Indian Printers Summit 2025 foresees a future revolving around AI & Distribution

Co-sponsored by the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), the 33rd edition of Indian Printers Summit at New Delhi featured two tracks – Printing Summit and Distribution Summit – spotlighting not only innovations in printing but also the pressing challenges in newspaper distribution models.

In her opening remarks, Mariam Mammen Mathew, Vice President of WAN-IFRA and CEO of Manorama Online, said it’s time to discuss how print can co-exist with digital platforms. ‘Print and digital go better together,’ she echoed.

Three newspaper printers – ABP Kolkata and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL)/The Times of India (Ahmedabad & Delhi – Sahibabad) – received the ‘Carbon Footprint Verification Certificate’ for their commitment to data transparency and environmental accountability in the news publishing industry. They participated in a WAN-IFRA project that audited GHG emissions at printing plants.

During the opening keynote, Benjamin Peetre, Sr Business Developer – Print at Bonnier News Local, Sweden, shared how 45 of its newspapers are produced entirely using AI-assisted workflow. He stated, “While print revenue is going down, digital revenue is growing. Our focus is on making print production as efficient as possible to keep it profitable.”

In the next session, a CEOs’ Roundtable explored the current state of print and advertising in India. Pawan Agarwal, Deputy MD of DB Corp, said, “The good news is the industry is stable. We have to continue to focus on print. Digital cannot substitute what print is doing ever. Each medium has to make its own niche.”

Highlighting the importance of distribution, Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP, stated, “Being hyper-local gives us the opportunity to buy local ads. The impact is high, wastage is low and exposure is greater. This is one area where TV and digital have not been able to penetrate.”

Jayant Mammen Mathew, Executive Editor and Director of Malayala Manorama Company, stressed the role of strong journalism: “Unless we are editorially superior, it will be very difficult for our readers to stick with us.” Tanmay Maheshwari, Managing Director of Amar Ujala, stressed the importance of adding value for readers. Ritu Kapur, Co-Founder & CEO of The Quint, moderated the discussion.

In an engaging subsequent session, Amit Khurana, CEO, TechNova Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, explained how the newspaper sector is set for new business models which need diversifications. He inspiringly narrated how the print media must adopt the technologies that will be shaping the future of newspaper printing, production, and circulation.

Case studies on automation & last mile delivery

Indian Printers Summit 2025 focused on how automation is being used to streamline print operations, featuring insights from publishers who have implemented system-level changes.

On the other side, Distribution Summit explored how publishers are turning long-standing delivery issues into new business models. Distribution case studies from India, Sri Lanka and Japan showed how different publishers are adapting their strategies to stay competitive.

Best in Print Awards 2025

Winners were also recognised during the Best in Print Awards as the annual competition of WAN-IFRA that honors excellence in print reproduction and encourages healthy competition across the newspaper printing industry.

Winners (Less than 150K circulation)

• Gold: Bennett Coleman & Co. (The Times of India, Pune)
• Silver: Bennett Coleman & Co. (The Economic Times, Lucknow) & ABP Pvt Ltd (The Telegraph, Kolkata)
• Bronze: DB Corp (Dainik Bhaskar, Jaipur VKI)

Winners (Greater than 150K circulation)

• Gold: Bennett Coleman & Co. (The Times of India, Mumbai)
• Silver: ABP Pvt Ltd (Anandabazar Patrika, Kolkata)
• Bronze: Bennett Coleman & Co. (The Times of India, Bengaluru)

‘Digital pushing print to do more’

During the closing session, Magdoom Mohamed, Managing Director of WAN-IFRA South Asia, who also presented the early findings of World Press Trends 2025-2026, shared reflections on the two-day event. “The level of participation in this event has been improving every year. Indian publishers’ passion for print, its strong hyper-local connection, and the way digital is pushing print to do more were all clearly evident in the programme. This augurs well for the future of the news media industry in India.”