Indian Printer Publisher

  International Business Forms (IBF) has maintained its significant relationship with Monotech ’s Jetsci inkjet solutions to install its seventh Jetsci M series inkjet system. The latest installation is again for confidential variable data printing online on another of its narrow web offset presses. As a part of IBF’s expansion, the Gurgaon, Haryana headquartered company, has set up a second plant at Ghiloth in Rajasthan. The new plant is more extensive at 4,000 square meters and doubles its capacity from one million to two million documents or products daily.  IBF is a pioneer in the confidential VDP printing domain specializing in online VDP on OMR answer booklets, admit cards, attendance sheets, courier dockets, and other education-related products. It uses hybrid narrow width web offset presses with variable data inkjet sur-printing for these secure and personalized education products. Ajay Jain, the owner of International Business Forms, says, “It took us time to adopt t...

  Heidelberg is launching a global customer campaign this fall. Worth knowing, digital, personal – with the ‘Innovation Week’ from 19 to 23 October 2020, the company is holding a digital event with product presentations of its current highlights, innovation talks, and one-on-one conversations via video chat. Under the motto, “Unfold your potential,” Heidelberg will showcase the potential offered by the digitization of processes for the commercial, label, and packaging printing segments. The aim is to increase the productivity and competitiveness of print shops. The company will present answers to the challenges in the print media industry and how to make the industry fit for the future: with innovative technologies, new business models, and end-to-end solutions to boost performance. Heidelberg wants to inform its customers of the latest developments quickly, flexibly, and continuously, and to provide support for investment decisions also in times of Covid-19 through digital forma...

  BRIEF At a time when touching comes with a major health risk, how do the blind find their way around? The more I thought about this question, the more I realised how crippling the impact of the pandemic was for the disadvantaged and challenged. And that led me to the story of Dharman and Uganthai. I travelled from Chennai to Chengalpattu, a COVID-19 hotspot, wearing a mask, face shield, gloves, so that their story would not go unheard. Dharman was standing at the side of a narrow road, wearing a warm smile, and waving in the air when I first met him in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, where he lives with his wife, Uganthai, and his two-year-old son, Rohit. Confined to their homes in the wake of the pandemic, Dharman and Uganthai, a visually impaired couple who relied on trains as vendors, have been robbed off their income, but not their fighting spirit. They were struggling for every meal but I was inspired by their courage and determination in the face of adversity.  And, th...

  The Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus still poses an extraordinary threat to public health worldwide. According to the WHO, if left unchecked, it could ultimately claim millions of lives worldwide. While other measures such as social distancing can help reduce the spread of the Covid-19 , these measures come at substantial social and economic costs disproportionately borne by underprivileged groups. The primary concerns so far for this pandemic include -- lack of safe, effective vaccines and treatments, insufficient scientific knowledge regarding pathogenesis, immunity, and transmission rate. As researchers worldwide race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, many people have volunteered to take part in a controversial testing method called human challenge trials. These trials involve the deliberate infection of healthy volunteers. These trials are not new and are particularly valuable for testing vaccines, such as early the research with smallpox and malaria that trans...

  Installations of multicolor offset presses have been sparse, to say the least. These were mostly machines ordered in the previous financial year and were installed as the lockdown was lifted in May, June, and in August. Altogether, only seven presses have been installed since April in its unlikely that the number will go higher than 13 or 14 installations till the end of the financial year in March 2021. Some of the more optimistic manufacturers were hoping to limit the damage this year with installations reduced to 60% of the previous year. Others were forecasting a total wipeout. However, it is more likely that the actual number will be half of what the optimists were hoping. Though higher for digital press installations, the numbers are nevertheless proportionately similar compared to the first five months of the previous financial year. Commercial print down while monocarton printing is holding up What is noticeable is that India's commercial printing market seems to have com...

  A printer, brooding on the loss of a woman he loved, set her name in type and swallowed it.  – Anais Nin drupa and interpack on feet of clay This was supposed to be the drupa year, but coronaviruses messed it all up. Most likely, 2020 will be remembered as the Covid-19 year, even though we had other pandemics before, such as the so-called Hong Kong flu of 1968, killing millions of people worldwide but largely forgotten. Or influenza, HIV, ebola, mononucleosis, and measles outbreaks that keep plaguing the planet. And according to virologists, the future seems to hold virus attacks that could be even more difficult to cope with.  At any rate, it looks like the present pandemic and the measures to combat it have taken their toll on the economics of a trade fair industry already struggling for the past two decades. Drupa , interpack and a dozen other major tradeshows planned at the Dusseldorf fairgrounds this year had to be postponed or canceled for a period far exceeding ...

