a best seller with more than one lakh twenty five thousand copies sold, and a winner of many awards including the prestigious Vayalar Award. His other noted works include Narayanam, Pradakshina Vazhi, Ottachilambu, Anthiveyil Ponnu and more.


I began to write the novel. It was originally titled ‘Sarpa Kavu.’

My first novel in printed formWhen the manuscript was completed,

I wondered what I should do next. I had my inhibitions. I was not a known writer. Would anyone publish my novel, which is a first attempt? Even though tortured by such thoughts, I finally decided to send the manuscript to ‘Janayugam’ magazine, one of the leading literary magazines of the time. I was not sure if it would be published; I was just trying my luck!

Pampisherry Karunakaran was the Chief Editor of the magazine. I was almost sure that

The Story Of The First Printed Newspaper

The first printed newspaper was published in the year 1605 in Antwerp. Its name was Relation. It was originally published as a weekly newspaper. Relation is recognized by the World

Association of Newspapers, as well as many authors, as the world’s first newspaper. Johann Carolus, a German was the publisher of ‘Relation aller Furnemmen und gedenckwurdigen

Historien’ which is translated as the ‘Collection of all Distinguished and Commemorable News’.

the manuscript would be returned. By the fear of

being mocked, I secretly asked the postman to

return the manuscript to me without showing it to anyone

else. One month passed. No

manuscript came back. I kept wondering what has happened

to the manuscript. Finally, the next issue of Janayugam was

out. I was astonished to find a full colour advertisement on its cover

page: ‘Sarpa Kavu - a new novel by Perumpadavam Sreedharan, begins

soon in Janayugam!’ How can I express my emotions I felt at that moment! It was

definitely beyond words!

Excitement that cannot be expressed! The novel, serialized in Janayugam

magazine, was well appreciated. Later a publisher approached me with a proposal to bring it as a book. When finally, I held the copy of my first novel in the form a printed book in my hands, I trembled with joy. I felt like flying in the air with my hands turned into wings. It was an unforgettable moment in my life!

It was written at a time when I was not well versed in the techniques of novel writing. Later in my life, I revised it. The story was the same, but the narrative was renewed. It was later published under the title ‘Ayilyam’, which is still in print.

A month passed. No manuscript came back. I wondered what has happened to it. Finally, when the next issue of Janayugam was out, I was astonished... How can I express the emotions I felt at that moment! It was definitely beyond words!


Upholding the true spirit of Onam, which proclaims the unity of mankind and equality among the people, Onam

celebrations of KMPA members held at Nandanam Hall at BTH Sarovaram, Ernakulam on 2nd October 2016 turned out to be a celebration of cordiality and solidarity.

Apart from the spirit of friendship that was obvious all through the celebrations and cultural activities, the launch of Ladies Forum, a new and innovative venture that further strengthened the family bonds of the KMPA members, was also a testimony to the augmenting unity.

involving the spouses of the office-bearers. An association can progress only through the camaraderie among its members. The launching of the Ladies Forum is the humble beginning of such an initiative.” He also added that noted Malayalam writer Thanuja S. Bhattathiri would be the Chief Guest, who would also inaugurate the Ladies Forum.

The President also solicited the whole hearted support from the members of the Association for the newly elected Management Committee. He also presented mementos to the previous office-bearers.

Mrs. Smitha Venugopal, wife of the

Celebrating a new beginningThe celebrations began at 10 am with a

prayer. In the welcome speech that followed, Mr. Shaji Antony, the Co-chairman of Hospitality & Recreation Committee, specially thanked Mr. Shaji Manjooran, the Chairman of the Committee, for his valuable support rendered to conduct the programme.

