Guwahati hosts first-ever North-East Print Tech

The first North East Print Tech, organised by the Printing Technologist Consortium of North-East, headed by its president Pranab Talukdar, was held from 8 to 10 May 2015 at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in Guwahati. KS Khurana and Satish Bajwa, the president and vice-president of the Indian Printing, Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers' Association (IPAMA), and Anand Limaye, general secretary, All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP), were present during the opening ceremony.

29 Jun 2015 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

"Since the publication of the first Assamese magazine Arunodoi in 1846, printing has a long tradition in the North-East, especially in Assam,” Talukdar said during his opening speech. “We have organised the event in keeping with this long tradition of 170 years in the field of printing, and with the view to giving it a much-needed boost.”

The North East Print Tech 2015 has been recognised and supported by the IPAMA, as well as the AIFMP.

This was the first such print-related activity, with seminars and an exhibition on printing technology, held in Guwahati, attended by printing technologists from all the seven states of the North-East and beyond.

A statement issued by the Printing Technologist Consortium of North East stated that as per statistics available, more than 30% of the printing jobs are sourced from outside the North-Eastern region. “Thus, we, in the North-East, are losing on substantial revenue. Needless to say, one of the reasons is the lack of qualified printing technologists and modern printing technology in the region. In view of this, we are planning to set up an Institute of Printing Technology in Guwahati, in association with the government of Assam,” the statement added.

A number of printing experts and resource persons attended the seminars and workshops, for which Ricoh was the main sponsor. There was also a special workshop for newspaper employees, who work in page-making and layouts.