“Printers should unite as a team,” says Sahil Rao of Akruti Print Solutions

When you read your early morning newspaper, besides half tones and colour reproduction you look for?
I love reading about gadgets and new technologies. I start reading newspaper from the backside, from the sports section and then end with potholes and mishaps in the city.

How do you begin your day?
I begin my day by looking at the Toyo ink calendar, placed exactly in front of my bed in my bedroom, as I get up. It is also a nice inspiration for me to start my day looking at the perfectly printed job. 

Do you plan your day, meticulously? Or is it ad hoc? Or is there a blue print for the day?
Of course I plan my day. But this is the best part about the print industry that you always get surprises and you need to modify your plans and take quick decisions as the day progresses.

One person with whom you like to share your daily drive to office. Why?
It will definitely be my dad, Girish Rao. With his experience in the field, I can get some quick work tips for the day.

What’s the first thing you do on entering the office?
It starts with greeting the staff with a "good morning". I like to start my day quietly rather than piling it up with work every morning.

Motive or idea behind entering the print sector.
I always believed that printing is a very interesting and creative field. My dad started the business 15 years back. The idea behind me entering this business is to provide people with the best quality jobs.

How frequently do you interact with print production supervisors? What do you discuss, commonly?
I interact with them on a daily basis. Mostly we discuss about job scheduling and if we come across any problem then we try to find a common solution.

With the fierce competition, high cost of entry and above all the increasing threat from other media, do you find that traditional ink-on-paper is facing a serious threat to its survival?
Not at all. Print media can never die. The printing quantity for annual diaries and calendars are not like before, they have reduced immensely but packaging and commercial printing is booming.

Which press does the best printing in India? And why?
I can’t pick the best press for printing as it is very much standardised nowadays. Post press and finishing makes a huge change, so the best press would be the one who has mastered in post press and finishing sector.

If you won Rs 10 crore which printing equipment would you invest in? Why?
I will definitely go for a packaging set-up.

Today, we hear of innumerable printing presses closing down or being on the verge of closing down. Why is this happening?
Now it is really time to sit and analyse on which sector of printing one should focus on. It is really a tricky market out there. In future, one not only has to provide with great quality but also with innovation.

The best breakthrough in print technology in the past hundred years?
It is the pre-press sector. Because of the latest technology in pre-press we are able to match very close colors as per the designs.

Most printers, repro houses and graphics art professionals complain about the manner in which profit margins are being squeezed. The reasons they cite for this are: unfair under-cutting; increasing presence of canvassers; etc. Are you encountering these problems? If yes, then why and how?
We are facing some similar issues. To resolve this, we should apply the strategy opted by the ‘Rikshawalas’ of forming a union amongst themselves. If we are able to unite with the printers from the respective cities and build up a team, then this problem will be reduced.

For a working lunch if you meet Johanes Gutenberg, what would you talk to him about?
I would ask him, how he came up with the idea of printing on a paper.

How do you motivate your sales & marketing team? Any new promotion strategy?
Appreciation is the key. And also by reminding them about the strengths of our company.

The most frequently used mantra in your organisation! Your corporate philosophy!
Never compromise on quality.

The craziest deadline, you've come across?
To finish a job within 12hours of night shift.

Your favorite excuse to your family when you’re late?
The meeting got delayed.

Please comment on the technology and machines (press / pre-press / post-press / others) that you have invested in, in the past few years?
Press – KBA Rapida 74

Pre-press – GMG ink optimizer and easy trax

Post-press- PUR Perfect Binding from Welbound, Sheridan auto booklet maker, Morgana digifold.

In India, the two most important barriers are technology and cost. What advise do you have for the printer?
Try to make most of what you have.

How do you stay in touch with technological developments?
I get a lot of news through Printweek India magazine and also through mouth publicity.

Please comment on your official view on CTP technology and digital printing.
Digital printing will spare no option for commercial printers. One can achieve better accuracy through modern CTP technology.

One person with whom you would like to have a FACE TO FACE!
One who wants to work in opposition to me.