IPP 9 Conference and the globalisation of print

The globalisation of print and IPP9 03Dec02

by Naresh Khanna

Laurel Brunner writes elsewhere in, "The Future of Publishing" that she cannot understand why in the current recession of the industry, participation is falling in seminars and conferences. She sees this as a time of transition and rapid change where better intellectual resources can be decisive.

Brunner says she has written this article to provoke and I am certainly provoked for two reasons. Firstly because our organisation holds the only user conference in Asia for the graphic arts, and secondly, because our economy and printing industries are both growing. Although our per capita print consumption is low and economic growth has slowed to 4.5% over the last two years, the leading printers, publishers and converters are thriving. In the West, restructuring, consolidation, convergence and new media are the reigning mantras and printing is a sunset industry.

Our industry is the beneficiary of rising literacy and a burgeoning market economy. It is exporting printing presses, finishing equipment, paper, ink, stationery, printed material, book printing, typesetting and digitisation of legacy and new content. The variety of our manufacture and our skills make us a potential printing powerhouse. The globalisation of print is a reality and if we are able to strengthen our branding we will be able to overcome the lack of infrastructure just as the software industry has.

Just as Sivakasi was a centre of calendar and poster printing, Indian printers can become global providers for a whole range of projects and products that include design, digitisation and web services to printed books, catalogs, packaging and publications. Even with high shipping costs and high customs tariffs on equipment and materials we are extremely competitive. But what is decisive is that we can and do compete in terms of print quality and service. Our printers and service providers are amongst the best in the world! Can you digest that? Did you know that TechBooks in the US talks about the Delhi Model?

I am thrilled when a Delhi printer wants to talk about book exports. He says we haven't scratched the surface and wants to show me his automated bindery. Another printer experiments with the latest techniques in thread sealing — he wants to teach the art and science of modern binding to young engineers. A packaging printer in Mumbai shows me novel products collected at Interpack where there were 13 Indian exhibitors. He wants to add a range of services to the packaging he exports.

Many printers in South India have leapfrogged the big guys to install computer to plate. New automated presses have transformed their ideas of quality and productivity. One printer says that automation is a must for large pharmaceutical packaging export orders. He shows me picture postcard albums exported to the United States. Another printer speaks of huge expansion plans and last year's million-dollar export.

I am particularly thrilled by the third generation printers — the grandsons and granddaughters in the printing industry, educated in economics, business, engineering-now taking decisions to buy new presses, colour management, and computer to plate in businesses grown on second-hand presses. They creatively go the extra mile for export work that comes over the Internet to add the bit of digital finesse and excellence that transforms a print job into an extraordinary experience for the print buyer, designer, or photographer.

This new generation is undaunted by technology and wants to do things the right way. They are not interested in why things cannot be done or in doing things in the old way. "What is the good of our expensive education and training," they ask, "if we are going to be sitting in the press day and night churning out ordinary work on old conventional presses?" They are in position to take on global markets by using new technology.

In some print jobs China competes on price and we are able to meet this competition head on. As the WTO regime kicks into place, the leading Indian printers should become even more competitive. The cost and availability of equipment and materials will benefit from decreasing tariffs and the cost of capital will also decline. Are we ready to make the investments for specialised equipment, to absorb technology and to bring in and train the technicians? Are we ready to act as a community to build the Indian printing brand?

This is the real agenda of the IPP9 users conference in Hyderabad-an annual get together of printers, publishers, packagers, big and small, ready to speak and share. Curious about how their peers are filtering and absorbing new technology and keen to develop a common perspective about the industry and its future. For conference details www.ippconference.com and registration.