In his Presidential Address, Mr. S. Saji, the President of KMPA, expounded on the relevance of launching the Ladies Forum of KMPA. The family ties among the members are being brought closer through this forum, he said. “This relation can develop only by

Women power lights up: Ms. Thanuja Bhattathiri inaugurates the Ladies’ Forum, a KMPA initiative



Immediate Past President G. Venugopal, introduced Ms. Thanuja Bhattathiri, the Chief Guest of the celebrations. A renowned writer, specialized in short stories, Ms. Thanuja is also PRO at Medical Trust Hospital, Ernakulam. Many of her writings have been translated into Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and English.

Inauguration of the Ladies’ ForumIt was followed by the historic inauguration

of the Ladies’ Forum amid a grand ambience. In the inauguration by lighting the lamp, Ms. Thanuja Bhattathiri, the Chief Guest was joined by five female personages Sarada Rajendran, wife of late Rajendran, Founder President of KMPA, Daisy Jose, wife of late Jose Joseph, Usha Venugopal, wife of Past President O. Venugopal, Mary Joseph, wife of Past President Joseph Muttathottil and Smitha Venugopal, wife of G. Venugopal, the Immediate Past President.

Inspired women inspire the societyMs. Thanuja Bhattathiri delivered an

inspiring speech on the role of women in society and the need for more women to surge into the mainstream. “It’s good to see that women in all spheres of life are getting together for various causes. I am closely associated with such groups” she said.

Ms. Thanuja then spoke about the source of her inspiration: “The inspiration I had very early in my life to involve in women’s initiatives was my grandmother Late Lalithambika Antharjanam, who was born in a very traditional Kerala Namboothiri family, broke the shackles of orthodoxy and came into the mainstream society to become a role model to women in this state through her literary activism.” She also expressed her conviction that KMPA Ladies’ Forum, an important initiative, will definitely bind the members of the fraternity more closely.

One of the prominent members in the Ladies Forum, Mrs. Sarada Rajendran expressed her optimism on the newly

launched Forum. An accomplished activist and entrepreneur herself, Mrs. Rajendran also wished every success to the Forum.

Merriment with Maveli The most exiting session of the

day, a merry time with Maveli, the star

Thanuja Bhattathiri Sarada Rajendran S. Saji, President, KMPA

Shaji Antony, Co-Chairman, Hospitality & Recreation, KMPA

G. Rajesh, Hon. Secretary, KMPA



2nd Floor, Casa Granté Bldg., Deshabhimani Jn., Kaloor, Cochin - 682 017. Phone: 0484 4042715 Email: [email protected]


of Onam celebrations, started when the members of ladies’ forum welcomed Maveli with the traditional song: “Mavelinaaduvanidumkaalam…” R. Haridas, a prominent member of KMPA, dressed up as Maveli and won the hearts of the audience with a hilarious speech. The audience often burst into laughter by his witty remarks.

Awards for excellence KMPA, always in the forefront to identify

talent and acknowledge them, bestowed cash awards to 15 top-scoring students from CUIET Calicut, IPT Shoranur and Vocational Higher Secondary Schools. The awards were sponsored by 15 KMPA members.

Rhythms of Thiruvathira

Coupled with happiness...



Top honoursAwards for excellence in Printing Technology for top 15 students in Kerala

Rohit T.P.IPT, Shoranur

Swathy N. PrakashCUIET, Calicut

Amal J. JithinGovt. VHSS & THS Deaf, Trivandrum

Silpa P.S.GVHSS, Santhipuram, Thrissur

Raihanath K.N.GVHSS, Wayanad (Muttil)

Saritha BabyGVHSS, Muttara

Neeraj T.R.GVHSS, Maneed

Neethumol A.T.VHHSS, Pampady

Athulya T.P.GVHSS, Orkkatteri

Krishna Priya A.K.GVHSS, Chelari

Fathima Vaseeja M.A.MM Oriental VHSS, Panayappaly

Swaraj K.K.GVHSS, Kalliassery

Dhruvin P. SureshGVHSS, Wadakkanchery

Akshay James GVHSS, Maradu

Anjumol SureshGVHSS, Nattakom


Talents recognised...Awards for excellence in

studies and extracurricular activities for children of KMPA members



On the occasion, prizes were also distributed to the children of KMPA members who excelled in their studies and extra-curricular activities. The award winners were: Shilpa Elizabeth Biju, Roslyn Paul Dominic, Milan Antony Jose, Anjali B. Theruvan, Sajna M. Saju, Reshma Manoj, Anna Shaji, Karthik Biju and Sona Davis.

