Rajshree Signage
All under one roof

Naresh Saluja

When it comes to spotlighting a big old signage player in Karnal whose tasks cover anything of signage under the sun, Rajshree Signage will be the right identification as this signage player has been around the market for more than two decades, engaging in a gamut of activities. A quick flashback of the establishment of this signage firm will date back to 1991 when it was incepted as a small sign making unit equipped with an acrylic cutter and a cutting plotter under the name Rangoli Graphics. “We are still known by this name to many people around. We changed our name to Rajshree Signage in 2002 with the setting up of a digital large-format production facility where a DGI VT-92 was installed, perhaps the firstof- its-kind printer in the region,” narrates Naresh Saluja of Rajshree Signage.

Rajshree Signage handles any given signage or display graphic project to utmost satisfactory level of their customers who are predominantly from Karnal and some from far off quarters like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

The company’s current production facility is equipped with printers of varied configurations and competencies, such as EPSON SureColor, ColorJet UV flatbed, Mimaki and a line of finishing equipments, which forms the vitality in productivity and quality in print outputs. Extended for relative activities, Limelight Media is yet a separate unit of Rajshree Signage where installed the UV flatbed (ColorJet) printer especially for high-end projects for in-store graphics or such kinds are churned.

A robust team of 10 sign-making professionals, which comprised graphic designers, is the workforce behind the company’s excellent outputs, whether in graphic prints or services. Some of the big corporate companies in the telecommunication sector have been regular customers of Rajshree Signage since a long period of time. Of them, Reliance Telecommunications, Vodafone and Idea are some big names, who keep dropping in at the doorstep of Rajshree Signage for their projects in Haryana and many other neighbouring cities and towns across north India. To upgrade themselves to the latest market trends and development, Naresh mentions that they keep sensing whatever new being surfaced in the industry and this is what it makes Rajshree Signage standout amid others.

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Ahuja Graphics
Provider of every need

Sunil Ahuja (left) with colleagues

Almost everyone running big old signage firms in Karnal has years of deep rooted background in sign making, which could be dated back to the era when there was nothing of largeformat printing, cutting and engraving machines in the region. Ahuja Graphics is one such firm. Narrating the company’s legacy in the industry, Sunil Ahuja of Ahuja Graphics recalls that his father was a popular painter in the town having a lot of landmark signage and display projects in the region to his credit. “But a big transition had taken place with us when we transformed ourselves into a digital large-format printing firm with the adoption of an Allwyn printer (Konica printhead) around three years back,” says Sunil, adding that they have garnered a totally changed work profile ever since the new avatar.

In addition to a host of local walk-in customers, Ahuja Graphics is a corner where many reputed schools in Karnal come down for numerous projects of all sorts, whether interior graphics or outdoor campaigns. Some of the schools, in the client list to name a few, include Kidszee, Nissan Public School and Mount Litera Zee School. In addition, Ahuja Graphics is known for its expertise in fabrication of event stalls and stages. “It’s quite challenging to play with graphics, colours and deadlines when handling stage crafts and event stalls,” mentions Sunil. He adds that some of the leading ad agencies from big cities bring in landmark projects to them, which they found quite challenging to work on.

Ahuja Graphics has a team of well-trained professionals that can handle everything in-house without outsourcing a bit to a third party. Of the 16 professionals in the team, half a dozen are engaged in designing job for which the company is popularly known to its clients from Karnal and its surrounding regions. In their endeavour to magnify their infrastructure and outputs in quality, Sunil mentions that they are now fully geared up to install a brand new ecosolvent printer from Apsom Infotex, hoping the move will provide them new acceleration in quality printing.

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Karthikay Graphics
Complete solution provider

Anuradha Khurana and colleagues

Tcomplete printing solutions around Karnal may end up their anxiety at Karthikay Graphics. Because this signage firm is a one-stop corner where all sorts of printing machines are equipped in its stateof- the-art production facilities designed to cater every need of the clients of varied profiles. The company’s two production setups are equipped with a whole gamut of printing technologies that consist of flatbed, eco-solvent and solvent printers. Anuradha Khurana of Karthikay Graphics says that they have set up an extended production division in Mangalpur Village, around five km from Karnal, especially equipped with a flatbed printer and an offset press. The main production facility of Karthikay Graphics is equipped with two Caldron solvent printers, a Xuli eco-solvent printer and a Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C1060. According to Anuradha Khurana, main aim of the company is to provide their clients a complete print solution, right from wedding cards upto roadside hoardings.

“Our customers enjoy the completeness of printing available with us under one roof. For example, the Konica Minolta press in our Karnal facility is to meet the demand of commercial prints, for which many recurrently turn up at our doorstep,” she elucidates.

