PrintPack season is here: The season for gifting books

The story of a book revolution began in 2019 at PrintPack India and it continues to be inspirational in 2025. Bindwel (formerly Welbound Worldwide), in collaboration with PrintWeek India, Henkel Adhesives, and leading publishers like Hachette, Penguin Random House, Scholastic India, HarperCollins, and OUP, is spearheading the Books For All initiative—a movement aimed at making books accessible to every child across India's cities and villages.

The concept was born during a brainstorming session at PrintPack 2019, where the focus was on the enduring power of books and the need to foster a reading culture across diverse demographics. The idea was refreshingly simple: Gift a book, especially to children, to create a ripple effect of storytelling and knowledge-sharing across the nation.

In 2025, this initiative finds new life at the Bindwel booth in PrintPack India, with a dedicated corner for “Gift a Book to a Child.” Here, visitors—be it: printing professionals to children—will be handed free storybooks from the best publishers in India and from around the world. The initiative seeks to encourage every individual to share the joy of reading by gifting books to children they know—and more importantly, children they don’t.

A movement rooted in vision and simplicity
Imagine a scenario where 1.4 billion Indians gift books to one another, creating a collective conversation around the written word. The power of this idea lies in its universality and scalability. By giving away a single book, an individual plants the seed for a lifelong habit of reading. This initiative also envisions books as meaningful gifts for weddings, festivals, and other celebrations, further integrating the habit of reading into India's cultural fabric.

The movement emphasises that while books may not eradicate hunger or disease, they hold the potential to illuminate minds, transform perspectives, and inspire knowledge. In an era driven by screens and instant gratification, “Books For All” seeks to remind people of the tactile, enduring joy of a physical book—a joy that transcends age, gender, and economic boundaries.

Back in 2019, the initiative saw its first set of confabulations in Uttar Pradesh, bringing together printers, publishers, and thought leaders to brainstorm workflows, market dynamics, and production innovations. These discussions served as a launchpad for a broader vision—one that has now expanded to touch every corner of the country.

The Books For All movement is more than just a distribution drive; it is about sparking dialogues. Every book that is gifted comes with a recommendation from the giver—a personal endorsement that carries emotional resonance. This simple act can transform a book into a bridge between individuals, fostering connections and shared understanding.

P Sajith of Bindwel says this is the group's and the community's commitment to literacy. He says, "As the largest supplier of bookbinding machinery in India, Bindwel is uniquely positioned to champion this cause. By integrating social responsibility with its industry expertise, Bindwel ensures that its legacy is not just in machines but in making books accessible to the people who need them the most."

Infinite possibilities
The Books For All initiative is a reminder of the infinite potential of books. From igniting a child’s imagination to inspiring tomorrow’s leaders, the power of a single book can ripple through families, communities, and societies. With the continued support of industry stakeholders and the public, this movement promises to create a billion dialogues, a billion smiles, and a billion possibilities.

The high number of books published today represents a book boom.

As the 2025 edition of PrintPack India unfolds, the “Gift a Book to a Child” corner at the Bindwel stand stands as a beacon of hope, demonstrating how a simple act of gifting a book can transform lives and build a nation of readers.

Transform your PrintPack visit. Instead of kindling, re-kindle your intimate bond with the humble printed book.