Printing at its core is all about creativity. Offset Printers today are capable of printing brilliant life-like jobs whether it is commercial, publishing or packaging.
Print3 : What was the original vision behind establishing Purandara Graphics Sales & Services, and how has that vision changed over the years?
Vishnu K : PGSS began by supplying high-quality essential offset printing consumables such as inks, plates and chemicals to the native offset printers at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Over three decades, the company has evolved towards understanding printers’ problems and providing respective solutions rather than simply selling products. Today, we are more of a solutionoriented partner for our customers.
P3 : What does “Partnering Print” mean in practical terms and What are Purandara’s goals for the next 3–5 years?
VK : We understand ‘Partnering Print’ as more than just supplying products. It means understanding what a printer is trying to achieve, recommending the right materials and technology, providing technical support, and helping the customer achieve consistent quality. That customer-focused approach is an important part of Purandara’s identity.
We believe new technologies will make printing more data-driven and automated. For a printing-material supplier, this means the role may gradually move further from supplying products to providing integrated technical solutions. Our main focus will be to introduce more sustainable products contributing to the goal of zero-carbon.
P3 : How has Purandara diversified its product basket?
VK : As customer requirements became more sophisticated, we expanded into areas such as coatings, adhesives, psa stickers, films, and other value-added consumables. Today we supply major consumables for Flexo, Screen, Gravure and Digital printing technologies. Under our brand “TRUTONE” we supply uniquely curated inks for the Corrugated box, Textile Cones and Hi-end Packaging throughout India. Our fluorescent inks specially formulated for Offset and Flexo printing has received major recognitions from the industry. We also established a manufacturing unit for Laser punching dies, Emboss & Foil Blocks. It was like a quick shift from product selling to problem solving.
P3 : How does Purandara decide which new printing products or technologies should be introduced to the market and How does the Ink ATM service work?
VK : With printing technology changing continuously, product selection is an important part of our business. We primarily look at customer requirements, emerging technology, international trends, product performance or a combination of these factors when we introduce new solutions.
We were first to introduce this service in Southern India. Ink ATM centers provide Pantone & Spot color matching for various printing methods. The color is matched and mixed according to the customer’s requirement and quantity. This is particularly valuable because accurate and consistent color reproduction is very important for professional printing. Today, we are providing matching inks for conventional, UV and LED technologies under Offset, Screen, Gravure & Flexo Printing streams.
P3 : What new printing technologies will have the biggest impact and How do commercial, publishing and packaging customers differ?
VK : We believe automation assisted printing, AI-driven digital printing, printed electronics, advanced color management, environmentally responsible printing technologies and improved quality-control systems will have a major impact. Customers increasingly expect better quality, faster turnaround and less wastage, so technologies that improve consistency and efficiency will have a better impact. Each segment has different priorities. Commercial printing may focus heavily on color quality and flexibility, publishing can place greater emphasis on consistency and efficiency across large volumes, while packaging can have more specialized requirements such as spot colors, substrates and finishing. Therefore, product selection and technical support need to be customized according to the customer’s application.
P3 : Why do you think a company like Purandara needs to continuously innovate
VK : The printing industry is changing rapidly because of new technologies, customer expectations, environmental requirements and increasing competition. A company like Purandara needs to keep learning and adapting so that it can provide relevant products and solutions to its customers. Only Continuous innovation can help the company improve its efficiency and maintain its competitive advantage.
P3 : What differentiates Purandara from other printing-material suppliers and How does Purandara select the brands and products it offers?
VK : One major difference is the combination of product knowledge, experience and personal service. Due to our expertise across several areas, customers can approach us for a combined solution rather than having to source every requirement separately. Purandara doesn’t focus only on selling printing materials, it also provides door-step troubleshooting whenever required and also collects, validates and act on customer feedbacks.
We emphasis on product quality, innovation, consistency, reliability, technical performance and after-sales support to be important criteria. Since Purandara positions itself as a solution provider rather than only a distributor, we believe the products also need to solve a genuine customer requirement.
P3 : How do you balance exceptional service, quality and price as the company grows?
VK :We think the key is to focus on total value rather than simply the lowest purchase price. A slightly higher-quality product can sometimes reduce wastage, downtime and rework, which can make it more economical overall. Technical support and reliable delivery also contribute to the customer’s total operating efficiency.
P3 : How is AI, automation and digital technologies changing the Indian printing industry and What technological gap do you think Indian printers need to address most urgently?
VK : We believe these technologies will make printing more data-driven and automated. AI and automation could help with quality inspection, color management, predictive maintenance, workflow optimization and reducing wastage
P3 : What technological gap do you think Indian printers need to address most urgently?
VK : Indian printing companies are adopting newer technologies at different speeds. In our experience, the biggest technological gap that printers need to address is work place safety automation and wide gamut color profiling.
P3 : What are the biggest challenges facing Indian printing today and What do you think will drive the growth of the Indian printing industry over the next decade?
VK : Some major challenges would be increasing competition, pressure on pricing, shorter turnaround times, changing customer expectations, adoption of new technologies, sustainability requirements and maintaining consistent quality. Printing companies need to improve productivity while controlling costs.
India has a large and diverse printing market. The biggest growth drivers over the next decade will be packaging, e-commerce, publishing, advertising and exports. To compete globally, Indian printers need to focus on print quality, productivity, technology, certified RM sourcing and cost efficiency.