Some of the prominent clients for whom Karthikay Graphics has so far been serving to the fullest possible satisfaction include Bata, Union Bank of India and Indian Oil—both indoor and outdoor display projects are what these big clients keep carrying along. Activities of Karthikay Graphics are not confined only around Karnal, but extended to the neighbouring towns and cities of Punjab and more. In this, Anuradha mentions Patiala and Panipat are two of the major locations where dwelled some of the long-term customers of Karthikay Graphics.

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Kritika Graphics
Quality conscious corner

Surinder Kumar

When enquired about their earlier background, ‘artist’ is the most common word heard from the PSPs populated in the signage market of Karnal. Surinder Kumar, founder of Kritika Graphics, is in the league as he was also an artist. After working for 12 years as a commercial artist indulging in painting wall murals, outdoor hoardings, ad posters and such kinds, he finally switched to the modern sign making trend using digital large-format printers just a couple of years back following the installation of a brand new Astrojet solvent printer with Konica printhead in their production facility. “We find the signage market getting expanding quite rapidly everywhere with the introduction of new technologies. This is what we are now attempting to tap to the fullest in the years to come,” says Surinder.

What does Kritika Graphics do to make its works standout? To this question, Surinder replies, “Selection of right media is our ultimate tactic to make distinction in quality in our print outputs.” StarFlex is the most common or standard media they regularly opt for, but as per the demand or choice of their customers, they go for LG as well, according to Surinder. A team of around eight professional sign makers are deputed to carry out all activities right from start to end at Kritika Graphics, whether it could be graphic designing, printing, fabrication or installation.

Nevertheless when the size of the project is somewhat large they go for tie-up with a third party that would be capable and responsible to execute everything independently.

Though their clients are very much concentrated in Karnal, Kritika Graphics has some ad agencies from Ludhiana and Delhi which do regularly come down to them for signage projects in the city. Such expansive reputation is what all it takes to make this signage firm known to clients based in some areas outside Karnal. In this, Surinder has the pride to say, “Though we are based in small city of Haryana, our mission is to spread our footprints at least across whole of the north Indian region.”

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Sehgal Graphics
Looking ahead for bigger expansion

Naresh Sehgal

Like many in Karnal, Sehgal Graphics is just another signage shop whose origin is rooted into the era of handpainted display systems when hoarding, cinema posters, shop-front displays were all manually prepared or painted. Recalling the company’s earlier stance, Naresh Sehgal of Sehgal Graphics narrates the way his father, a painting artist, started the signage shop in 1992 dealing everything manually. “It was when the market got changed drastically when digital large-format printing technologies swept in and sign making was no longer remained in conventional way and we switched to this new revolution in the year 2004,” narrates Naresh.

Since they have transformed from being a painting shop into a digital largeformat printing corner over the last one decade, Sehgal Graphics has gained a new momentum in business as their clientele comprising good old customers has been multiplied by a fresh lot. “Right from the earlier days when we were working as painter, our customers were scattered in both public and private domains. And some of our old customers have been in close connection with us now and then,” informs Naresh, adding that they (customers) trust the quality in work and services of Sehgal Graphics.

Apparently, the opening of the production facility that had been upgraded with the gradual installations of a line of digital large-format printers, such as Infiniti, Allwyn, Caldron and an array of finishing equipments, one after another since 2004, eventually transformed the overall activities of Sehgal Graphics. As on today, clients from the public sector, viz. State Agriculture Department and some from the corporate domain, such as Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and State Bank of India (SBI) are in the client list of Sehgal Graphics. Naresh reveals that their next expansion will be the adoption of an eco-solvent printer and opening of an LED signage division.

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Painter Venus
Traditional ways still intake

NK Sachdeva

Though they have tied-up with a bunch of PSPs in the city of Karnal to produce flex graphics to the demand of its age-old customers, Painter Venus is still in the tradition of painting signage and graphic items of all kinds. NK Sachdeva, who is the main ‘painter’ and founder of Painter Venus, feels that the art of painting is not yet withered.

“One needs to be at least artistic a bit to create something that outshines the ordinaries,” he justifies, adding that both the technologies and talents must go handin- hand for perfect outputs. He further explains that the hand-painted display graphics still have advantages over flex printed materials in rural areas where wall mural campaigns work.

IFFCO, Chambal Fertilizers are some of the companies with whom Painter Venus has been partnered for their promotional campaign projects carried out in villages. For that, these customers come down to Painter Venus which executes painted campaigns larger than life size in remotest corners of Haryana. “There are certain impossibilities of flex-printed banners when we deal with the campaigns of IFFCO. Let’s take an example: it’s easier to execute a painted wall of 80x20 ft than assembling it using printed flex in an open field in rural parts. And flex graphics cannot be lasted as painted ones in harsh weather condition in an open area; even expenditure between the two is of vast difference,” explains NK Sachdeva.

