Trivedi Art Printing Press

Working on the ground floor of the Sonawala Building in Tardeo means we’re right in the thick of it. Trivedi Art Printing Press has been here for a good bit, and you can definitely tell by the smell of ink that hits you as soon as you step inside. It’s not a quiet place. Between the machines running and the sound of paper being moved around, there’s always a hum in the air. We’ve got stacks of paper everywhere—different weights, different colors, some waiting to be cut and some already finished. Tardeo is a busy neighborhood, and being on the ground floor means we see a lot of the street life. The building itself is one of those old-school Mumbai structures that has a lot of character, even if the walls could use a fresh coat of paint. We don’t really bother with making the place look like a showroom because that’s not what we’re about. It’s a workshop, plain and simple. We spend our days checking proofs, making sure the colors aren’t looking weird, and keeping the presses from jamming up. It’s messy work sometimes, and we usually end the day with a bit of ink on our hands. But that’s just how it goes when you’re running a press. We’ve got a couple of ceiling fans that do their best to keep the heat down, but it still gets pretty warm during the summer months.