Bhatia Graphica: Pioneering excellence in packaging pre-press — The Noel D’Cunha Sunday Column

Founded in 1997 by Ram Bhatia and his son, Jitendra Bhatia, director at Bhatia Graphica, the company has earned acclaim for its precision, quality, and forward-thinking solutions in dry offset, flexographic, and letterpress plate-making.

With a dedicated team of over 50 experts, three cutting-edge computer-to-plate (CTP) systems, high-performance servers, and advanced packaging editors, it has delivered over 5,00,000 jobs to more than 1,000 clients across the globe.

Known for its dry offset pre-press expertise, Bhatia Graphica achieves exceptional dot reproduction and sharp detailing for vibrant prints on cylindrical surfaces like aerosol cans. Its flexographic and letterpress plate-making leadership caters to narrow-, mid-, and wide-web printing, meeting diverse industry needs. Committed to sustainability, automation, and next-generation advancements, the company continues to redefine pre-press standards.

The packaging and printing sector is navigating a complex landscape. Economic uncertainty, tight schedules, and an urgent push for eco-friendly practices put converters under pressure to deliver flawless results efficiently. Pre-media firms like Bhatia Graphica are pivotal, offering solutions that streamline processes and enhance quality. “We aim to simplify complex workflows, ensuring our clients’ presses run smoothly and sustainably,” notes Bhatia.

From perfecting colour accuracy to closing proof-to-print gaps, here’s how Bhatia Graphica delivers value, adapts to evolving trends, and prepares for a dynamic future.

Delivering value in tough times
“Pre-media is the backbone of printing, especially when times are tough,” observes Bhatia. Bhatia Graphica streamlines pre-press workflows with sophisticated automation, slashing human errors and accelerating production to meet even the tightest deadlines. By optimising file preparation and plate-making processes, the company ensures printers can maintain high standards without delay.

Its mastery of colour management and press fingerprinting guarantees consistent quality across print runs, safeguarding brand integrity while managing costs. Significant investments in high-performance servers and industry-leading software bolster workflow accuracy, enabling the company to handle intricate projects with precision. “Our colour management systems keep brands looking sharp without breaking the bank,” explains Bhatia.

Sustainability is woven into the company’s DNA. Bhatia Graphica aligns with the industry’s shift towards greener practices by adopting eco-friendly solvents and refining workflows to minimise material waste. Comprehensive pre-press quality control systems enforce meticulous checks at every production stage, ensuring plates meet exacting standards and deliver predictable results.

“Eco-friendly practices are now a must, and we’ve built them into every process,” remarks Bhatia. This holistic approach positions Bhatia Graphica as a strategic partner, helping converters thrive in challenging conditions.

Evolving with industry demands
“Packaging isn’t just about function anymore—it’s a brand’s identity,” comments Bhatia. Once focused on containment, protection, and transportation, packaging has become a critical touchpoint for brand experience. Today’s brands demand flawless colour consistency, prompting heavy investment in colour measurement devices and proofing systems to ensure contract proofs match final outputs. Bhatia Graphica has risen to this challenge, leveraging spot colours and expanded gamut ink systems to achieve precise brand colour reproduction.

In the pre-CTP era, consistent colour accuracy was elusive, with manual pre-press work relying heavily on operator skill. High-resolution image reproduction, particularly in dry offset printing, often suffered from variations, making consistency more art than science. “Manual pre-press was tough—consistency relied on skill alone,” recalls Bhatia. The advent of CTP technology revolutionised the field, enabling higher lines-per-inch (LPI) halftones, richer colours, and tighter tolerances. Bhatia Graphica embraced these advancements, refining plate-making techniques to deliver sharper details, enhanced ink transfer, and reliable quality.

Sustainability has become a defining force. As a leading flexo pre-press trade shop, Bhatia Graphica integrates eco-friendly materials and waste-reduction strategies into its operations, meeting industry expectations without compromising performance. “Sustainability shapes how we choose materials and manage waste,” adds Bhatia. By balancing precision with environmental responsibility, the company stays ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving market.

Excelling in dry offset innovation
“Dry offset for aerosol cans is a precision game,” states Bhatia. As a premier supplier of dry offset printing plates, Bhatia Graphica produces high-definition metal back digital plates that ensure flawless print reproduction. The rise of aerosol cans with unique shapes presents new challenges, requiring logos and graphics to be precisely distorted in files to maintain proportions after shaping—a task the company executes with finesse.

The demand for vibrant, high-contrast designs underscores the need for advanced colour management. Bhatia Graphica’s pre-press team employs high-end tools to measure and specify spot colours, ensuring accurate brand representation across diverse markets. “Spot colours make brands pop, and we nail them every time,” asserts Bhatia.

Process standardisation and automation are game-changers, optimising file preparation, colour trapping, and separations to enable faster print job setups and minimise wastage. The company’s dot control and plate-making expertise achieves high-resolution image reproduction and smoother gradients, even under demanding conditions. “Our plates deliver sharp details and smooth gradients, no matter the challenge,” notes Bhatia. These capabilities cement Bhatia Graphica’s leadership in the growing aerosol can market, where precision and quality are non-negotiable.

Bridging proof-to-print consistency
“Matching proofs to final prints is one of our biggest challenges,” acknowledges Bhatia. Converters struggle to align plate production with proofing, as digital proofs often diverge from final outputs. Inkjet or digital proofing technologies fail to fully replicate flexographic inks, substrates, or press variables like dot gain, ink trapping, press pressure, or anilox roll specifications. Substrates such as metallic films, textured papers, or shrink sleeves add further complexity, reacting differently to ink and complicating colour matching.

Bhatia Graphica counters this with an integrated, high-precision workflow that links pre-press design, proofing, and plate imaging to remain available on request. Screen and dot structures are optimised for specific substrates, reducing unexpected outcomes on press. Rigorous in-house quality control ensures plates align closely with proofs, including visual inspections and dot measurement checks. “Our workflow is built to minimise surprises on the press,” explains Bhatia.

Communication gaps between pre-press and press teams can lead to inconsistencies, waste of materials, and extended setup times. Bhatia Graphica bridges this divide by sharing detailed production specs with clients’ press operators, enabling them to fine-tune settings to match proofs, reduce rework, and ensure first-time-right results. “Working closely with press teams saves time and materials,” observes Bhatia. This collaborative approach enhances efficiency, cuts costs, and delivers consistent, high-quality prints.

Innovating for 2025 and beyond
“Technology will drive our next leap forward,” predicts Bhatia. Bhatia Graphica’s 2025 roadmap focuses on scaling technology and operations to maximise press production and eliminate errors. AI-assisted workflow enhancements will automate routine quality checks, streamline processes and boost first-time-right output. These advancements promise to elevate precision and predictability across complex projects.

Infrastructure expansion, including additional imaging units and faster processing systems, will shrink turnaround times while upholding quality. Press calibration studies with key clients will align plate specifications with press conditions, optimising performance and minimising adjustments. “Faster systems mean quicker delivery for our clients,” comments Bhatia.

Customised screening and plate curves, tailored to specific substrates and press profiles, will refine control over highlights, shadows, and fine details, ensuring prints meet exacting standards. Enhanced services, such as faster proof approvals, meticulous file checks, and clear press-ready documentation, will further smooth production. “In 2025, we’re aiming for unmatched accuracy and speed,” affirms Bhatia.

Bhatia Graphica is poised to empower clients in an ever-evolving industry by reducing waste and delivering consistent, high-quality outcomes.