All seven zilas (districts) of Haryana, including Karnal and Gurgaon, are where Painter Venus executes projects of big corporate firms dealing primarily in agricultural products. Overall team at Painter Venus consists of two painters and others for machine operation, fabrication and installation jobs. Now that the era of digital large-format printing is pitching aggressively, NK Sachdeva feels that they must pay bigger attention to this modern trend, even while they ought to keep equal emphasis on their traditional painting jobs.

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Sikka Advertising Company
All choices available

Ashok and Raju Sikka

Barely owning a single machine doesn’t make Sikka Advertising Company inferior to any of its counterparts in the sign making market of Karnal. The company is now in a developing stage when it comes to owning digital large-format printers. “We are readily planning to adopt some good machines soon,” asserts Ashok Sikka of Sikka Advertising Company.

He adds, “As of now we are running just a Caldron machine, but we have been tied up with some of the leading PSPs in the city (Karnal) and neighbouring areas to manage our requirements. Some of the long-time customers of Sikka Advertising Company from both local and corporate domains are Crompton Greaves, CRI Farms and Hindustan Farms.

“As we were established more than twenty years back as painting cum screen printing shop, our activities are still very much into these two traditional areas. We are still executing wall murals in the outskirts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh where big corporate companies like Crompton Greaves carry out big ad campaigns in the forms of wall murals in remote village areas, which flex prints cannot replace in the way we paint in terms of size and durability in harsh weather,” exclaims Ashok. He agrees to the fact that the hand-painted displays are now almost outdated, but there is still scope in certain circumstances when it comes to outdoor displays.

Sikka Advertising Company is one of the sole signage vendors of various state government departments, such as Public Work Departments (PWD) and Agriculture Department, for these customers they have campaigned in rural areas carrying out painted walls, kiosks and screen cloth banners, covering the north Indian regions of western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, apart from Haryana. When enquired about the next step plan, Ashok attentively says the opening of a full-fledged production facility is their top priority.

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Kanhiya Graphics
Big old competent sign maker

Arjun Chawla

Arjun Chawla was and still is a popular painter in Karnal. But the changing trends and technologies in the sign making industry has changed the way he used to be in preparing signage and display items manually as his updated firm Kanhiya Graphics has taken into a modern swing, fully supported by his son Munish Chawla. “Painting will always imprint in my heart; but all these changes you see around are what changing times have brought in and we have to embrace them,” explains Arjun, elaborating how Kanhiya Graphics has transformed from a painting shop to a digital large-format printing firm today. It was in the year 2006 whole setup of the company was transformed, adopting some of the finest range of printers.

Rated to be one of the well-equipped production facilities any PSP in Karnal has ever owned, Kanhiya Graphics boasts of its machine portfolio, which consists of a Mutoh eco-solvent printer and an Allwin solvent printer, along with a line of finishing equipments including a largeformat lamination machine. In addition to a host of local walk-in lot, Kanhiya Graphics pulls a number of customers from Delhi and Punjab. “Customers’ satisfaction is Kanhiya Graphics Big old competent sign maker our prime objective; so it’s proud to be able to attract customers from other towns and cities around Karnal to our jobs or products,” asserts Arjun.

Some of the regular customers of Kanhiya Graphics include big corporate companies like Good Day, and many others. The company’s team of 10 well experienced sign making professionals dedicatedly works all tasks right from fabrications upto installations in any given deadline or circumstance. Now that the world of sign making has been defined by ultra-modern printing, cutting, routing and engraving technologies, Arjun is now planning to take on these technologies from time-to-time to make themselves into the changing trends of the industry.

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System Print Line
Caterer of complete signage solutions

Known to general public either System Print Line or GG Signage, this signage corner is a one-stop exclusive corner for complete solutions— be it glow sign boards, unipoles, steel letters, wall painting, all come under one roof. The company boasts of a production setup equipped with Mimaki and EPSON printers along with a line of finishing equipments. In case of the need of advanced printing or cutting machines, in addition to its existing portfolio, System Print Line gets little help from fellow partner companies based in Karnal and beyond. They work in this way to meet the sheer requirements of their customers who could be either from Karnal or any other parts of Haryana.

Sanjay Saluja of System Print Line says they were merely painters around 18 years back and it has been just a few years back they switched to the digital large-format printing. Still some old customers of the company since then period are in their client roster; to name a few, it may include: Tata, Reliance Communications, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce. “We have around 20 professionals who are engaged in all sign making activities, either in the field and desk jobs,” mentions Sanjay, adding that such manpower strength of the company could deliver everything on time, to the demands of their customers.

Prime focus of System Print Line is ‘quality control’, which they do by selecting the best printing materials. In this, Sanjay says they have been closely partnered with New Delhi-based Satyam Plastic, one of the leading printing material suppliers in north India, to choose the best quality media. He adds, if required, they go for 3M and Avery Dennison materials to meet the demands of their customers. But in general production, Starflex is the ultimate choice of their customers and they dedicatedly serve to the requirement of their customers in any given deadline.