  On 1 September 2020, Quantum Design, owner of the KTI product line of automatic splicers and turret rewinders, announced its agreement with Hunkeler, a leader in digital print finishing solutions making it the exclusive supplier of automatic splicing and rewinding equipment for Hunkeler. The partnership results from many months of hard work collaborating on a custom automatic splicing machine, the Hunkeler RS8 model, and an automatic turret rewinder, the Hunkeler TR8 model. Hunkeler is already selling these new models as part of a complete inline finishing system for the digital printing industry. The technology central to this collaboration is a game-changer for digital printing. Hunkeler will offer the first inline finishing system with non-stop end to end processing in the industry. Hunkeler displayed the full solution at its in-house event, Innovationdays 2019 , and had plans to showcase the equipment at drupa 2020 before the event’s postponement. The initial launch of these...

  Dr M Nandakumar, principal and head of the Department of Printing Technology at Sivakasi’s Arasan Ganesan Polytechnic College , has been awarded the National Level Visvesvaraya Best Teacher Award by the All India Council for Technical Education which is based in New Delhi. Honorable Education Minister, Govt. of India, The central government education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank took part in the online award ceremony event honoring the best teachers of the technical institutes in the country on 15 September 2020. The criteria for the selection of the award include the use of innovative teaching and learning practices, academic outcomes, publication in research journals, funds received from the government for institute development, contributions to community development and student development and welfare activities. This is the first-ever award instituted by the AICTE for honoring engineering and technology teachers at the national level. Dr M Nandakumar is the only teacher ...

  Konica Minolta Business Solutions has expanded its bizhub i-Series with the launch of six new black and white A3 multifunctional printers (MFPs). “The new bizhub 750i, 650i, 550i, 450i, 360i, and 300i multifunctional devices offer functionality with beneficial features for workplaces with printing needs ranging from low-volume to high-volume, not requiring color output,” the company said. The launch expands Konica Minolta’s offering with the addition of the 75ppm 750i, a speed not available in its previous monochrome MFP lineup, the company said. As per the company, the large, floating 10-inch tablet-style touch panel with a 26° to 90° tilt angle provides convenient accessibility and operation for all users with standard customization functionality as well as through the optional MarketPlace UI Builder, Personalize and Personalize’s Follow-You Persona. Easy, touchless accessibility is provided through the bizhub Remote Access app, enabling remote MFP panel operations, data entry...

  K&B has just released a new generation of the Rapida 76 sheetfed offset press. The B2 press (standard sheet format 530 x 750 mm; special format 605 x 750 mm) has a high level of automation, a minimal footprint, and peak printing speeds of up to 18,000 sheets an hour. Automation functions characterize the Rapida 76 as an extremely efficient press, with high-performance features including DriveTronic dedicated drive components, which eliminate gear systems and provide for both simple handling and parallel processes during job changeovers and make-ready. There are full preset capabilities of all press functions and the ErgoTronic console with a wall screen. The Rapida 76 has additional decentralized touchscreens for maximum ease of operation. Highly configurable Rapida 76 For as many different applications as possible, up to 11 printing and finishing units can be combined to configure a Rapida 76 for specific production needs. That could mean a ten-color press with an automatic...

  Monotech Systems has integrated a second JETSCI YAQ high-speed inkjet imprinting solution on a narrow web offset printing machine for printing security documents at a leading press in Dhaka in Bangladesh. Increased job orders from educational institutions (OMR Sheets) have pushed the customer to opt for an additional system. The installation of the first JETSCI inkjet imprinting system in Bangladesh in 2018, opened new business avenues for customers in the secure educational document segment. This installation makes it three such systems working in Bangladesh. The JETSCI industrial inkjet systems have more than 250 installations across the globe. ]   Neeraj Thappa, assistant vice president of International Sales at Monotech Systems , said, “This is our second YAQ industrial high-speed inkjet system installation in Bangladesh and it has a unique print width of 324 mm. Due to our print system being modular and versatile, we were able to build this large print-system needed by...