The official programmes ended with the Vote of Thanks delivered by G. Rajesh, the General Secretary.

Sweet songs, delightful dance and a striking skit

The cultural entertainment session began with an enchanting Mohiniyattam

performance by Nanditha Rajesh, daughter of G. Rajesh, the General Secretary of KMPA, which was highly appreciated. G. Venugopal, Manmohan Shenoy, Raju N. Kutty and Mrs. Sindhu Saji entertained the audience by singing solo songs in Hindi and Malayalam. The duet performed by Mrs & Mr. Sabu was a memorable experience. Thiruvathira Kali performed by the members of Ladies’ Forum added a traditional Kerala flavor to the celebrations.

The highlight of the cultural programmes was a musical skit performed by KMPA couples. The President Saji and his wife led the league, followed by Mrs. & Mr. G.

Venugopal, Mrs. & Mr. G. Rajesh, Mrs. & Mr. K.P. Sabu and Mrs. & Mr. Manmohan Shenoy.

Lingering taste of happiness and unity The true joy of Onam was experienced

by all, and was evident on their faces throughout. In the lucky dip held during the intervals between the programmes, K. Madhusoodhanan, Manmohan Shenoy and T.P Radhakrishnan won a gold coin for each. Mrs. & Mr. K.P. Sabu won the prize for the ‘Best Dressed Couple’. A flavorsome OnaSadhya that topped the memorable day remained as a delightful experience to all the members of KMPA to cherish for a long time.

We sing together... In celebration mood...

The Mohiniyattam performance Rendition of Onam songs



All india federation ofMaster Printers

At the Election Meeting of the All India Federation of Master Printers held on September 25. 2016 at Hotel Le Meridien, Bangalore the following have been elected as Office Bearers for the year 2016-17

Mr. Kamal ChopraPresident

Mr. Arun K. GuptaVice President (North)

Mr. Anand V. LimayeHon. General Secretary

Mr. Rajendra JainVice President (West)

Mr. G.K. KalairajanHon. Joint Secretary

Mr. Sandip Kumar SanyalVice President (East)

Mr. C. Prakash BabuHon. Treasurer

Mr. C.D. KumaravelVice President (South)

Institute of Printing Technology and Government Polytechnic College, which has played a vital role in contributing to

the printing industry of Kerala, is all set to celebrate its Golden jubilee in 2017. Mr. Dinachandran C., Principal of IPT & GPT College, Shoranur said that the yearlong celebrations will commence in January 2017.

The institute was established in 1967 by the Govt. of Kerala under Technical Education Department in a serene place named Kulappully in Palakkad District. The Campus is spread out in a green, lustrous 33 acres of land amidst forest to the northern side of Shoranur Railway Junction. Besides being the first Government owned printing educational institution in Kerala, IPT & GPT has the privilege of the only Institute in the entire state

which offers a three Year Diploma programme in printing Technology. Always ready to update according to the changing times and technology, IPT & GPT has spread its wings to various fields like electronics, computer and engineering.

As part of its Golden jubilee, several

initiatives and programmes are planned. A prominent one is the setting up of a Print Museum, which will impart the history of printing to the coming generation. More than a museum, this will enable the students to get acquainted with the latest innovations in printing globally.

Golden glow to Shoranur iPT & GPT college

Institute of Printing Technology and Government Polytechnic College, Shoranur


Kerala Master Printers Association organized a Seminar on the theme ‘Wages & Statutory Obligations in

Printing Presses’ on 5th October, 2016. The Seminar was held at the KMPA Conference Hall and led by Mr. K. V. Mohandas, former Additional Labour Commissioner.

