Future Schoolz and its pursuit for setting standards in the printing industry

Jose Thomas, founder of Future Schoolz, illuminates this disconnect, arguing that India’s reliance on foreign benchmarks stifles innovation and efficiency. “Printing is no longer art; it’s pure science,” he asserts. Yet the adoption standards lag in India to the fullest extent. 

Future Schoolz–The need of the hour 
Future Schoolz is a member of four global standardisation bodies, FOGRA, the International Color Consortium (managing cross-industry colour standards), it is the first educational member from India with the Ghent Work group (governing PDF standards), and CIP4 (automating machine-to-digital interactions). It is a member of the Bureau of Indian Standards locally.

Thomas explains how colour profiles—technical blueprints linking digital designs to physical substrates—rely on intensive research into paper reflectance, surface properties, ink behaviour, and lighting science. FOGRA, a German consortium, spearheads these standards, certifying materials and chemicals to protect machinery and ensure quality---from inks to chemical washes, right down to the interaction of dust with materials.  

“Many countries are embracing this. This is not been taken up seriously in India, in industry,” Thomas says. 
In India, BIS is tasked with localising ISO norms but there is a massive communication gap which is preventing proper adoption of these standards in every printing press. “Standards aren’t adapted to Indian realities—our papers, inks, and even sunlight differ,” Thomas emphasises. For instance, reproducing the vivid greens of Rajasthan’s turbans or vibrance of Hyderabad’s sarees is near-impossible with Euro-centric profiles.

Future Schoolz offers tailored support to printing presses in innovation and quality standardisation. The organisation actively collaborates with brands, OEMs, and printing presses to enhance colour standardisation, quality control, and press standardisation.
Jugaad and underutilisation of tech .

Future Schoolz offers tailored support to printing presses in innovation and quality standardisation

When asked about the challenges facing the industry, Thomas explains that while companies invest heavily in advanced equipment, the real issue lies in its underutilisation. “They buy costly equipment and instruments like the latest Komori machines or KBA or Heidelberg, like high-end models of Merc, but they operate them like a basic Maruti,” he notes. Even spectro densitometers have not been properly utilised due to a lack of know-how or clarity about functions and understanding.

Operators often lack the training to fully grasp the advanced features of these machines. “Nobody is teaching them that these machines come with a lot of advanced technology. They use the same old tools and methods to operate digitally equipped sophisticated equipment,” he says. As a result, the benefits of these investments remain marginal. While modern machines can deliver superior performance by default, most operators settle for basic outputs, unaware of the untapped potential.

He illustrates this with an example, “Earlier, printing 15,000 sheets took two to three hours. Now, it can be done in one hour. That’s progress, but we’re not pushing beyond that. We can achieve much more, but that space remains unexplored.” 

Printers import European machinery but often tend to ignore protocols for temperature control or substrate compatibility. “They drive a BMW like a Maruti,” he says.

The trial and error method 
Even when it comes to problem-solving, printers rely on trial and error to resolve issues instead of carrying out a root-cause analysis to find a solution. Thomas recounts that during a visit to a printing plant, teams repeatedly misdiagnosed problems. “Temporary fixes create waste, inflate costs, and erode margins,” he says. At one press, Future Schoolz filmed a job wasting 200 sheets daily as the controllers did not note down the wastage accurately. Wastage of 200 sheets is usually approximated to and
entered as 20 or 30 sheets, giving rise to another problem. Data and reporting. 

Missing data: The incomplete st—
Thomas stresses that AI’s potential hinges on reliable data, which the industry lacks. Printers struggle to track enquiries, conversions, or material performance. “Without organised data, productivity and profitability can’t improve,” he says. Future Schoolz’s Print Maturity Model (PMM) aims to benchmark presses on production capability, skills, and infrastructure, but adoption remains sparse. 

“If the customer accepts a print, that’s the standard,” Thomas laments. This mindset hinders quality and consistency. Future Schoolz is pushing for a cultural shift to treat printing with the same precision as manufacturing. “Plants need internal benchmarks—then a lot of client education,” he says.

A call for change
Thomas acknowledges the uphill battle, especially with the pace at which the packaging industry is growing in India. In a day, a person interacts with at least 20 types of packaging, making it all the more important to maintain standards and efficiency. Legacy machines, skill gaps, and resistance to documentation persist in India. Yet he remains hopeful, “Once printers see data-driven profits, mindsets will evolve.”n