As India's PrintPack 2017 powered through its final day, it was clear that vendors of all forms of digital print and packaging equipment were the clear winners.

manroland web was a new player in the latter category, but the importance of newspaper printing was also a recurring theme: Manugraph chairman Sanat Shah inaugurated the show, and a control systems order by Kerala daily Malayala Manorama was one of the largest announced.

Malayala Manorama has confirmed it will install QuadTech's colour and register and control systems on 11 presses at seven sites during this year, delivering a return on the US company's recent investment in people and premises with the opening of a new office in Gujarat.

Indian newspaper press manufacturer Manugraph has also benefited from Malayala Manorama's ongoing growth, booking an order for two more Smartline 4-1 presses - and extra towers to extend the five it already has - in November. The presses will join seven Mitsubishi DiamondSpirit-SA presses, two of which were ordered last year.

The show was opened by IPAMA president HV Sheth, with the event including a number of presentations. And during Monday's "exhibitors' night" four print veterans - Bal Krishan Khindria, Darshan Singh, MM Kohli and Sukhdev Kumar Gupta - were honoured for their contribution to the industry. Founder member of IPAMA and also of the memory brand in India, Balkrishan Khindria was general secretary of IPAMA and had been working on plans for this month's even when he died in November.

Darshan Singh developed a number of finishing machines after establishing Darshan Engineering Works in the early 1960s, Sukhdev Kumar Gupta is a pioneer of the Indian graphic arts industry - building the Sujata brand in India and overseas - and M.M. Kohli brought modern CAD/CAM technology to the printing machinery industry and family-owned newspaper press maker The Printers House.

Indeed TPH was one of the most prominent of exhibitors in the PrintPack halls in Greater Noida, showing a 45,000cph Orient X-press tower, part of a press now set for installation at Amar Ujala. The company also took show visitors to its manufacturing plant at Ballabhgarh in Haryana.

Among overseas press makers, managing director Sudeep Bhattacharjee led manroland India's team, with a new single-system packaging press to talk about. The "new benchmark" combines the latest in automation and technology for hybrid applications ranging from board to foil printing, with optimised offset, flexo and gravure printing units available. The company says first press of the "new generation" has been sold for the flexible packaging industry, and includes offset and gravure printing units.

Digital newspaper printing majors Kodak, HP and Canon were all at the show, although the focus tended to be on commercial, packaging and wideformat applications.

Canon launched ten new digital presses at the show including 12 and eight-colour imageProGraf models and new showings from its broad imagePress range, and sold them all in the first couple of days.

HP's Indigo and Inkjet Web Press offerings were discussion points on the HP stand, where a photo-quality version of the Indigo 7900 digital press made its worldwide debut. The company has installed around 80 Indigo presses since PrintPack 2015, and also had its B2-sized 12000 version on show.

For Kodak, the main focus was on plates and CTP products announced at DRUPA last May including process-free Sonora UV plates, and the newspaper-focussed Libra VP violet plate, for which an "easy-chemistry" option is offered. A Trendsetter CTP on the stand had been sold to Dachepalli Publishers in Jaipur.

Although unable to stay for PrintPack, worldwide sales managing director John O'Grady had visited the branch just ahead of the show, briefing staff about developments including the sale of its Prosper inkjet business, promising an announcement "soon".

Show visitors also had their own prospects to consider, and the Print Business Outlook conference held with NPES on Sunday delivered on topics including GST and demonetisation.

Pictured from top: Kodak's Trendsetter CTP found an early buyer; visitors get up to speed on the HP stand; entrance to the exhibition in Greater Noida (pictures Kodak, HP, RadixWeb)