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Manjeet Arts
Specialist in modular signs

Manjeet Singh and Paramjeet Singh

Artist Manjeet Singh, like many being covered in this column, was a painter who painted wall murals, cinema posters, shop-front signboards and portraits for more than 18 years before he switched to crafting cut letters and modular signs. “It has been exactly 10 years as it was in 2006 when we first adopted a sign making machine—a Jaguar cutting plotter from VK Enterprise to cut acrylic and other materials to prepare directional signs, vehicle number plates and such display items,” says Manjeet Singh of Manjeet Arts. He adds that they are now fully prepared to expand their machine portfolio to magnify activities with the adoption of few more digital machines.

“Flex printing is now an overrated activity. It’s just a name, nothing creative involved at all; and most of all, the scope of flex printing is narrower these days than ever,” opines Manjeet, adding that the next technology Manjeet Arts is looking ahead for adoption is laser engraving. Of course, laser engraving is still a new activity among the sign makers of Karnal and Manjeet wants it to make an entry. In this, he observes that the signmaking market of Karnal is now gradually opening to innovative applications like laser-cut display/signage items that have not yet been properly exploited so far.

Manjeet Arts is one of the most popular sign making corners located in the Guru Nanak Market on the Link Road in Karnal. Its popularity is for the fact that the man behind the creation of all innovative signage items at the corner is one of the veterans in the region, known to almost everyone in the city and cross border areas. Customers from the far off cities of Kurukshetra and such areas do regularly come down to get carved their signage items at Manjeet Arts, regardless of the distances.

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Shiv Computers
Designing, printing and all

Ashwani Sachdeva

Whether it could be offset, flex or screen printing, Shiv Computers is where everybody turns up to get everything done. This doesn’t mean the shop has all these production facilities under its roof. They have nothing in hand, but everything is place through tie ups with some of the leading PSPs and commercial printing firms around Haryana. As the name of the company tells all, Shiv Computers is one of the highly sought after graphic designing firms in Karnal. “Many sign makers, commercial printers and ad agencies in the region come down to us for graphic designing,” says Ashwani Sachdeva of Shiv Computers. And this is how they expand their activities through partnership with the region’s leading printing firms.

“We have had word with Apsom Infotex to open our own production facility. These days, flex printing for outdoor banner is almost an outdated activity. So, we are looking ahead to adoption of some high-end printers of eco-solvent technologies or such standard to grab some creative display graphic projects for interior applications,” explains Ashwani, adding that the current job profile of Shiv Computers, when it comes to the company’s signage and display tasks, are predominantly of stage fabrication and execution for events, melas (fairs).

Karnal is quite a happening place. This is the point Shiv Computers keeps in consideration. A host of ad agencies based in the city and neighbouring areas keep turn up almost all the time at Shiv Computers, more recurrently during festive seasons, for huge projects of event management, stage crafts and décors that keep this graphic designing corner busy throughout the year. Ashwani says, “As our mainstay is in graphic designing, many ad agencies keep trust with us for years and printing comes second to designing.” He articulates that the opening of their production facility will accompany with the recruitment of a fresh executives for direct marketing.

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Raj Advertisers
King of big projects

Rajinder Solray

It’s been almost two decades since Raj Advertisers has marked its leading position in the signage and display art market of Karnal by executing big fat projects all around. Established as a mere sign shop in the year 1997, a big boost to the company’s machine portfolio and overall activities got enhanced to a new level in the year 2011 following the installations of a Roland VersaCAMM and an Infiniti, one after another in a short interval. Rajinder Solray of Raj Advertisers is a firm believer in the maxim ‘quality works for quality people’. That’s why the company boasts of a host of reputed customers in their roster and they are popularly known not only around Karnal but all across north India.

Everything churning and assembling at Raj Advertisers are managed by a team of a half dozen well-trained sign-making professionals. Some of the old customers, which Rajinder calls them old chaps, include Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), SBI and Union Bank of India. “We are authorised vendor of IOC for Haryana region; for them, we create whatever they require, whether it could be for in-store applications or outdoor promotional campaigns installed across the state,” he mentions. He adds that if their customers require them to move beyond Haryana, they do it so without compromise.

Quality in both print outputs and service is what it makes Raj Advertisers known to its customers. In this respect, Rajinder says they choose the best quality materials to prepare display items of all sorts, be it backlit in-shop displays or roadside hoardings. “Some of our customers, such as IOC, are very quality conscious; as per their demand, sometimes we had to go for high-end materials like 3M, which we directly order from Delhi,” he remarks. Raj Advertisers is indeed a corner designed for those with big demand for quality products.