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In fine print
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At ``e Age Print 2002'', an exhibition of printing, packaging and allied industries, the accent was on latest trends in technology. A report.
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IT WAS an impressive exhibition by and for those who have made a business out of ``impressing'' ink on paper. The scene of action was the sprawling 25-acre Chennai Trade Centre. The occasion was ``e Age Print 2002'', an exhibition of printing, packaging and allied industries, organised by the Madras Printers' and Lithographers' Association (MPLA).
The expo was part of a programme from March 15 to 18, to celebrate the MPLA's golden jubilee. "The proceeds will go to fund the setting up of the Golden Jubilee Training Centre for Excellence in Printing,'' said Uday Kumar, committee member, MPLA. The institute will be situated near Chennai. It hopes to provide practical training to students of printing technology and press workers.
``The MPLA is the first printers' association to be formed in India. That was in 1952. And, what's more, we provided the basis for the formation of the All-India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) in 1953. It was registered in Madras,'' he said.
Some of the exhibitors had put up for sale used imported machinery, which would help printers avail themselves of the benefits of advanced printing technology, at affordable prices, Uday Kumar added.
Twenty per cent of the exhibitors were international players, while 60 per cent were from other Indian States.
One of MPLA's aims, Uday Kumar said, was to make its members up-to-date-with latest technology. ``We offer subsidised packages for foreign travel so that the members could attend printing technology exhibitions abroad. In fact, some of our members are attending IPEX 2002 at Birmingham in the United Kingdom.''
The latest buzzword in domestic printers' circles is computer to plate technology (CTP). Thanks to its quicker workflow, CTP could prove a boon to the print media, especially newspapers. In the computer-to-film (CTF) workflow, five stages of processing have to be undertaken before the data sees the light of day. The stages are: film imaging, processing, stripping, contacting and plate processing. But in the CTP workflow, four steps — film imaging, processing, stripping and contacting — could be done away with.
Since these steps are labour-intensive, use of CTP technology could considerably reduce labour costs. However, very few Indian companies have gone in for CTP technology. Publications such as Deccan Herald and Malayala Manorama are in this list.
Sarathy of Universal Print Systems Limited, Chennai, said: ``CTP is popular abroad. But it is in its infancy in India.'' He, however, expressed confidence that it would soon catch on.
As part of the programme, a function was organised at Le Royal Meridien to give away ``National Awards for Excellence in Printing.''
Here's a bit of interesting trivia. The country's first printing technology institute — Institute of Printing Technology (IPT) — was set up in Chennai. And Anna University was the first to introduce a BE degree course in printing technology.
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