Letra Graphix bagged the innovation award in 2019 for the Ceftriaxone Injection Hanger Label for Astral Steritech. This is a label converted into a hanger. In 2018, the Bhopal-based Aadarsh won the Award on the strength of its product Talking Teacher which is a series of books which is specially printed with codes. When the reading device is pointed on the code, an audio file is activated. The reader can listen to the corresponding audio while reading the printed words. Adarsh shared the award in 20018 with Pragati Pack who created The Folding Foropter in collaboration with LV Prasad Eye Institute. The Foropter was an attempt to provide affordable tools for Refractive Error screening in low resource areas. 10,000 pieces were created using Cyber XL and pieces of 1.5mm binding board to hold the lenses. 

Likewise the winners in 2017 were The Nescafe Rotating Parasite for Nestle India features a solar panel fitted within the unit to make it rotate with indoor lights. Totally thousand units of this in-house POS (point of sale) displays were made by Viraj Prints; and likewise Any Graphics was awarded for its in-house customised holographic design pattern Rangolee for Arts and Crafts. The 5,000 labels were printed using metallised polyester on an Omet flexo press with two coatings.

As Samridhi Iyer of SIES Graduate School of Technology who is also part of the PrintWeek Awards 2022 team said, "The pandemic has provided businesses a lot of time to study their products and do an analysis about customer’s expectations. And so there were a lot of new design trends and innovative products coming up which were not only focusing on the convenience and safety of products but also highlighted the new designs and aesthetics in the products." Iyer added, "As a result, many companies feel the urge to improve their products and stand out in the market. Lots of emphasis is being given to innovating and developing the product."

Iyer: It is vital to correctly position a product to the target audience

The PrintWeek Awards in the UK was announced recently. And the innovation of the year went to Willsow, which makes biodegradable, plantable children’s books made with seeded paper.  Tom Willday, managing director at the fourth-generation family-owned Leicester printing business, set up the spin-off children’s book business having been inspired by his grandfather and cousins.  

While spending time with his family, Tom Willday had a eureka moment and came up with the engaging idea of a completely biodegradable book with pages that can be planted in a garden or window box. He explained the idea to the team in PrintWeek, "It’s the first ever plantable childrens’ book. You read the pages, and then plant the pages to grow real vegetables and real herbs."

Samridhi Iyer said, "PrintWeek is providing all the companies a great opportunity through the Innovative Printer of the Year Awards. The innovation could be in any or all disciplines: pre-press, printing, post-press, or digital media. In this category, only one sample would be accepted.  It would be a wonderful opportunity for the businesses to ensure product reviews and also to meet, connect and collaborate with other companies to expand their network."

For more details on PrintWeek Awards, please contact Kalpak Shah at +91 8169971401 or kalpak.shah@haymarketsac.com