The theme chosen in the context of

Seminar conducted on the Revision of Wages

the new GO (P) No. 131/2016 LBR, which was clarified well by Mr. K. V. Mohandas, immensely helped the attendees to get enlightened in the subject. Minimum wages have gone up several times, and everyone especially those associated with printing industry must be very cautious on the statutory obligations like basic pay, DA, ESI,

PF, Bonus, compensation etc. Most members of the Kerala Master

Printers Association attended the Seminar, and everyone opined that it was a great opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the issue. The attendees also said that they expect such beneficial seminars in the future.

K.V. Mohandas, former Additional Labour Commissioner.

Members listening to the finer points of the ‘Wages & Statutory Obligations in Printing Presses’ as explained by Mr. K.V. Mohandas.

Fit for difference.Make a difference and focus on innovation.

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Ins_Difference_Generally_HS.indd 1 04.06.12 KW 23 15:48


Kerala Master Printers Association (KMPA) commemorated its late member P. S. Thomas, who passed

away on Thursday, 20th October, 2016. Mr. P. S. Thomas, a prominent figure

in the history of digital printing in Kerala, was fondly remembered by his friends and colleagues along with his son and brother.

In a heart touching condolence meeting held on 24th October 2016, which

was attended by many members of the association along with the family members of the deceased, Mr. Saji, the President of KMPA welcomed the guests. He said that a resolution will be handed over to Mr. Sebastian, son of late P. S. Thomas.

Mr. G. Venugopal read out a brief profile of P. S. Thomas. He also recalled his memories of the legendary man.

Mr. Joseph Muttathottil, Mr. Magesh and Mr. Shoukath Ali shared their memories

KMPA paid tribute to P.S. Thomas

about the deceased. Mr. P. S. Rajan, brother of P. S. Thomas also talked to the gathered, recalling his memories.

Condolence resolution was proposed by Mr. R. Gopakumar, which was unanimously seconded by the gathering. The resolution was ceremoniously handed over to Mr. Sebastian, representing the family of P. S. Thomas. Mr. Sebastian, in his reply speech thanked the Association members for the love and affection shown towards his father.

Many people may not know the fact that Indian constitution, the longest constitution in the world, was originally not printed, but handwritten. Its calligraphy was done by a man named Prem Behari Narain Raizada, a native of Delhi. Prem took 6 months to complete the calligraphy. On the process, he used 254 pen holder nibs. Indian constitution was printed photo lithographed for the first time by Survey of India, Dehradun, which was the National Survey and Mapping Organization of the country. Survey of India was also the oldest scientific department of Govt. of India. The original version of the constitution was signed by all the members of the Constituent Assembly in January 1950.

Where was The Constitution of India first printed?


In the Skill Expo held on 27th October at Tagore Theatre -Trivandrum, KMPA made an impressive mark. The Expo had 20

stalls representing various Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) courses. The stall put up by Kerala Masters Printers Association conveyed the importance of Printing Technology in our everyday life in very striking way. More than 500 Plus Two students from various schools visited the

KMPA stall shines at Skill expo 2016

Expo, which was open from 10 am to 4 pm.The KMPA stall was equipped with many

printed products from leading printers like Anaswara Offset, Sterling Print House, St. Joseph’s Press, Akshara Offset and Orange Printers, displayed the new trends in Printing. Press activities including pre-press, press and Post press, along with its prospects and job opportunities, were displayed on a large LCD TV. The demonstrations and featuring

was performed by ASAP students, who have successfully passed the course and are employed in various presses. A brochure about KMPA and ASAP printing courses made by us and a write-up by Dr. Rajendra Kumar Anayath was also distributed to students at the stall.

