Alif Graphics

If you go to Manacaud, you’ll find Alif Graphics right opposite the Indian Oil Petrol Pump. It’s a good spot because everyone knows the pump. Our shop is usually humming with the sound of printers. There’s a specific smell of ink and heated paper that you get used to after five minutes. We spend most of our time staring at computer screens or trimming edges off posters. It gets a bit cramped when we have a big order. There are boxes stacked against the walls and sometimes on the floor too. We don't have a lot of space for sitting around. Usually, there’s a customer waiting while we finish a quick design or print some cards. Manacaud is always busy, so there’s a lot of noise from the street. We just turn up the radio and keep working. It’s not a fancy design studio with soft lights. It’s a working shop. We get people coming in for all sorts of things, from small wedding cards to big banners. Sometimes the machines act up and we have to spend an hour poking at the rollers with a cloth. It’s just the daily grind. We’ve been here across from the petrol pump for a while, and it feels like home now. The floor is always covered in tiny scraps of paper by the time we lock up. We don't mind the mess because it means we had a lot of work to do that day.