The Arihant 2021 calendar is stunning. The process, the print, the ink and the coating; all combine to create a wonderful idea. How was the idea born?
The idea was born with the thought of creating an expression of what Arihant stands for. We've been in the print industry for the past 19 years. Over the years, we've always been in constant pursuit of excellence. Recently we set up a packaging unit  and have invested in converting equipment. We wanted to create a product that would symbolise our work, which would represent our brand and create a bold expression of everything we stand for. The calendar seemed a perfect idea.

Were you inspired by any previous works?
Yes, the calendars by Pasja and Grafico. We wanted to create something that's unlike anything else. This was a challenge to the self.

Print run?
We printed a total of 700 calendars.

Approximately how many days did it take to produce the calendars?
The production time took us 25 days x 12 hours a day x six days a week. That is approximately 300 man-hours.

What was the R&D process?
The calendar should give a wow factor. Being in the print industry for the past five years, I’ve travelled to events such as Drupa and Fespa and explored the fine arts aesthetics of the Japanese print industry. We wanted to push our limits and experiment with processes from every possible angle. Be it offset, flexo or screen printing, we wanted to express the possibilities.

What about the concept and design?
The concept and designs were selected with the process. We developed prototype samples of each process six months ago and started building around numerous short-run processes and effects on different substrates. Sometimes we experimented with the client's job. This turned out to be a success for the trial and development phase.

Was it easy or onerous?
Honestly, it was very tough. It's easier said than done. The challenges we faced in this project was something that would topple you from your chair, literally.

Any failure stories...
Yes, and it is quite shocking in my opinion. We had to print all of 9,000 sheets for the calendar, twice.

Twice?
Yes, twice. You heard us correct. That was purely because of one slight deviation in the process from the trial phase to the production phase. While some would lose all their heart and courage to do the entire project twice, we did not lose hope. We went ahead and redid the project from scratch for the second time. This showed us how tricky this technology can get if you take even one process for granted. It was an eye-opener and one of the biggest learning curves in our lives.

How many prototypes or finished dummies were made?
(With a slight chuckle) 700 calendars, printed twice to get it right. Some would say that's disastrous. Jokes apart, we did a test run initially with 50 calendars, processing them with more than hundred types of processes to get things going.

A special calendar in so many ways... Did you miss deadlines due to pandemic?
We did. A lot of sourcing of speciality inks got delayed and shipments had to be cleared on several occasions on personal levels. The average sourcing lead time of four weeks increased to 8-10 weeks due to the pandemic.

Special job...
Oh yes. The calendar was special because we experimented and pooled together many inks and UV polymer giants. We used each of their specialities and decided to see how different processes and inks could combine to produce something that's extraordinary.

Which inks did you deploy?
The inks were sourced from Germany, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, China, Japan, USA, Belgium to name a few. It required very detailed planning and careful selection of process orientation while doing justice to the project timeline. Post-press planning was done through numerous dummy tryouts to see which finishing process would stand out the most. It was planned for six months to achieve this project.

How did you select the material?
We did test runs on numerous papers (of different gsm) to understand which material would be optimum and suitable for the project. The trial phase involved rigorous testing of the paper's compatibility before it was short-listed for the final run. Nothing was taken for granted, not even paper selection.

Why did you choose Iggesund Paperboard’s Invercote Creato as the substrate?
We've always been fascinated with Iggesund's paperboard. They are world-renowned, proven boards that are unique in so many ways. The board's five-layer coating makes it one of the most suitable coated papers in the packaging and print industry. Invercote is used around the globe for packaging and we were head-strong about this. We spoke to Hema Java from Java Paper Group and pitched our project. Hema loved the idea instantly and it was all in sync. Java’s aggressive support made the whole project workable for us and we're very pleased with the end results.

Can you highlight the tech specs for the job?
The whole calendar is statistically interesting. There are 145 processes (including the print impressions, special effects, coatings, varnish impressions) in just one calendar, out of which 77 screen-printed effects have been used. It took us around 1,20,000 impression cycles and over 300 man-hours to finish the entire project. It has been printed on a 260gsm Invercote Creato by Iggesund paperboard along with five-colour conventional offset printing followed by a rigorous flexo and screen processes. 

Which press was used to produce the job?
Offset printed on Heidelberg five-colour offset printing machine, flexo coated on Heidelberg one-colour plus flexo coater UV printing machine, screen printed on Sakurai machine at Dot Printers.

What were the specific challenges?
Some of the core challenges were faced during the processing stages where we had to shuffle a lot of processes and use alternative processes at the very last minute.

There’s a flexo process, too...
A lot of effects or processes were not even planned in the trial phase, which was visible during the production stage.

What role does ink and coating play in innovation?
Extremely huge role, we would say. Each of them has its own unique speciality to churn out a different look and feel game. If you change one of the above, the end equation will be completely different. It's not just the right substrate/ink/coating, but the right technology and skill that plays a vital role in achieving the best results.

Shah with his father, Jayesh Shah

What has been the feedback from friends and customers?
We have been over the moon with the sheer amount of messages and feedback from friends, colleagues and customers. People were amazed to realise what "calendar" could even mean beyond the date-pad. Some were truly berserk by the exceptional quality and processes. Some were shocked to see the multitudes of unique effects that were practically possible in the world of the print industry. We've been absolutely grateful and honoured to receive generous feedback from each and everyone who's received this calendar. Some said this is going to be in my art gallery while some said it's not something that can be thrown off even after 2021 is over. It's a piece of art.

Have you begun work on the next calendar?
(Laughs) Well, we are taking a moment to reflect on this project and the reviews we've received; it's quite overwhelming for us. We are a small family-driven business. But we're a team of big dreams and vision-driven business and that's how we always see ourselves. Everything is possible, everything is within reach and that's our value principles. To answer your question, we're currently in search of inspiration for the next year's calendar that would move us in so many ways and we're pretty stoked to tell you that next year's calendar will be even more spectacular than this. The work has started already.

Do you think we need art education – along with print gyaan – in India? Technically we have evolved a lot, but some of the work is aesthetically challenged, isn’t it?
Our industry is heading towards a steep price war. The price war exists because everyone wants to duplicate another printer's process while slashing their own creativity. Nobody talks about inspiration. Nobody wants to create something that is beyond their own P&L framework. Either printers are copying each other's ideas or just overpowering the rest with just another "mediocre-quality” product.

What’s the solution?
We need to think beyond the price war. Our world is growing at a rapid speed and end consumers want to see something different, see something new each day. Brands want to wow consumers and learn customer buying behaviour rapidly and in order to achieve that, art education is necessary. Why do we see a calendar as a source of date-pad only? Did anybody ever see it as an art piece that could aesthetically beautify a corporate office or your posh residence? Why is print all about cheaper costs and not about value addition?

Value-addition is the key...
We printers need to educate our customers to invest, add value and see the end-user in a different way because today's customer wants quality, customisation and privilege in buying any consumer goods.

It's a long journey...
Yes, and we will always push this industry to dream on.