In a strategic business decision, Bhatia Graphica plans to advance with the best-in-class pre-press Flexo technology.
Founded in 1997 by Mr Ram Bhatia, Bhatia Graphica Pvt. Ltd. has been a premier pre-press and pre-media services trade shop for over 26 years. The company started its journey by providing zinc plates for the dry offset printing industry. The company later planned to diversify into photopolymer plates. In 2014, Bhatia Graphics (BG) made a significant business decision to invest in the first CTP (computer-to-plate). The company started offering metal-back digital plates for dry offset, which improved the print quality as reproduction of photo-realistic images was possible in dry offset printing. Responding to the growing demand, BG invested in a second CTP system in 2017, which also marked the beginning of their expansion into digital letterpress plates and, eventually, digital Flexo plates.
To enhance their capabilities to offer plates with the HD Flexo and Pixel+ technologies, recently, Bhatia Graphica invested in an Esko CDI along with a DuPont in-line processor and a DuPont exposure unit. With the servers, packaging editors and a highly motivated and experienced team, Bhatia Graphica is now capable of delivering exceptional quality plates to customers quickly and efficiently.
BG proudly boasts of a state-of-the-art facility for Flexo pre-press and plates, complemented by a highly motivated and experienced team. This powerful combination empowers the company to tackle even the most complex jobs of delivering the highest quality pre-press and plates.
Flexo – The Advanced and Sustainable Solution
Regarding its decision to diversify into the Flexo industry, Jitendra Bhatia, Managing Director for Bhatia Graphica said, “Worldwide, the Flexo industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2023 to 2030. In India, the Flexo industry is also proliferating. BG is already supplying to dry offset, letterpress and Flexo markets. But, we wanted to increase our capacity to cater to the increasing demand from our existing customers. And also, we were looking to expand our customer base. Now, with the installation of Esko CDI and Dupont Cyrel solution, we can serve the flexible packaging, labels, tags, corrugated and book ruling markets as well.”
Investing in the best-in-class technology and reliable after-sales service
Speaking about the choice of opting ESKO CDI and DuPont Cyrel Solution, he added, “The reason we chose the Esko CDI again is we were already using an Esko CDI, and we were satisfied with the quality of output and the after-sales service from Esko. DuPont, on the other hand, is an established player in the Flexo industry. The proven performance and quality of their Flexo equipment combined with strong after-sales support drives the decision of our investment.”
Precise Technology Precise Plates
We procure photopolymer plates from our suppliers. We ablate those plates using LAMS (Laser Ablative Mask System) technology. We use the following technologies for our plates:
- Flat top dot
- Pixel+
- HD Flexo
- High end server software for automating processes and minimizing errors
- Packaging Editors
We also do press standardization for our customers so that the tones are within tolerances and the colours are consistent and accurate, ensuring that the final printed products meet the
highest quality standards. We are currently catering to the Flexo, letterpress and dry offset industries.
USP of Bhatia Graphics
- Robust and seasoned team: BGboasts a highly skilled and experienced team.
- Customer-centric approach: Consistently prioritize our customers’ needs and preferences.
- Cutting-edge pre-press infrastructure: The state-of-the-art pre-press infrastructure, comprising top-tier servers, software and equipment, ensures swift and error-free job processing.
- Data backup: The companyimplement thorough data backup procedures at multiple levels, assuring the safeguarding of data in unforeseen circumstances.
Awards
- In 2014, BG was the first company in India to introduce metal-back digital plates. The technology, combined with the pre-press experience, made it possible to achieve
photo-realistic graphics reproduction in dry offset.
- In 2022, BG was awarded the pre-media company of the year by PrintWeek magazine.
Flexo is the Future
Till a few years back, Gravure was the standard for quality printing. Flexo plates were used only for printing on corrugated boxes, plastic bags, labels etc. But, over time, as the Flexo industry grew and various technologies evolved, that improved the quality of Flexo printing tremendously. There was also a substantial increase in the volume of jobs, and such jobs are not viable using gravure technology (short and medium runs), which involved high costs of manufacturing, storing and handling printing cylinders.
The gravure technology requires the use of harmful toluene-based inks. The quantity of ink needed to print the gravure jobs per square metre is much higher than Flexo.
With surface screening technologies like Pixel+, which increases the solid ink densities and HD Flexo, which lets us avoid hard edges in images and vignettes, it is possible to achieve gravure-quality printing using Flexo technology. Today, when file pre-press, plate production, and the printing process are properly managed, Flexographic printing can achieve superior print quality compared to gravure printing. Flexo printing is a lot more cost-effective and faster as compared to Gravure, and that is the reason so many jobs are being shifted from Gravure to Flexo today.”
“The Indian growth story stands strong, driven by the lowest per capita consumption rates for packaging worldwide and a burgeoning population, which sets the stage for a definite upward trend, creating a mutually beneficial scenario for Indian printers. The Flexo industry in India is poised for a promising and vibrant future” Concludes Jitendra Bhatia.
