JC Graphics of Vijayawada has been awarded the ISO – 12647-2 (2013 version) printing standards certification. The first Indian print shop to be certified, it was presented by Heidelberg Druck maschinen AG, Germany on 9 June 2015 at an event organized at the JC Graphics’ printing unit in Vijayawada where Klaus Nielsen, managing director, Heidelberg India handed the ISO certificate to Ratnakar Hegde, chairman and founder of JC Graphics. The company started its business in 1977 by printing cinema posters, later expanding into the packaging segment. The three-decade old print shop now specializes in packaging printing, stationery printing and monocartons in Vijayawada.
Heidelberg conferred the certification as per ISO 12647-2 standards, after several rigorous rounds of tests on prepress, press and production, including print run on various substrates, dot-gain calibration and consistency of delta-E values. The ISO 12647-2 certification ensures that there is no compromise on the excellence of quality.
The final test results were sent to Heidelberg Druck maschinen AG, Germany, for evaluation. After meticulous assessment, Heidelberg issued the certification as per ISO 12647-2. The ISO 12647-2/7 is equivalent to a ‘license to print.’ The certificate assures that a print shop did produce a proof and print based on PSO (Process Standard Offset) and knows how to do it. It implies that the processes, consumables and equipment have been standardized to PSO requirements. Heidelberg has already certified 150 print shops worldwide with ISO 12647-2.
The ISO12647-2 certification sets the bars high and places higher demands on the excellence of print output. Quality-conscious print buyers are increasingly looking for print providers with ISO certification, which guarantees accountable quality control and consistency.
JC Graphics and Heidelberg India also jointly organized an Open House to showcase the Speedmaster CD 102 6-color UV press with coating unit, a recent acquisition by JC Graphics and the first-ever installation in Andhra Pradesh. The demo on what we describe as a ‘dream machine’ (a 6-color plus coater with interdeck and end of press UV curing) included print jobs on various substrates to educate the participants on the applications of the CD 102. The presentation was followed by a seminar on ISO standards by Heidelberg India. The event witnessed participation from about 80 printers and print buyers. Apart from the CD 102, JC Graphics have Bobst and Sugana diecutters as well as Polar guillotines.
Nielsen, managing director, Heidelberg India, and Karunkar Thiyagaraj of JC Graphics
Ratnakar Hegde said, “Its truly overwhelming to be the first print shop in India to receive the printing standard certification as per ISO 12647-2 (2013 version). The award will reinforce our mission to deliver quality print products to our customers. We appreciate and thank the Heidelberg India team for helping us achieve this remarkable milestone in our print journey.”
Ganesh Kumar, senior manager of Heidelberg India and a Fogra certified color consultant who worked closely on this project says, “Achieving the ISO certification is an educational experience. Like any great accomplishment, it entails a lot of hard work. The challenge is to print 4,000 sheets, and check every 400th sheet for an array of parameters including color deviation, tonal value and ink spread.”
Karunakar Thiyagaraj, managing director and the current-generation entrepreneur of JC Graphics concludes,“The ISO 12647-2 certification is quality assurance to the print buyer. It is a guarantee that the print shop produces quality print products with ISO standards. In short, it is an authentic authorization to print. We are equally proud of installing the first-ever Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 in Andhra Pradesh at our plant in Vijayawada with ISO-12647-2 standards.”
