e4m B2B Special: Printing Publications – huge industry in terms of variety

Publishing and printing industry in India has developed into a highly competitive field. Believing in a story and publishing it requires a lot of stamina. One book that hits the drains may cost a publisher his money. While on the other hand, a hit would definitely mean soaring to the top. Thus, publishers these days face a lot of competition. Then there are other key members of this industry – the printers, binders and paper suppliers, who form an indispensable part of the printing and publishing industry. With time and with the advancement of technologies, publishing and printing has become a purse-friendly indulgence. Today, the age is arousing to a new beginning of online publishing and printing, which has widened the domain of printing and publishing industry further.

This has paved the way for new printing publication to take root here, besides opening new arenas of growth for the already existing publications in the industry. The Indian publications are active on three different fronts – print, Web and industry events. exchange4media takes an in-depth look at the current space and the players who are playing a key role in its growth.

The Print Players

In the print segment, some of the key players include PrintWeek, Screen Print India, Indian Printer & Publisher, Modern Packaging & Design, and Print & Publishing, among many others.

‘PrintWeek India’, a monthly magazine from Haymarket Group, was launched in 2008. Haymarket’s essential UK print trade weekly, PrintWeek, the magazine is written, produced and printed in India and includes dedicated specialist sections catering to pre-media, digital, press, post-press, paper and print buying sectors.

‘Screen Print India’, another monthly magazine in India covering the screen print industry, is being published for the past 15 years and has received excellent response from the industry. The monthly also caters to th digital, offset, packaging & label industry, and textile printing industry.

‘Indian Printer & Publisher’ is one of the oldest players in this segment and was launched in 1979. The monthly is published by Indian Printer & Publishers Ltd and is targeted at a dynamic mix of publishers, printers, designers, print buyers, consultants, educational institutions, advertising agencies, manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers all over the Sub-continent.

‘Modern Packaging & Design’ is a bi-monthly magazine from Infomedia 18 Ltd. The magazine aims at covering the very latest market trends and emerging technologies, highly useful exclusive features on packaging applications and design improvement, business strategies, success stories, views and vision of industry leaders and one of the largest collections of packaging machinery and materials.

‘Print & Publishing’, another bi-monthly, serves all those advertisers who are looking for a perfect vehicle to display their products and services to the Indian printing and publishing industry.

These apart, there are also magazines like ‘Print Vision India’, ‘Packaging & Design’, and ‘Packaging India’ are also active in the printing and publishing industry in India.

Web Players

Internet portals are the other genre of media in the printing and publishing fraternity, considered a marketplace providing a common meeting point for the printers, publishers, designers, print buyers, and to all the stakeholders of the publishing and printing industry.

Some key players include indianprinterpublishers.com, TRpackaging.com, print-publishing.com and printcomindia.com. These websites not only provide the latest information on the retail and franchising industry, but also help the industry players grow their business.

Indianprinterpublishers.com is the leading information provider on latest technology developments, innovative applications, government policies and issues confronting the end users. The portal’s objective is to disseminate knowledge to all.

TRpackaging.com tracks the latest happenings in the industry with its round-up of news and articles from a broad spectrum of press sources. TRhubnet.com is an international B2B portal, which covers five industrial sectors – packaging, plastics, printing, automation, industrial design.

TRprint.com is the vertical community of TRhubnet.com specifically dedicated to the printing industry. It offers resources, information and services to printing professionals.

Industry Events

To enhance the business, the industry organises a number of events, trade shows, conferences and throughout the year.

A quick look at some of the events in 2009:

The Future

Over the years, the printing industry has grown in all parts of the globe. The advent of TV and Internet has not affected the growth of and requirement for printing professionals. The industry has made giant strides in recent times in improving its machinery in terms of the scope, technology and speed. Computers and electronics have invaded all the departments of printing, improving quality and speed of the jobs executed with the consequent enhancement of costs enormously. In fact, the arrival of computers has complemented the printing business and has played a vital role in increasing its status as a clean profession.

According to Devan N Seth, Publisher, Screen Print India, “The printing and publishing industry has only one direction to move, which is forward. Everybody needs to publish and print stuff. In our industry, there is no slowdown effect as compared to other industries. So, I am sure the industry will see a positive move in 2-3 years.”

Ramu Ramanathan, Editor, PrintWeek, explained, “The print industry is huge, nearly Rs 80,000-85,000 crore, which is twice the size of the pharma industry. The industry has different segments like packaging, leveling, and OOH, among many others, and the industry growing across the country, not just in metros, but in non-metros too.”

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