A powerful demonstration and contest at the stall based on the theme ‘Without printing, mankind cannot survive’ enlightened the students about how essential is printing in the life of man. It was done by asking the students

to identify the things brought from Super Market which are commonly used on everyday life with their label removed. The students were convinced that without the printed label proper identification of products was almost impossible.

In the convocation ceremony that followed the Expo, ASAP certificates were given away to students who passed ASAP. KMPA is specially indebted for this remarkable success to Mr. S. Saji - KMPA President, Mr. Pradeep Kulakada (man behind contest idea and execution) and Unni Menon, ASAP State coordinator for KMPA.

Above 500 Plus Two students from various schools visited the Expo

S. Saji, President, KMPA interacting with the students at the stall of KMPA

Participants with Unni Menon, ASAP State Coordinator for KMPA


Padmalochanan (Unni) of SR Printers, has no doubt about the future of printing. When asked about the

challenges faced by printing industry from digitalization and online media revolution, Unni confidently says that these new trends are in no way a challenge to printing.

“Printing is a part of human life. Man cannot live without printing. Think about this: when a child is born, you need to recourse to print the invitation cards for the ceremonies that follow. You need printing for wedding cards or whatever. I am sure printing will go on throughout the life span of human race and closely related to humans from birth to death and after on for the remembrance. Printing is ever lasting”

The beginning and the many challenges

SR Printers had its beginning in 2009 with Mr. Padmalochanan P. (also known as Unni), Managing Partner with his wife Padmaja as Partner. Unni had always cherished a love for printing and he had worked for various print shop for decades. He had even been in Mumbai for a long time, working in printing industry. His many years of experience ignited a passion for printing and eventually Unni decided to start his own Print shop under the name SR Printers.

He has another company in the name SR Graphics (started during 2000) which is a package box manufacturing unit.

“Actually, the name SR owes the names of my father, Ramankutty Nair and father-in-law, Sreedhara Menon. It also represents the name of my Son – Sree Ram.”

SR Printers began with just 5 staffs and a small printing unit. Unni had to face many challenges, especially from the bureaucracy. Moreover, SR had to face stiff competition in the industry.

“Kerala is a small state and printing industry did have a huge constraint regarding raw materials availability and rapid fluctuated prices. There was stiff competition among the big and small printing units which is a critical problem,” says Unni.

“I reduced the margin; that was how I managed to prevail over the competition” he adds.

Advance in technology Addition of a multi colour high speed

machine renewed the strength of SR printers. Coupled with manpower, it helped to reduce the production cost and the firm became competent.

“Technologically printing industry depends upon the machinery. Production and cost depend on these. High speed multicolor machines directly increase the production capacity and reduce the cost. Most printing

firms in Kerala thrive on Export which will mark the growth story” added Unni.

Today SR printers are doing great works, even doing some overseas works a couple of years ago. The print shop is focusing more into packaging, and they are doing it well. The number of staff has increased to twelve along with the added hi-tech machinery which includes multi colour printing machine, lamination machine, cutting machine, die cutting machine and so on.

Exhibit quality productsUnni has his own views of taking

advantage of the prevailing situations. He has a suggestion how to tap the potentials for the growth of printing industry in Kerala:

“The good news is that commercial market in other states needs quality printed material generated by the State of Kerala. But the lack of finding the proper consumers is a drawback in this industry. The only way to rectify this drawback is to conduct exhibitions of quality products and inviting consumers in and out of country to attend these exhibitions.”

Work hard and learn from failures“For him there is no short cut

to success. Success is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure,” signs off Unni.

Printing will live on!Padmalochanan (Unni)

Know your member...


Phone : +91 487 3290309, +91 487 6532488 Email : [email protected] : www.redlandsmpl.com, www.digitalprintfinish.in

Corporate Office : Redlands House, Karikkath Lane, M.G. Road,Thrissur, Kerala - 680 001, INDIA.Demo, Training, R&D Center : Door No : TC/11/529/ 2 & 4,N.H 47, By Pass Junction, Nadathara P.O, Thrissur- 680751.Fax : +91 487 2320951

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MOHR SETS THE PACE FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE FINISHING PROCESS


industry newsRajam Digital proudly owns Tamil nadu’s first heidelberg Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor Press

deliver first-rate quality at significantly lower costs per sheet for higher runs, which makes the technology competitive vs. digital print products.

