A Neat sort of Print Yatra

On 31 October, Sandeep Thanawala opened the doors of Neat Graphics to about 30 members of the print production club, We the Production People (WTPP). This, we were told, was one of the highest turnout of the group

Thanawala wishes to customise the interiors of the unit every three to four months - a little conversation we eavesdropped about this door and patterns on the ceiling

Talking of doors, this one interior designer had a door sent to the Neat shopfloor to have it printed on for a children's room. It's the first most beautiful piece of work that your eyes get set on

The key and the challenge, according to Thanawala, is getting the pre-press right, especially for the contours and since it was printed as a single piece. "The Acuity can print on practically everything. And a strong pre-press can best leverage this capability of the machine."

One can easily see the many possible customised touches that Thanawala has given to its unit. A lot of interior designers - for individual homes as well as hospitals - are now on Thanawala's clientele list

The day for the WTPP team started at Neat's new 4000 sq/ft unit in Thane with a show and tell of its works over the past six months on the Fujifilm Acuity Advance Select HD4006

Thanawala invested in the Fujifilm Acuity with roll-to-roll option. The wide-format printer was part part of an investment in its new 4000sq/ft unit. On the evening of 7 May, which was celebrated with close friends, customers, and family, Thanawala showcased the applications and services

The Acuity is a beast to show off with its prowess to print on a wide range of substrates including ceramics, glass, acrylic, plastic, fabric, wood and even lenticular

All about the man behind the machine: Thanawala (c) has returned to Thane where he had begun his pre-press journey two decades ago in a brand new segment. “We have been traditionally producing CTP plates, but we recently considered the introduction of a digital wide-format printer to cater to the market in displays, signs, labels, stickers, wallpaper and window graphics. UV wide-format can produce short-run prints in a cost-effective way with a reduced time to market."

To support the Acuity, Neat invested in Gbos laser system from AGS, which is capable of short-run prototype samples and low-volume production of POS products. The Gbos kit, with an average life of 4,000 hours of its laser heads, can incorporate intricate designs

On display: A mini gallery was set up for the attendees to touch and feel and discuss the nitty gritties of each of the work

Standing tall: 4x6 ft sized POPs and display units are the usual marketing and branding formula today. The Acuity can hadle a maximum size of 2.5x1.25m for rigid media and has a maximum print width of 2.19m for roll media

The Acuity Advance can handle a maximum thickness of 50.8mm in rigid media with image quality equivalent to 1,200dpi resolution or higher. In the picture, Hitesh Shah of BBDO India, takes a closer look at a print on ceramic

There was print on wood and on acrylic, print on glass and on ceramic. There was print in gold and print with multiple hues. Print in large size and the smaller prints. There was all of it

Backlits and print on acrylic: Like hot cakes, go

There is always room for gimmicks, especially with 3D printing. The team of 12 at Neat with Thanawala at the helm is a creative lot

Another 3D print from their bag which successfully amazes the onlookers

A light moment with the Fujifilm team

Takeaway token: The Neat team gave away to the attendees a personalised pen drive

The Acuity uses UV curable inks and the variable drop-size print heads and highly pigmented inks enable a thin ink film to minimise production costs

All we have to say is: Neat

The gathering moved out of the facility, where Ramu Ramanathan conducted a brief Q&A session with Sandeep Thanawala and the Fujifil team

"Digital technology enables print on any substrate today. The Acuity installation has been a learning curve for both the Neat and the Fujifilm team. We have been working closely together to produce work beyond the mundane."

A Neat sort of Print Yatra

All praises: Thanawala and the WTPP attendees were all praises for the Acuity. However, what most impressed the group was the finesse and the pre-press expertise that Thanawala brings to the table to leverage the capabilities

Fespa Award: One month in the installation, this 3D Mandala Art was Neat's entry to Fespa 2015. Thanawala said, "We took a work of the Mandala Art and converted it into a 3D print. A Fespa win was least expected, especially when the entry was sent just in time with the deadlines."

Six months and awards have been pouring in for Neat

The most recent award in Neat's bag is jointly held PrintWeek India Industrial Product Printer of the Year 2015 title for four stunning posters of Drishyam in different sizes, Elevation in 3D for an architect firm, and Mahindra Gusto scooter with a car-like feature