‘Proud to Be a Printer’: A Message Tied to Unity Day

29 August 2026: Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra’s “Proud to Be a Printer” message has become a visible identity marker in India’s print community. An Offset Printers Association release published on 21 October 2021 linked the badge to Printers’ Unity Day, observed on 22 October, giving the message a recurring platform for industry pride and education.

What does Proud to Be a Printer mean ?

The phrase gives printers a simple way to describe their work as a skilled profession rather than a service that disappears behind the finished product. Its clearest dated public record found for this review is an Offset Printers Association release carried by WhatTheyThink in 2021. The release said OPA had introduced Printers’ Unity Day that year and asked printers to wear the “PROUD TO BE A PRINTER” badge as a sign of unity.

The submitted account dates the slogan to 2013. No public source located for this review independently establishes that launch date or the claim that it was the world’s first campaign of its kind, so those assertions should not be treated as settled history.

Why did the message connect with printers ?

Print often becomes visible only when something goes wrong. Readers see the book, carton, label or sign, but rarely the press operator, prepress technician, colour specialist or finisher behind it. A shared phrase puts those people back into the story without pretending that the industry stands still.

It also leaves room for technical change. Offset production remains important, while digital printing now supports short runs, personalisation and faster job changes. Screen Print India’s guide to digital printing explains some of those practical shifts. Pride in the profession, in this sense, means learning new systems rather than defending old ones for their own sake.

Chopra’s wider work gives the message more context. His 2022 biography, Imprint of a Printer, covers his printing business, association work, education and involvement in international print networks. Journalist P. P. S. Gill wrote the book, which was released at DCRUST in Murthal, Haryana, on 7 September 2022.

Education is also visible in the Print Olympiad student competition. A 2025 report says Chopra conceived the biennial event in 2014 and that its seventh edition would include regional rounds leading to a national final. The evidence supports describing it as a print-knowledge competition; it does not support the submitted claim that it is the world’s only one.

How has the campaign stayed visible ?

Printers’ Unity Day has given the badge a recurring date. OPA’s 2021 release tied the observance to 22 October, Chopra’s birthday. A Screen Print India report on the 2024 Printers’ Unity Day event at Baddi University recorded a seminar on industry challenges, the introduction of the Himachal Print-Pack Association’s new managing body and a call for printing and packaging courses.

That mix matters. A slogan may start the conversation, but events, education and association work keep it useful. The 2021 release and the 2024 event show a documented path through which the message has remained in circulation, at least among participating Indian print groups.

What should the print industry take from it now ?

“Proud to Be a Printer” works best as a prompt for action. Printers can explain the skill behind their products, support current training and give students direct contact with working plants. The profession earns respect when it makes its craft, standards and career paths visible.

The phrase should not carry more history than the evidence can bear. Its documented value lies in the community activity around it: badges worn on Printers’ Unity Day, student competitions, trade-association meetings and calls for better print education.

FAQs ….

Who created Proud to Be a Printer ?
The submitted account credits Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra. Public records found for this review clearly connect Chopra, OPA and the badge by October 2021, but they do not independently verify the claimed 2013 launch date.

When is Printers’ Unity Day observed ?
Offset Printers Association introduced Printers’ Unity Day in 2021 as an annual observance on 22 October, Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra’s birthday. Its release asked printers to wear the “Proud to Be a Printer” badge that day.