Deliberations on screen print trends and value-add at MMS roundtable

At the screen print roundtable at the MMS power lunch session, intense discussions about the future of screen print in India and value-additions with the technology continued for 100 minutes., Associations

08 Apr 2016 | By Priya Raju

Print expert Kamlakar Wadekar of Ace Prints led the 100-minute discussion, which was moderated by Rajiv Joshi. On the technology front, Bhargav Mistry of Grafica Flextronica and Mustafa Kapadia of Colors brought forth their expertise to the table.  
 
Other print CEOs present at the table were Suhas Mulam of National Printing Press, Vilas Matondkar of Master Creations, Ramesh Lodh of Screen Art, Pramit Doshi of Moksh Printers and Vivek Vaidya of Impirial Printers. 
 
 
THE FIVE-POINT TAKEAWAY
1. Screen print is growing at an estimated rate of 30-40% and there is no dearth of jobs in the market.
 
2. As a printer, one needs to create a brand themselves, only then can they can demand the monies for the value-additions created by them.

3. Having a marketing team is essential. And so is a brochure or samples to educate the customers about various possibilities with print.
 
4. Screen printers should invest more on designers and visualisers. According to Mistry, the contribution of inks in screen is 45% and that of designers is 50% while the input as a printer input is only 5%. He urged the printers at the able to invest in these factors. 
 
5. Arriving at a proper costing is essential to continue to be in business. Wadekar said, “Most don't do this. With the value addition you provide, you can demand the price and be firm on the pricing.” Costing should include all the factors, right from your mobile bills to maintenance etc.