Om Decals : screenprinting aesthetically

Screenprinting is often regarded as a traditional and outdated process of printing. But, screenprinting is an intricate and techno-driven process that can produce masterpieces, which are perhaps not possible by any other process of printing. Delhi based Om Decals Pvt Ltd has wisely used this technology to create beautiful decals for the ceramics industry.

Established by Umesh  Chandra Jain as a crockery  decoration company in 1967, Fine Arts Decorators has come a long way. Jain brought with himself a wealth of experience in the glass industry which prompted him to start a crockery decoration business himself. Hailing from Ferozabad (UP), Jain shifted his base to Delhi in 1967 and started manufacturing decals for crockery. The business flourished but soon the saturation came as competition became intense. There was mushrooming of companies offering crockery decoration facilities.

The visionary Jain diversified into manufacturing decals for the tile industry under the banner of Om Decals Pvt Ltd. Being a niche business, the company grew phenomenally. Today, Om Decals is a name to reckon with. The company is being run by the siblings Rajeev Jain and Sanjeev Jain, sons of Umesh Chandra Jain.

As the name suggests, the company is engaged into a sort of religious printing. They print decals of religious Gods and Goddesses. A look around their office shows the icons of all religions – Hinduism, Islamism, Christianism, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc. Decals of Gods and Goddesses of all states of India are available here. “There are 56 crore Gods and Goddesses,” informed Rajeev.

Besides, the religious decals, they also offer decals depicting landscapes, flowers, sceneries, etc. As Sanjeev puts it, “We have a ready stock of 7,50,000 designs and we also provide customised designs.” Om Decals also specialises in screenprinting portraits of customers as well. Decals are available in various sizes, ranging from as small as 4″x4″ to as large as 7’x7’.

The company has a full screenprinting unit of Grafica Flextronica. They have six flatbed screenprinting machines of Grafica Flextronica, besides a grinder, two stretching machines and an exposing unit with a staff of over 35 people. “We are very satisfied with the performance of Grafica’s machines,” added Sanjeev.

On inquiring about the business, Sanjeev replied that they believe that if we calculate the number of weddings taking place in India, approximately half of that figure forms new houses being built each year. And most of the Hindus prefer to have a small temple in their homes. “Since tiles are maintenance-free and require less space, besides having a longer life, they are preferred over statues and paintings. Moreover, tiles are available in all price tags, ranging from Rs 2 to Rs 2000 and even more”, told Sanjeev. “We ensure a life guarantee of 5,000 years for our decals,” added Rajeev with a chuckle.  

However, they do not retail their products but have tie-ups with various decoration companies all over the country. “We are very religious-minded and we believe that by reciting the names of Gods, knowingly or unknowingly, we are remembering Him and it gives us immense satisfaction. Sometimes, we get to learn a lot about various religions as well,” echoed the Jain brothers. 

Om Decals is always investing into research and development and after a vigorous R&D of printing onto gold plated foil, the company has successfully implemented it and have even bagged the Gold FESPA Premier Award for it under category15 (metals, wood products, signs and objects). “R&D is an ongoing process in our company and we are always looking for new avenues in screenprinting,” told Rajeev.  It is worthy to mention that they also won a Bronze award for their portrait decal under category 14 (glass & ceramic like tableware, tiles, glasses, mirrors, curved and flat, direct printing, decals and backlit).

On asking about the competition in this industry, Rajeev replied that there is very healthy competition in this business. “With only a handful of people in this field, we do not have cut-throat competition between us,” added Sanjeev. Both the brothers opine that the future of screenprinting is very bright and will never end. “Screenprinting is like an ocean. There are various applications where only screenprinting can be used. There is a big opportunity in ceramics and glass printing,” told Sanjeev. They have recently started printing by 22 carat gold on glass. The portraits of Gods and Goddesses look simply awesome!

Being a member of SPAI, Rajeev says that the association has helped in creating awareness about the industry and has also helped in maintaining good quality. “The association also keeps us updated on the latest trends and offerings in the industry,” added Sanjeev. With this, the duo is set to script newer success stories for themselves in the screenprinting industry.