“Heidelberg Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor is certainly an impressive addition to our portfolio. We see a shift in business from digital printing to Anicolor printing. Many of our customers prefer the Anicolor, because of swift delivery, premium quality and flexible pricing,” said Viswakumar, a self-taught entrepreneur and passionate printer.

Ganesh Kumar, Senior Sales Manager, Heidelberg, expounded on the merits of the printer: “The Anicolor inking unit produces ghost-free printing, by ensuring consistent quality through the entire production run. In combination with Heidelberg’s Prinect color management, Anicolor delivers outstanding results.”

“The definite advantage over conventional offset printing can be fully realized while using a Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor for four-color, standard commercial jobs in runs ranging from 100 to 500 sheets” Ganesh Kumar added.

Along with the Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor, the print firm has also invested in a

Heidelberg Suprasetter A7 5CTP. Viswakumar is all praise for the new

arrival, “Our Suprasetter CtP A75 reinforces the performance of Anicolor with seamless plate output. The A75 is equipped with highly accurate internal punching systems to provide maximum register accuracy, in turn reducing press make-ready times” he said.

The versatile A75 handle conventional, process less and chemical-free thermal plates, with a productivity of 17 to 22 plates per hour. Production reliability is ensured through the Intelligent Diode System (IDS), which ensures that operation can continue, even if a diode fails.

When paper is cut for printing jobs, printers are usually left with 4’’ X 20’’ cutting bits that can be used only for recycling. Viswakumar stated that the installation of the new Anicolour has changed the equation. “We use these paper bits to print visiting cards or wedding cards.”

Another advantage of the Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor is that it can print on any paper with thickness ranging from 0.03 mm to 0.40 mm. It can handle sheet sizes varying between a minimum of 105 mm x 145 mm and a maximum of 370 mm x 520 mm.

Rajam Digital, a Chennai based print shop, has installed the Heidelberg Speedmaster SX 52 Anicolor press,

the first in Tamil Nadu. Established in 2008 as a digital print shop specializing in photo albums, Rajam Digital later forayed into commercial printing in 2011, and enjoys a market-dominant position in the digital photo album space in Chennai and the rest of Tamil Nadu. The print shop also caters to overseas customers.

The Speedmaster SX 52, a hybrid press, combines the cutting-edge performance innovation of the XL class with the tried-and-tested Speedmaster SM 52 platform. The Anicolor press is adept at handling short-run print jobs, starting from as low as 100 sheets onwards.

This is possible, because the short, zone less Anicolor inking unit consists of fewer rollers with a dampening system that facilitates quick and even inking. No tedious inking adjustments are required with the Anicolor, as it is extremely easy to operate. This implies a reduction in startup waste to just less than five sheets, and shortening make-ready times to less than six minutes per job. Anicolor offers users the flexibility to


industry news

VINSAK, a leading manufacturer of Label Printing and security solutions is going to participate for the record 20th time

in Label Expo India 2016 and every year VINSAK brings something new for visitors. In the last Label Expo India 2014, VINSAK has showcased its LVPI, LSR and DSR machines capable for Digital Label Printing and Finishing. VINSAK have received an overwhelming response from buyers for these machines.

To continue its legacy of showcasing latest innovations in Label Expo Editions, this year VINSAK in the Expo and will display their most watched USAR machine equipped with

slitter, rewinder and 100% inspection system for label finishing. Being a modular machine, it can be equipped with die-cutting, variable

data printing and, adjustable splicing table with pneumatic clamps for removal of the waste product.

vinSAK to participate for the record20th time in label expo india 2016


Muller Martini recently showcased its game-changing Finishing 4.0 digital networking technology, including

an end-to-end touchless workflow, at this year’s Graph Expo in Orlando, Florida. Print service providers experienced first-hand an array of flexible and highly efficient finishing

At Books on Demand GmbH in northern Germany, the inline Vareo/InfiniTrim duo ensures that printing and print finishing

fulfills the highest standards even for print runs of one copy.