  Finishfit Microbe Protect 2400, developed by Epple Druckfarben in Germany, was tested on a wide range of Jet Press printed products at Fujifilm’s Advanced Print Technology Centre in Brussels. Inks and coatings developer Epple Druckfarben has produced a coating to dramatically reduce the chances of bacteria or viruses being passed from person to person via printed media. Now commercially available, the new water-based varnish, Finishfit Microbe Protect 2400, has undergone a rigorous testing process, including tests on Jet Press printed products at Fujifilm’s Advanced Print Technology Centre in Brussels. The coating has been proven to be effective in killing up to 99.9% of bacteria. This makes it ideal for use on everyday printed products handled by multiple people, such as playing cards, magazines, food menus, and packaging of all kinds – including pharmaceutical-based packaging and selected plastic films. Water-based coating contains silver-nanoparticles Finishfit Microbe Prote...

  The last mile connectivity in newspaper distribution has always been a challenge for publishers. But the problem is not unique to publishers. Direct delivery businesses such as online grocery stores have faced them too, but over time they have mastered it as it's crucial in customer retention.  Bigbasket.com has revolutionized this space with its innovative approaches and strategies in distribution and last-mile delivery which has helped them to acquire and retain customers. Learnings from the distribution strategies of online grocery store, Bigbasket. Balakumar TK, COO, Bigbasket.com  joins a conversation with Sridhar Aranala, vice president – Sales and Distribution, The Hindu , at WAN-IFRA India 2020 - Printing Summit to tell us more about it. The Wan-Ifra India Summit this year is a virtual event.  Register today . Registration is complimentary for WAN-IFRA members.

  drupa has come further to terms with the Covid-19 pandemic by what it calls extending its digital offering. This eventuality was clearly implied in the recent interview of VDMA’s Markus Heering.  Starting in October, the online platform drupa preview will offer exhibitors and visitors an additional channel for touching base with the sector, discussing trending themes, and presenting product portfolios. The portal will consist of the content formats – Conference, Exhibition, and Networking.  The most important, of course is Exhibition as it implies the admission that the hybrid drupa 2021 is likely to be a digital or virtual exhibition increasingly. It has also now become, in a fantastic and unanticipated internet of things or Io4, extended the idea of buying and selling technology to a six-month window that is likely to become a continuum of space and time. The idea is not new, the Frankfurt Book Fair has openly said its Special Edition fair this October will be hybri...

The German Packaging Institute has honored Syntegon Technology, formerly Bosch Packaging Technology, with the German Packaging Award in the category "Packaging Machines" -- the compact TPU1000 form, fill, and seal system convinced the jury with its wide range of possibilities for innovative, sustainable portion packs made of fiber-based material. The German Packaging Award 2020 underlines Syntegon's focus on sustainable and intelligent technologies. TPU1000 paves the way for sustainable packaging Every year, the German Packaging Institute dvi honors groundbreaking packaging ideas and machines in a contest that encompasses all industries and packaging materials. This year, one of the coveted prizes went to the TPU1000 paper forming machine from Syntegon. According to the jury, the form, fill, and seal machine for paper-based packaging material paves the way for new, sustainable packaging solutions that meet the trends towards replacing petrochemical plastics and individua...

  The last date for submissions of projects for the South Asian Digital Media Awards 2020 has been extended due to last minute demand. “Due to overwhelming last-minute demand, we've extended the deadline,” WAN-IFRA , which is organizing the awards said in a statement. Entities now have until 10 September to submit their projects in 10 categories for review by the panel of judges. They can register by 7 September and submit by 10 September. Projects can be registered at https://wan-ifra.awardsplatform.com/ Full list of award categories: Best News Website or Mobile Service Best in Lifestyle, Sports, Entertainment Website or Mobile Services Best Use of Online Video (including VR) Best Data Visualisation Best Paid Content Strategy (incl. pay wall, membership or crowd funding models) Best Native Advertising / Branded Content Campaign Best Project for News Literacy - New Best in Audience Engagement Best Marketing Campaign for News Brand Best Special Project for COVID19 - New The f...

  On 26 August 2020, Amcor announced that it had joined the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative, solutions-driven initiative to create a path forward to a circular economy for plastics in the United States by 2025. The US Plastics Pact is focused on four ambitious goals intended to drive significant systems change by unifying diverse cross-sector approaches, setting a national strategy, and creating scalable solutions. The first North American Pact of its kind, the US Plastics Pact is a collaboration led by The Recycling Partnership, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Ellen MacArthur Foundation . The US Pact convenes more than 60+ brands, retailers, NGOs, and government agencies across the plastics value chain to bring one voice to US packaging through coordinated initiatives and innovative solutions for rethinking products, packaging, and business models. “As a global leader in the packaging industry, Amcor’s colleagues continuously push themselves and others to achieve more, to unders...