Prized technology … Priceless results - Vijas Digital India

The convergence of imaging, signage, and prepress

Prized technology … Priceless results - Vijas Digital India

Leveraging the domain knowledge and quality standards of a Mumbai prepress house Vijas adds heavy duty ultra wide printers on its way to becoming a full service imaging and print service provider under one roof

By Dhawal Kumar


With its slogan ‘Prized technology…Priceless results’ Vijas Digital India Pvt Ltd is fast growing its business in large format digital printing in India. The company based at New Ashirwad Inudstrial Estate in Goregaon West in Mumbai can be suitably adjudged amongst the leading edge printers. Vijas is the preferred choice of many outdoor advertising agencies across India. It also has registered branch offices in the US and UK.

Vijas has equipment from every manufacturer – EFI VUTEK, Xerox, AGFA, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh, Dainippon Screen, Leister among others. The company produces bill boards, banners, fleet graphics, window graphics, back-lit signage, bus shelters, kiosks, tradeshow exhibits, backdrops and other indoor and outdoor graphics. Some of its major clients include Reliance, Globus, Raymonds, Ogilvy and Mather, Vodafone, 9X channel, Go Air, Pantaloon, Adlabs, UTV. With the total capacity to print 1.25 lakh (125,000) square feet a day, Vijas is the leading digital printer of Mumbai working in three shifts with an employee base of 133.

A one-stop shop for digital imaging, the company also providing pre-press, design, and photography services through its sister concerns Vijas Process and Vijas Graphics. Vijas’s prepress facility provides high resolution scanning on a Crossfield MagnaScan drum scanner, output on a Dainippon Screen imagesetter, colour retouching, colour proofing and CtP. It has recently purchased a 44S thermal CtP from Screen.

While the pre press division caters to ad agencies, offset printers, graphic designers, publication houses and industrial establishments, the comprehensive digital photography studio is the location for many product and model shoots. In our conversation with Jamal and Altaf Agwan directors of the company, Jamal, the elder of the two brothers says, “We started our business in 1995 specifically as a pre press service provider with the aim of servicing the printers in Mumbai. In 1999 we diversified to digital printing with the purchase of two HP Designjet 5500s. In 2003 we bought two more HP 5500s and also one Mutoh Toucan inkjet printer.”

He added, “2007 has been the most important year in our company’s growth as we purchased four VUTEK UltraVu wide format printers, which have provided us with the biggest boost in our production capacity and enabled us to meet the quality requirements of our clients. Of the four printers three are 8-colour and one is 4-colour. One of the printers has got a EFI Fiery RIP.”

“One thing I want to say in the VUTEK context is that we associated with EFI very late, if we had associated ourselves earlier, our growth would have been faster. We are highly satisfied with the performance of the machines and the excellent service and technology support provided by the company. As quality is very important -- especially for outdoor -- VUTEK has proven to be the right choice in this context.”

Talking about his business strategy he said, “We firmly believe in the right technology at the right time. We do not believe in second hand systems and thus invest our budget in buying the latest things that work right for us. We also believe in a centralized system of working and thus we don’t have multi-location units. We serve clients across India from our headquarters here in Mumbai. This has been made possible due to our strong logistics. Sitting here we can supervise activities all over India very well with our centralized system.”

On current trends, Jamal Agwan says, “The retail boom has helped us in our growth. The various malls that are there and that are coming up are creating lot of space for in shop displays, POP displays, banners, back lit displays and all this means good business for the digital printers in our country. Every week there is a change in the products that are marketed at these malls. With every new product launch there is a creation of demand. So you can see that the market for digital print is booming.”

Talking about the changes that will come he says, “We firmly believe that roll-to-roll UV printing is the future and we will have it. Here in Mumbai the Brihan Mumbai Corporation has banned the use of solvent based print products and in this light, UV is emerging as the right choice.

Asked about the challenges the industry faces, Jamaal tells us, “The digital printing industry is very fragmented. There is a need for a proper and dedicated association, which can look after the concerns of the digital printers. Presently many printers face the mobility of customers from one PSP to another without paying to the first PSP. All such issues can be solved through the association.”

“This is the age of convergence and we totally believe in it. The call of the hour is providing services all under one roof. With all this in sight we are looking forward to setting up such a center where we will have everything from designing to prepress, printing to post press, short run digital printing, offset printing and everything you can think of.”

Speaking of recent events and the need to cut out the noise in the digital printing context, Jamal Agwan adds, “According to me the IPEX and FESPA shows in India were quite good. I think that there should be just one annual event for the industry. There is no need for too many events.” He is also keen to seem stability in the industry, “See, at present the signage industry is growing and I think the rates should standardize. There is a need to create awareness among customers that by paying a little extra you can get a more long lasting product and value for money. Indians need to get less price-sensitive.”