Mathura, a city filled with devotional fervour (bhakti) woven into a vibrant and secrete tapestry of life, has recently been explored by the travelling team of Sign & Graphics. The divine city’s signage market is confined to itself, meeting the requirements of customers locally with some from outside. Those signage companies, whom the travelling team had engaged in direct and person-to-person interactions around the city, narrate how their business is going on in parallel with works from other players from Delhi and Agra. Here’s the summary of the context surrounding the interactions.
Perfect Printers, All Solutions Are Here
Situated strategically at Mathura city’s Bihari Lal Plazza, Perfect Printers is not just a signage printer in an ordinary sense. This print shop is set to provide A to Z of printing and graphic arts. Commercial printing, stationery and signage graphics are three verticals of business at Perfect Printers. Om Prakash Saraswat, Managing Director, Perfect Printers, says, “Whoever turns up at our shop is entertained with whatever they require. From wedding cards to outdoor billboards, we offer our customers under our roof.”
Perfect Printers’ current production setup is equipped with a line of machines and equipment of diverse technologies, formats, and configurations. When it comes to signage printing and production, the line has a handful of digital large-format printers, among which an Allwyn with Konica Minolta 512i printhead of 30pL is playing the key role in producing stunning graphics. In addition to the large-format printers, a handful of finishing equipment such as a Graphtec cutting-plotter and others like a CNC router run efficiently.
Om Prakash says they work for local customers only, which include walk-in individuals. He adds, “All our customers are mostly from Mathura city and some from Vrindavan. We provide them print services and finished products at their utmost satisfactory level. However, we work at smaller scales while most of the big or larger-scale projects seen around the city are carried out by companies based either in Delhi or Agra.” However, according to Om Prakash, they look forward to magnifying their machine line up with more advanced systems with which they plan to handle larger projects in the future.
Bhoomi Graphics, Where Quality Prints Generate
Yet another print service provider with wide varieties of wide-format, narrow-format machines, finishing equipment, and offset press, Bhoomi Graphics is one-stop shop where quality graphic prints are assured for customers from different businesses and profiles. The company’s overall activities are carried out at two different units, Bhoomi Graphics first, and secondly Jyoti Printing Press. According to Pancham Singh, Proprietor of Bhoomi Graphics, says, “Jyoti Printing Press is where we do all our commercial printing jobs. At this unit, we run a two-colour Adast Dominant offset press and a mini offset press.”
Pancham further tells about the production facility of Bhoomi Graphics. “Machines and equipment which we run at Bhoomi Graphics consist of all systems in different formats and technologies. Among them, we totally rely on a VK-Jet 3200 eco-solvent system which is bought from VK Enterprises (Infinity Digital Solutions),” he adds. He further adds that they have other systems like an UV printer, solvent, and a line of finishing machines.
Telling about the customers of Bhoomi Graphics and Jyoti Printing Press, Pancham says, “Over the last 23 years of our presence in the printing market of Mathura, we have created a prominent customer base. Most of our regular customers are walk-in individuals and those who run small businesses in the city. When it comes to signage projects flaunted across Mathura and Vrindavan, most of them are the works of big signage solution providers who come from Delhi and Agra.” True, most of the signage makers in Mathura, whom our travelling team, don’t engage in turnkey projects of corporate clients.
Indian Graphics, Going Beyond Boundaries
Indian Graphics is relatively a very small sign-making shop cuddled at a corner on Bhuteshwar Road in Mathura city. Crowds of customers, primarily a horde of young-gen customers or youngsters, always jammed at the shop most of the time, are not there for signage graphics. They are bikers who come to Indian Graphics for bike graphics. In this, Adil Raza, Business Partner, Indian Graphics, yet another youngster, narrates, “We open this small shop particularly for bike graphics, which include vinyl stickers and others. Many of our clients call us bike modifier. In fact, we modify the looks of motorbikes.”
According to Adil, Indian Graphics has a designated workshop at a different location in Mathura city. “When it comes to creating signage or outdoor promotional graphics, we carry out everything at the workshop, not at our bike graphic shop,” he adds. Machines and equipment which Indian Graphics has been using for every bit of graphic and print they produce, cut, and fabricate include a couple of Bravo cutting plotters and others including a CNC router, channel letter bending machine, so on.
When asked about the next-level plan of the company’s bike wrapping job, Adil says the market is now picking up and they are in pursuit of some advanced machines for printing textured graphics. “In addition to machines, we are also in search of some high-quality materials which can take wrapping to another level.” As on today, Indian Graphics is backed by a team of 12 staff members which include graphic designers, a creative artist, machine operators, and others.
Speed Printers, Fast And Fit To On-Time Delivery
Speed Printers is a solid example of multidisciplinary print shop in Mathura city. Under the roof of this print shop, all sorts of printing at speed take place and varied range of commercially-printed finished products, and signage prints of varied applications are produced. Be it wedding cards or outdoor billboards or channel letters, Speed Printers is where everything can be done in speedy printing and production. Here is the story behind the coining of the name of the company in which the word ‘Speed’ is very specifically used. Arvind Choudhary, Founder of Speed Printers says it’s all about delivering what their customers want at the strictest deadlines.
