Printers aim for global standards

The All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) and Xerox India, will host the 4th National Awards for Excellence in Printing (NAEP) in Kolkata on February 22 this year.

This is for the first time that NAEP is being held in eastern India.

The first NAEP was held at Delhi 12 years ago. Chennai and Mumbai were the other cities where NAEP was held.

The printing and packaging industry in India and its output comprise magazines, newspapers, books, catalogues, packaging products and other publications like coffee-table books, among others.

The West Bengal Master Printers' Association will host the event in Kolkata.

According to Bikash Sarker, chairman, AIFMP - NAEP 2008, "With the increased acceptance of digital printing, most publishers and publications are striving to touch global standards. The awards are important to recognise that effort."

The $12.1 billion printing industry is growing at around 12 per cent year on year, due to India's booming economy, publishing and media business.

"India's printing export revenue stood at close to Rs 2059 crore in 2006-07, and is sure to touch Rs 5000 crore by 2010. As of now, India is the second largest market in printing, next only to China. Going by its growth, India should become the largest market in the next two years," added Sarker.

This year, for the first time, the NAEP awards have been classified into small (1-5 printing units), medium (6-15 printing units) and big (about 15 printing units), in an attempt to create a level-playing field for the participating companies and groups.

So far, the association has received about 2021 entries of which 265 are from West Bengal.

the Indian printing industry in India has consistently outpaced GDP growth. Since 1989, the printing and packaging industries' collective growth has had a compound annual growth rate of over 16.2 per cent.

India has more than 1,50,000 printing presses actively in operation, with a capital investment of over Rs 83,000 million. This industry provides employment to about 1.5 million people directly or indirectly. The literacy growth in India has touched 66.72 per cent figure, which is also pushing the growth of the prinitng industry.

The rising literacy levels has also resulted in keeping abreast of the latest and the state-of-the-art developments in the entire gamut of pre-press, in-press and post-press processes involved in the printing and packaging industry.