This is especially important for the books produced in publishing companies and digital printing presses which ensure that deliveries take place within 12 hours. In its print finishing segment, BoD™ is the world’s first publishing services provider to rely on the three-clamp Vareo perfect binder and the brand-new Muller Martini InfiniTrim three-knife trimmer, which made its world premiere at drupa 2016.

For over 15 years, BoD™ has been considered to be the experienced partner for book orders starting at just one copy both in, and for some time now, outside Germany. Its reputation is also a constant commitment.

industry news

The revolutionary InfiniTrim three-knife trimmer proved to be a major attraction at Muller Martini’s drupa booth.

Compared to its previous solution, Yogesh Torani, CEO of Books on Demand, views the increased output, improved quality of the end products and less backlog as its most fundamental advantages. The brand new InfiniTrim three-knife trimmer, which has a revolutionary drive, transport and trimming concept, is clearly superior to comparable machines in terms of net output and flexibility.

The future of finishing shines at Graph exposolutions that can help them successfully migrate to digital and hybrid platforms while concurrently satisfying customer demands for conventionally produced products.

Muller Martini’s live equipment demonstrations showed how digital, offset and hybrid-printed products can be processed

efficiently using a smart, highly automated workflow. Throughout, the all-new Connex.Info 4.0 tracking and monitoring module provided seamless connectivity for both digital and conventional print production.

Muller Martini’s highly automated print finishing systems can produce both long-and ultra-short runs, with variable trim sizes and content, including:

• Vareo. This innovative perfect binder processed both offset and digitally produced signatures and was fully equipped with an all-new PUR gluing system. The Vareo was recently awarded “Printing News”’ “Readers’ Choice Top Products Award.” The award recognizes the most significant products introduced to the commercial printing industry within the past 15 months.

• Presto II Digital. This saddle stitcher demonstrated its remarkable versatility in merging both web and conventional signatures. An array of personalized products of varying formats and thicknesses were processed.

Andy Fetherman from Muller Martini North America explains the advantages of the Vareo perfect binder.

The fact that the inline duo works perfectly together also has to do with another partnership: BoD™ was instrumental in developing the Vareo and also worked closely with Müller Martini during the development phase of the InfiniTrim. Given its large market potential, it is therefore no surprise that BoD™ has plans to add a second Vareo/InfiniTrim duo in 2017.

Perfect harmonyfor two


industry news

Monotech Systems, India’s leading solutions provider for printing and packaging industry brings to

display Focus Proflex at Labelexpo India. The company has recently finished the first

Monotech to display focus Proflex at labelexpo india

installation in India at Glamod Techno Labels, Mumbai. The latest offering from Focus Label Machinery, UK, Proflex Se flexo press was launched in Labelexpo Europe 2015.

The machine on display would be a 6

color all UV Servo model Proflex Se with full UV and hot air/IR drying, cold foil and turn bar on rail, die cutting and easy loading features among other.

The new ‘Se’ open architecture print platform allows faster change over and set up of jobs with easy access for the operator to monitor all key elements like ink levels, impression pressures, register and drying systems. Open architecture servo technology has the ability to provide with creative solutions for today and future.

At Labelexpo India, the company will also display the samples of various packaging labels printed on Labelmen Intermittent Offset Press. There was a recent association of Monotech Systems with Labelmen International to represent the intermittent offset and letterpress label presses in India.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions India introduced a new digital solution for the label and packaging industry. The bizhub

PRESS C71cf will benefit businesses as they transition from conventional printing to digital technology. This digital press is the first of many new products that supports Konica Minolta’s strategy in the label and packaging industry market.

