Printing cost vary according to factors such as location of the press and quality of the materials used. The cost can be anywhere between ₹5,000 to ₹7,000 for 1,000 copies on glossy papers, say printers.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Electioneering for the local body polls is still in the initial phase, but the poster industry seems to have already won the race. Candidates’ growing penchant to impress their electorates with aesthetically rich campaign materials have brought a windfallfor the ‘poster ecosystem’ comprising photographers, designers and printers, industry insiders say.
The trend of posters featuring candidates in cinematic frames, seen during the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, has found its way into the local body polls too. Unlike the past, candidates now prefer printing materials in multiple designs and sizes, offering a business bonanza for creators. Seizing in on the opportunity, stakeholders in the sector have joined hands, offering services starting with photography to printing in a coordinated manner. The services come in packages, including photo shoots, poster designing and reel shoots.
The cost for a poster photo shoot ranges from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 approximately. “Some offer the services for low cost, but the expenses go up when professionals do the work with required facilities,” says Arun Chandrabose, a Kochi-based photographer.
“Rarely do candidates appear in the traditional white and white in posters these days. Even if someone comes for the photo shoot like that, we convince them to wear colourful clothes so that the posters will be much more impressive,” he says.
Looks forward to poll season
Representatives of printing industry say that elections are a season they always look forward to.
“Local body elections offer both small-scale and large-scale printers good business opportunities as candidates and leaders often assign works to presses in their locality. Though the number of copies required may be low compared to an Assembly or Parliament elections, the printers benefit as there are more candidates in the fray in the tri-level polls,” says O. Venugopal, coordinator, Kerala Master Printers Association. He says roughly around 10 crore copies of campaign materials will have to be printed for the elections in the State.
Y. Vijayan, president, Kerala Printers Association, says the sector benefits as candidates want fresh posters to keep coming throughout the campaign. “Printers in the State has the facilities to finish all the required works without delay,” he adds.
The printing cost vary according to factors such as the location of the press and the quality of the materials used. The cost could be anywhere between ₹5,000 to ₹7,000 for 1,000 copies on glossy papers, according to printers. The posters are printed using ink that does not fade if the weather is hot, but the papers cannot withstand rains, they say.
Anand, a flex printer in Kochi, highlights the demand for posters in larger sizes. “With restrictions in printing flexes, candidates have to go for printing on cloth materials. This time, however, we are printing more materials on advanced poster papers in larger sizes,” he says. The demand for high-quality booklets as campaign materials adds to the industry’s election fortunes.
A Congress leader in the Kochi Corporation, seeking re-election, admits that candidates across parties have been falling for the pressure of poster war. “Campaign expenses can be brought down considerably if candidates make use of digital media judiciously,” he says.
Published – November 19, 2025 09:59 am IST
