After the allocation of election symbols, the pressure of printing the election campaign materials of candidates has increased significantly. Printing presses are now under pressure to print materials like posters, handbills, paper caps, leaflets, stickers and badges.
Forseeing the demand, printing press owners had already collected and stored various materials, including paper and ink, they would need to deliver products as per order.
Press owners
Mobarak Hossain, owner of Bangladesh Printers in the Fakirapul area of the capital, said the printing business scope in the Fakirapul and Arambagh areas has been decreasing for a few years. But now the business has grown amid general election preparation.
He said: “We even got the printing order before the acceptance of nomination forms. From the middle of last month, we started getting so much more orders that now we are struggling to deliver those products.”
Kamrul Hasan, proprietor of Jharna Printing Press in the Fakirapul area, said he got almost double the number of orders this year, compared to the last election.
“I have bought a new machine and employed three additional people to meet the demand of the orders,” he said.
When asked about the cost, the businessman said the cost of posters and other materials has gone up this year due to the increase in paper and ink prices.
“This year we are charging Tk500 to Tk600 extra for per thousand posters, compared to election in 2008,” he added.
Abul Kalam, proprietor of Sabbir Lamination in Gaosul Azam Super Market, said the pressure of work has been increasing since last two weeks.
“Every day we print around 50,000-60,000 posters, and we have to work till midnight for supplying campaign materials to candidates,” he added.
Razib Mollah, owner of Janani Printer of Gaosul Azam Super Market, said at the end of every year they have to work on new year diaries, calendars and card-related materials.
“But this year we have done those orders earlier, so that we can face the extra pressure of the election. We have a whole month’s work-plan to face all pressure, and there will no problem, as our capacity has increased tremendously, he added.
Printing Industries Association of Bangladesh (PIAB)
Shahid Serneabat, chairman of the Printing Industries Association of Bangladesh (PIAB), said this year printing press industries will do about Tk105 to Tk110 core business for printing election promotional materials, besides their regular work of Tk3,000 crore.
There are more than 7,000 printing presses all over the country. Only about 3,000 printing presses are working for the printing of the election materials. Printers that produce text books will not make posters for election, Serneabat said.
“These presses are preparing two lakhs posters and two lakh leaflets for each candidate of the main two parties in three hundred seats across the country. Candidates of other parties will print more than four lakh posters leaflets. That means, approximately 12 lakh posters and leaflets will be printed for every area,” he added.
Serniyabat also said this time, each constituency will need to place order worth Tk35 lakh for printing election promotional materials to contest in the polls.
“In addition, if there is heavy fog and rain during the winter season, then more posters will be required. Many candidates will publish extra posters,” Serniyabat added.
Serniyabat further said although there are printing presses all over the country, most of the work is being done in Dhaka. There are more than 300 printing presses in three areas of Dhaka.
More than three million posters were printed from these printing presses in the 9th parliamentary election of 2008. The number will exceed that this year, he said.