As the market for digitally printed packaging and labels continues to expand rapidly, driven by factors such as customization and regionalized products, Konica Minolta builds on its reliable dry-toner technology platform. As one of the market leaders in the print space, Konica Minolta is defining what true disruptive technology is by providing a way to make digital better than it has ever been done before. Konica Minolta is positioning the C71cf as a mid-range option that fills the gap between entry-level and high-end systems.

Konica Minolta forays into the label Printing market with bizhub PReSS c71cf

“Bizhub PRESS C71cf stands apart with its surprising ease of use, coming as a perfect printing machine for the short run requirements of labels to complement their offset process. We are excited to introduce new, economical and productive Digital Press for the Label Industry. With its flexibility and efficiency, bizhub PRESS c71cf delivers a new level of value to the industry” adds Yoshinori Koide, EGM – PP & IP Marketing, Konica Minolta India.

Bizhub PRESS C71CF incorporates the

pioneering Dry-toner electro photography printing mechanism, offering full colour (CMYK) support. The machine also offers an impressive printing resolution of 1200 dots per inch(dpi), equivalent to 3600 dpi *1200dpi/8bit and can print images with a maximum size of 1195*320 mm.

The digital printing solution also supports a paper width of 330 millimetresand prints a maximum image width of 320 millimetres, ideal for medium sized printing businesses with diverse client requirements.


‘Print Miracle’ invites articles, news, photo features etc. from members, relevant subject experts, which will be published on a priority basis in future issues of the Journal. We solicit participation from the enthusiastic printing fraternity across the world and request them to forward the materials preferably in soft copy.

For any comments & suggestions about ‘Print Miracle’, please write to the Editor.

Email to: [email protected], [email protected]

Cover credits: K.S. Jayakumar, Since‘02

industry news

AGS Transact Technologies Ltd. (AGSTTL), India’s only end-to-end payment solutions in the banking, retail and

petroleum sectors bagged two Bronze for ‘AGS News’ in ‘Newsletter’ and ‘Newsletter Design’ categories, at the 56th Annual Awards of the Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI), held recently in Mumbai.

The award winning entry ‘AGS News’ was based on the theme ‘Future of retail Automation’ in lieu of the launch of first-of-its-

kind Intelligent Cash Deposit Machine (iCD) by AGSTTL, earlier this year. The content and design of the quarterly newsletter focused on the innovative omni-channel touch points in the retail sector; covering all the latest developments in the company as a medium to update the internal stakeholders (partners).

Commenting on the achievement, Pratik Seal, Group Chief Marketing Officer, AGS Transact Technologies Ltd., said, “As India’s only end-to-end payment solutions provider,

AGSTTL, thrives on being a Disruptive company. In line with the company’s ethos, it is our foremost commitment to innovate and deliver superior stakeholder communication to keep them abreast with developments within AGS TTL and upcoming trends.”

With an impressive footprint across South East Asia and presence in over 700+ cities & towns across India, AGSTTL has over 1 lakh customer touch points across Banking, Petroleum and Retail sectors.

AGS Transact Technologies ltd. bags two awards at 56th ABci Awards

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HARD COVER MADE EASY

PUR enables you to bind book blocks and round them too, without thread sewing. You can also insert art plates or lose leaves without tipping them. This makes hard cover binding easy and fast.

Welbound PUReBind is provided with end-sheet gluing facility. It is equipped with Nordson PUReOne system consisting of 2 Kg melter and SB60 BoD applicator.

We at Welbound, with Henkel and Nordson bring a technology that makes hard cover book production effortless

Hard cover made easy.

• Heat resistant • Lasts forever • Cold resistant • Binds any substrate • Lay-flat books • Strongest binding

For more information, call us at +917738146646 | Email: [email protected] www.facebook.com/perfectbinding | Website: www.welbound.com

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