FESPA in India: print industry looks positive

We speak to Jignesh Lapasiya, secretary of SPAI and Editor-in-Chief of ScreenTex print industry magazine, about the current state of printing in India.

With almost 1.5 billion people among its populace, it’s fair to say there is no shortage of demand when it comes to the Indian print industry. In fact, when we ask about the market for print-on-demand in the country, secretary of Screen Printers’ Association of India (SPAI), Jignesh Lapasiya has to laugh.

“The thing about India is, even the print-on-demand quantities we are seeing are never less than 100 or 200 units, simply because of the size of our country and population,” Jignesh says.

“I travel all around the world and I can see how many countries are exploring the idea of print on demand. In India, we are still at the stage where people want to order in large quantities and sell in large quantities. But when we reach the stage where most purchases are done online, then I think people will want more print on demand.”

That time will come sooner than many might expect, with India’s development continuing at a pace that promises to yield much, and not only for those living within India’s expansive landmass.

“There are a lot of opportunities for printers in India. For example, over the last few years, there have been changes to packaging in the Indian market and, as an industry, we have developed better packaging options. But those improvements also apply to our export market, where we are exporting to a huge number of countries,” Jignesh says.

“It’s not just about printed products, either. We now have print machine manufacturers and print ink manufacturers based in India. Fujifilm Sericol has started production as Fujifilm Sericol India and Photokina Chemicals India Private Ltd has become the first company to start manufacturing things like screen emulsions and squeegees in India.

“Over the last couple of years, I have taken Indian print manufacturers to meet potential customers in Doha and Riyadh. There are many places in the world where Indian manufacturing is well respected, I can see, in the relatively near future, India becoming an even more important print manufacturing hub and exporter for machines, inks, and other related products for printing and packaging.”

Another endorsement of the Indian print industry’s health can be seen in the interest afforded to it by international print or print-related organisations,…