Screen Print India: A view from the ground

The top players were: Sunstar Graphics, Skyscreen India, Grafica Flextronica, Epson, HP, Sericol, Colors, Union Inks, The Global, Varsha Transprint and San Printech.

Key takeaways from the show

Textile printing
The show had textile and garment printing at its heart; both for screen and digital printing segment. While the trend for textile printing is skewed towards digital, a group of students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhopal, who interacted with PrintWeek India, opined that screen print technology gives them an advantage over digital for both cost effectiveness and the array of possibilities to explore design.

This is true. 

Digital technology, across applications which are currently reined by screen print process, has not yet arrived. The costs are not match-able and the technology, not evolved. But, an optimistic Ajit Lalvani, of Mumbai-based Sunstar Graphics, said, “The technology will evolve. In India we have just arrived at the doorstep of digitisation across all industries and areas and we have a long way to go. But interestingly enough, like in other areas of printing, screen printing has leaped to digital, without exploring the large possibilities of screen. There is a huge scope and an array of applications which the printers here, in India, aren't exploring. We are still at the nascent stage.”

The leap was evident with the launch of Anajet mP5i and mP10i digital apparel printers at the Sunstar stand. Sunstar, along with New Delhi-based Printing and Accessory Solutions (PAS) has acquired the distributorship of California-based Anajet, the manufacturers of direct-to-garment machines, recently.

The ink story
Although many screen ink manufacturers offer an ‘all-purpose’ screen ink or a ‘multi-purpose ink,’ including a wide variety of substrates and product performance generally demands specific inks for specific applications. 

The ink manufacturers that PrintWeek India interacted with during the show - Sericol, Mumbai-based Colors, New Delhi-based Union Inks, and Tirupur-based The Global, to name – had one thing to say. They said, on an average, 30 percent of their production is a standard ink set while the remainder is customised for the various applications that the printers cater to. Said, Mustafa Kapadia, director at Colors, “The end user, the brands, are always seeking to make their brands stand out. They are more demanding and are aware of the many possibilities that print can create. This is where we step in and basis their requirement, customise the inks for them.”

These manufacturers, with the exception of The Global, export. The Global occupies a larger share in the domestic market, especially in the hosiery hub of Tirupur

The show sent out a clear message that the once upon a time considered advanced form of art, screen printing, has evolved to the point of automation and photomechanics. 

The growth areas
"One of the growing segments is the automotive industry. The pattern printed is a solid band along one side that becomes a series of dots or stars in its other border. The strip is found around the edge of windows on many cars. Screen printing is also used on the instrument panel to indicate various dials and gauges.

The many other applications of screen include outdoor signage, container decorating, and printed circuitry, labels, billboards, automotive glass, flat glass, compact discs, and bottles.