The Six Ms of MN Pandey

MN Pandey is an unmistakable figure in the printing industry. As the owner and director of Avantika Printers, he has carved out a name for himself in the artistic science of printing.

Pandey believes in the six Ms — man, machine, method and material, with two latest additions to his formula being money and management. 

“Everyone has the first four Ms, or at least, being part of the industry, is forced to ingratiate the three of man, machine and material. It is the method, however, that defines one's place in the industry,” he exclaims. 

“Method is the way you do things. It makes or breaks what one has to offer.” He states that as one proceeded, acquiring money is a task and the final stipulating factor is management. “It is important that one is under a good frame of mind while making decisions. Working hard is necessary, but it is key to reap the benefits of what we sow.”

According to Pandey, cost, quality and deliverables are the other key factors of a product. 

One of his prime qualms with the industry seems to be the equation of acceptability with quality. It is a trait Pandey deplores. He blames it for the lack of standardisation in the printing industry in India. 

“A basic standard of the industry is as vital to have as a traffic light on the roads. Standards moderate, control and prevent accidents. The absolute lack of standards is no small ordeal and has serious repercussions on the quality of goods that are circulated all through the market,” he says.

MN Pandey’s career trajectory has been unusual. He started out as a teacher of mathematics and Sanskrit to high school students in his hometown, a village in Ayodhya, before he came to Delhi to make ends meet. In the city, he worked several odd jobs — at a clothing store, displaying and folding clothes to customers. He later delved into advertising and publishing, slowly climbing his way up and finding the printing industry.

“There were so many things to learn: how gsm matters, the difference between coated and uncoated paper and when to use what, the sizes, and paper grain. I was completely enthralled,” he states, smiling. The evolution of printing, according to him, occurred around 1985 in India, when colour materials just began to be introduced. Pandey submerged himself into the industry in the early 1990s.

Speaking about binding, Pandey reminisces on how the industry has changed over time, noting how spines of books were often initially round-back, helping to give the illusion of perfection. Little threads frequently stuck out in these books, due to the imperfections of stitching. Yet, the round-backed book, stitched by hand, was considered to be a perfect book at a time.

Nowadays, it is almost impossible to find a visible thread in books that binds all the pages together.

The pioneer also drew an emphasis on the importance of grain in printing, essentially stating that the directions of the fibres of the paper when not kept in mind, can lead to a sloppy product. Digitalisation of printing has also led to cutsheets, further leading to lose leaf products, sometimes making binding a process that needs much attention.

Over time, newer bindings have been made possible, such as spiral-bound notebooks, and the even glues, which bind papers together at temperatures that go as low as -20 degrees and up to 80 degrees.

From a readers’ perspective too, the binding plays a vital role, Pandey says. Books were initially simply hardbound. People read them at home to ensure that they were well maintained and kept carefully, but paperbacks nowadays made with bulky paper are lightweight and can be carried around easily.

“Notebooks are becoming trendier than ever,” Pandey observes, as they have tended to replace diaries among the masses. “I have used little pocket-sized notebooks since 2004. They act as archives of memory, albeit unintentionally, since I have used them to jot down so many parts of my life,” he adds.

MN Pandey is the epitome of a self-made man. “Nobody has ever taught me anything. I have watched great figures around me, and truly learnt.” 

His competitive spirit and evident passion for printing have been instrumental in making him the man that he is — a technology evangelist, with a perpetual passion for research and development.