You have been in the print arena since the 1970s, how do you compare it to the printing technology of today?

There is quite a big difference. It is not comparable. Whatever I learned about print then, and what I am doing today, is totally different.

How so?

I call the print of the 1970s as conventional or traditional. Today, it is digital. Even the offset printing process has been digitised. Earlier all the settings were rendered manually, but now it’s not so. You press a button and the machine knows what to do.

How do you compare the work culture of the press?

I have been with the press for five decades. I never felt it’s a burden. For me, my association with the press is a hobby. I have enjoyed working in the print industry. One needs to work 24/7 because it is a service industry.

Please share the journey at Mayur Graphics?

This is our family business. My father B Ramappa started this press in 1945 by the name Ksheerasagara Press.

What were you doing at that time?

I did my schooling at Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore till 1964. Curiously enough, my two sons also studied at Ramakrishna Vidyashala. After my PUC, I studied printing technology.

Where?

At the Regional School of Printing in Madras.

What happened at your father's press?

We were one of the states of art printers of that era. We had about 20 handfed machines, three Heidelberg platen printing machines. We were producing commercial and packaging printing. Our press was located in Chikpet, and it was in the heart of the city. It was the place all the small business firms existed. Our press was considered to be a lucky press.

In what way?

Anyone who began a new venture would come to our press for the printing of stationeries. I still remember, during the Diwali season, customers would wait at our press to collect the completed jobs. It was considered auspicious.

When did you start packaging?

We did commercial printing and packaging from the beginning. We were printing lot of four-colour jobs on a Heidelberg platen printing machine, but it was not on a large scale.

How do you rate the packaging market in Bengaluru?

Now the trend is a bit hazy. Earlier Bengaluru was a hub for the Agarbathi industry. Now it’s disintegrated. Many firms have started catering to the Agarbathi industries. These firms are all over India. There is no secrecy in the making of Agarbathis. It has become a commodity trade.

But as you are saying, once upon a time, Bengaluru was renowned for its agarbathis?

Yes. The quantum of board consumed in Bengaluru was quite high for agarbathis. Approximately 80 to 90% of the packaging trade catered to Agarbathis. The cost of a pack of agarbathi on an average is between Rs 20 to 25. Hence the packaging has to be competitive since the profit is meagre.

What are the challenges you face as a packaging printer?

We have to be more innovative. We need to offer many types of package designs. The raw material for the package needs to be innovative.  MetPET is one example. We have developed it long ago. Now, we can say, we are experts.

How?

We did lots of research. Most of it was done in-house. We sourced raw material. Also experimented on how to make the print excellent on MetPET. We have two online UV printing machines. Plus we know how to use them.

What is your USP for the commercial segment?

We combine UV on printed jobs. We deploy effects like drip-off, gloss, matt, designer effects. We use value addition on the cover to make it more attractive. We do lots of innovative designs and combinations.

What is the uniqueness of your press?

We use our technology to the maximum. Also, we have a faster turnover. We are specialised in making intricate designs and are experts in print finishing. High-quality print and on time delivery is our uniqueness.

How do you achieve this?

To enhance this we have implemented the G7 method in our printing procedure. We have won several National Awards for Excellence in Printing organised by the AIFMP (All India Federation of Master Printers).

Who are your customers? Are you maintaining the same customers that you have had from the beginning?

No no. There have been lots of changes. All our present customers are new. Most of our old customers are no longer in the market. The younger generation has entered and taken over the business.

What businesses are these?

As mentioned earlier, we are into Agarbathi packaging, pharmaceutical packaging and food packaging.

How often you go for exhibitions?

I usually do not miss any exhibition. I attend Drupa, PrintPack, China Print, Print Chicago, Pamex etc. I go with the purpose of learning new things. I urge all my print colleagues to do the same. Unless we are updated, we cannot survive in our industry.

What is your dream for Mayur Graphics?

We have a dream of being prosperous and profitable. My son Pradeep has a BE from Manipal and worked in Germany for two years. Today, he is very involved in press activity. He makes suggestions about probable technological changes.

How do you know when to invest?

Change is inevitable. We do not know how fast it’s going to come. I really love to get into the nitty-gritty of technology. Soon, digital print, that is, inkjet printing is going to take over. I have seen this in the USA. Most of the old presses have been changed to digital. I have seen some high-speed inkjet machines which are not available anywhere in the world.

Any expansion plans for your facility?

Currently no, I am trying to settle down.

I see.

A few months ago, my second son, Dileep, has taken over a direct mailing press in the US. Dileep, who is a Print Media Technologist, (studied diploma BE in India and MS at Pittsburg University) is looking after the press.

What does he do?

The Image Direct is a big press. It has about 55,000 sq/ft with about 100 employees. He has three web offset presses, three variable data press, with specialised insertion system. He is getting into transaction mailing, which is a specialized trade. He is concentrating on political direct mailers and other bulk mailers. When I look at the work he produces, I think the trend is shifting towards inkjet printers.

What is your advice for the students of Media Technology?

Your generation is luckier than us. We learned technology the hard way. For you everything is available. You have good teachers, good practical facility in your college and instant accessibility. We used to learn by visiting different presses, referring to the books in our library. Today the technology is much more simple and precise. But the young generation must leverage this to their advantage.