Do judge us by our covers. Happy 2019

The January 2018 edition opened the year on a positive note as print companies registered a top-notch performance at Pamex. 

From cellphones to solar cells to the rise of biomedical sensors to printed electronics to RFID to special effect graphics, screen printing is transforming the world faster than we can imagine. The February issue of PrintWeek India was Screen Print Special that looked at 150+ top firms specialising in screen print. 

In the February edition, we took stock of the flexible packaging sector, BOPP and BOPET market and covered the Plast India show in Gandhinagar. We had reported: 10 high-end imported gravure printing machines in India in 2017; whereas around 70 locally manufactured presses were installed. On the CI flexo front, a total of 39 machines were installed in 2017 of which 12 are imported presses. Our sources tell us, another 12 imported CI flexo presses were installed in 2018 and five are in the pipeline.

The March edition of PrintWeek has several highlights: From the conversations around anti-dumping duty on imported paper to a UK-based ESP Colour's case-study on efficiently running press operations to tete-a-tete with four ink majors on ink trends to Jak Printer's Khushru Patel talk about the art of printing.

Design and print is the theme of the April edition. A special feature Design Lineup decodes eleven thought leaders describe their design ideas.

The April edition focused on corrugation. We travelled to Bengaluru and Mysuru to see two corrugation factories operate – MNM Triplewall and South India Paper Mills. Since we were in Bengaluru, we met MTR’s chief marketing officer Sunay Bhasin to get a packaging perspective.
 

May issue, the anniversary edition, launched the first edition of Power 100 to throw light on the top personalities from the printing and packaging industry. The poll for the Power 100 received 10,000 votes which is a good way to celebrate the greatness and glory of our top printers and best converters.

The June issue was a Demo Centre special. The PrintWeek team highlighted 15+ demo centres across India and its various technologies available for the potential buyers.

The highlight of the June edition was a Big Interview with Uflex’s chairman and managing director, Ashok Chaturvedi where he among other things makes a solid case for plastics against the blanket ban on the material. He says, “Had plastic not been invented, many regular, essential and luxury items that you see around yourself and use in your daily lives would have been made from plants either directly or indirectly. If that were to happen, our earth would have been bereft of its entire green cover.”
 

The July edition was a spotlight on nine ink products that are most relevant in today's print-packaging market. This edition also featured reportage of Gallus Innovation Days and book publishers' roundtable Anatomy of Bookmaking in India organised by Henkel, Welbound and PrintWeek India. 

Paper Day was celebrated extensively on 1 August for the first time in India. The objective was to spread awareness about paper. The August issue also sheds light on the LED UV technology as Rahul Kumar and Dibyajyoti Sarma visit eight print firms experimenting with the technology.

In the August edition, the spotlight was on food safety. We spoke to Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, to make sense of the changing regulatory landscape surrounding the issue of food safety and packaging. We also spoke to food packaging converters, material and consumable suppliers and other stakeholders of the supply chain to dig deeper on what needs to be done to guarantee safe and wholesome food in India.

Did you know DB Corp has invested Rs 200-crore in Bihar in print centres, editorial resources an in the launch process?; Did you know Jagati Publications made a record when all its 22 centres entered into the coveted International Color Quality Club? Read about all this and the in-depth coverage of the Indian newspaper industry in PrintWeek India's September edition. The issue also features the Big Interview with TCPL managing director, Saket Kanoria and how the company aims to clock a turnover of Rs 1000-crore.     

16 manufacturing facilities, three product and solution development facilities, nine sales offices, that's the empire of 75 years old Manipal Technologies. On the cover of PrintWeek India's October 2018 edition is Manipal Technologies' 44 years old managing director Gautham Pai. He talks about the company's long-term vision, changing dynamics of the industry and the future of print. 

The cover story of the October edition was Rajkot-based Balaji Multiflex’s Rs 120-crore flexible packaging factory and the centerpiece of the factory is India’s first W&H Heliostar II S rotogravure printing press. It is a dream project for Pranav Bhalara who helms Balaji Multiflex. In an hour-long conversation, he divulges about he aspires to make the company a lighthouse to the Indian flexible packaging industry.    

November edition brings out the all the shortlisted companies which participated in PrintWeek India Awards 2018. Green case-studies from Brilliant Printers and Nutech packagings. Big interview with Jagdish Bajaj of PrintXpress. Nitin Shah shares what it is being the new president of BMPA

Manipal Technologies wins the PrintWeek India Company of the Year for the fourth time. The tenth edition of the Awards witnessed 10 first time winners. Noel D'Cunha and Dibyajyothi Sarma of PrintWeek share the memories of the first kit owned our fellow printers.  

Another milestone for WhatPackaging? was the Masterclass knowledge forum that transpired on 29 November. It 100+ designers, marketers, brand managers and packaging development managers in attendance. The conversations focused on one aspect of packaging - its role in branding and marketing and how packaging can achieve a greater impact on the shelf for the products it contains.