Established two and a half decades ago as a reprographic shop where only photocopy, binding and lamination jobs were done with the availability of some stationery items, Speed Printers never ever stood like what they are today. “From time to time, we keep upgrading ourselves in terms of printing technologies and machines we use as well as end-products we offer,” tells Arvind, adding, “We have a designated production facility at our shop today. This production facility is equipped with some production presses as well as advanced machines line EX CNC router from Mehta Hitech Industries and other machines like eco-solvent printer for signage print production,
“Ours is a team of more than a dozen skilled printing and production professionals working to produce commercial graphic prints and signage graphics,” mentions Arvind, adding, “If we talk about signage end-solutions or products we deliver for clients, particularly based in Mathura, it’s more about LED-embedded CNC-cut sign solutions for store fronts, facades, and such applications. Speed Printers joins hands with signage companies from Delhi and Agra whose large-scale projects are extensively executed across Mathura and Vrindavan.
Vk Art, Solid Solutions Supplier
It may sound coincidence as VK Art is a prolific user of a key machine from VK Enterprises (Infinity Digital Solutions) for its signage printing job. Vinod Kumar, Proprietor of VK Art, recalls, “When we were in search of a capable solvent printer for our overall signage graphic printing, we embarked on VK Enterprise, whose head office is in Delhi but they are active in regional domains, to get the right machine. We found the VK JET 3500 solvent printer, which is ideally a robust printer for all sorts of signage graphics for outdoor as well as indoor applications.”
According to Vinod, VK Art is predominantly engaging in production of letter signs. “Steel letter signs have become our expertise and main forte of business nowadays. When it says letter signs, LED-embedded glow signage solutions for interiors are the area we work extensively for clients from different sectors demanding diverse applications,” he mentions. Some of the key products which VK Art delivers as non-printed signage solutions include steel letters, name plates, directional signs, etc. Customers who throng to VK Art for such solutions and applications include people running retail stores, fitness centres, and sporting clubs in and around Mathura.
“Next-step business expansion plan for VK Art is to invest in a new set of more advanced machines for channel letter making and UV graphic print production,” informs Vinod, adding that they are currently tasting the water of the new trends and developments taking place in the Mathura signage market. He rightly states that their concern is rather to find out first the business prospect in the Mathura signage market than investing huge amount in the new machines. He adds, “It would be of no use even the high-end machines stand still without proper jobs.”
Star Graphics, Catching Trends & Tradition
Star Graphics is not just a typical sign making or printing shop. A team of 10 well-trained and experienced sign making staff members at the shop has been the vital force to print, produce, and execute various signage projects and finished solutions. A unique stance of this sign making shop is its engagement in creation of bespoke sign solutions. In this respect, Sabir Khan, Partner Proprietor of Star Graphics, states that they focus on what youngsters want in terms of bike graphics, customised T-shirt printing, gifting items—all are produced as per trends sweeping in the market and demands from Gen-Z customers.
Sabir’s son Fahran Khan is the key innovator at Star Graphics. “Since we started our business of making signage graphics and solutions, our main ambition was to create and produce something which are unconventional, off-track, and made for those looking for bespoke pieces of finished products,” tells Fahran. He further states, “Right from custom mobile cover printing up to fancy LED-based SS letters and radium boards, we make them with an intention every piece must stand out unique amid the crowds.”
Star Graphics is located in Mathura city’s bustling Krishna Nagar area. Just at a stone’s throw, the company’s workshop for assembling and fabrication of signage materials and solutions are taking place. Installed at the workshop are some cutting-edge machines and equipment handled impeccably by a team of highly-skilled staff members that include designers, machine operators, assemblers, and final installations. Some of the local customers or brands in Mathura city who have been associated with Star Graphics for years include Brijbashi Jewellers, Namaste Restaurant, Ultimate Fitness, to mention a few.
Shree Ram Trading Company, Sourcing Select Materials
Shree Ram Trading Company is considered as one of the authentic sources for printing materials in Mathura. However, this material shop is not working like any other media supplier. Here’s is the reason shared by the proprietor of the company, Mahaveer Agrawal, “We have been in the market for the last 12 years. Unlike any so-called media suppliers in other cities, we don’t limit our products only to signage materials. Our portfolio is a mixed bag containing acrylic sheers, fibre sheets, aluminium panels, playwoods, laminates, etc. Just a few flex materials are stocked in our warehouse.”
Mahaveer continues, “Most of the customers who jam at our counters are not majorly flex printing people. In a way, we would say the all excitement of flex materials, which used to be a couple of decades or so, is almost over or drastically declined. Nowadays, fabrics, and non-flex green materials have set new trends.” He adds, “After all, what we have observed is that most of the printing materials available in Mathura are directly supplied by manufacturers and dealers directly from Delhi and Agra. This is how we feel highly competed in the market with players from outside. In a simple word, Mathura is not far from these two major cities. Orders of the bulk of media or materials placed by the sign shops can be delivered overnight, easily, at the strictest deadlines.
When it comes to some premium signage printing materials available currently at Shree Ram Trading Company include Astariglas cast acrylics. According to Mahaveer, they arrange the availability of any quality media from reputed global brands in accordance to customers’ demands. A team of 12 staff members handle the overall on-time delivery of all materials available at Shree Ram Trading Company to its customers across Mathura and Vrindavan. Mahaveer is joined by brother Manoj in the business.