Whatever may be the final outcome at the three-day Telugu Desam Party’s mega show Mahanadu that concluded here on Monday, but it has given a boost to the business of flex and vinyl printing in the city at a time when the printers were having a tough time to make both ends meet.
The city, rather the district, was swathed in yellow, the colour of TDP flag, with festoons, banners, flex and vinyl boards mainly carrying huge pictures of TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, his son and IT Minister Nara Lokesh and party founder N.T. Rama Rao. Till about a month ago, the business was dull. “We had a very bad time during last year as the prices of ink, colour and material had gone up and the business volume was not that great. But things changed overnight due to the orders for Mahanadu and almost everyone got their share,” said Sekhar, a flex printer. In Visakhapatnam, there are about 40 flex and vinyl printers and the Mahanadu printing business was shared by almost all of them. Though they were not forthcoming in letting out the volume of business done, sources said that it could go beyond ₹1.5 crore.
A printer said that about 10,000 flex and vinyl boards and banners of different sizes were printed for the occasion, apart from the huge cut-outs.
Printing charges
The printers charge on sft basis and the rate could vary from ₹15 to ₹50 per sft, depending on the quality of ink and urgency. This apart there is the cost of iron frames. On the other hand vinyl printing is charged between ₹20 to ₹28 per sft with rates coming down for higher quantity. According to a printer, the business is not given by the TDP or any organisation directly. Party top bosses in the city assign the work to different MLAs who in turn entrust the work to different corporator range leaders. And each corporator or party leader patronises a printer of their choice and that is how the pie is shared. Whatever be the deal, the printers make a fast buck.
