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Bangalore, May 18, 2001 Till recently, Thermal Sensitive Paper (TSP) was extensively used in fax machines. But of late, the usage of this wonder paper in faxes has been coming down rapidly, mainly due to its high cost and also the availability of better alternatives like laser and inkjet printers, used for printing. However, the demand for TSPs has not extinguished, thanks to its vast application areas. This heat-sensitive paper, used extensively as facsimile paper in India, has multiple usages and applications. The Electro Cardiograph (ECG) paper is also a thermal sensitive paper. TSP has now found its application in ATMs, ultrasounds, meteorology and defence. A TSP is an ordinary paper coated with a special solution. When TSP comes into contact with a print head, it turns black in reaction to heat. Thermal paper is sensitive to heat and sunlight and the life expectancy of the paper is approximately 12 months. Uses of Thermal Sensitive Paper: Today's thermal papers have a wide variety of uses and applications: Apart from faxes and facsimiles, TSPs are used in the credit card reading machines at the retail shops for issuing bills. It is also extensively used in ATMs for issuing receipts. Other areas of applications include:
Though the usage of thermal sensitive paper is increasing, thermal fax machines, which use heat-sensitive paper, are pretty much disappearing from the market with inexpensive printing machines replacing them. This has resulted in a decrease in usage of TSPs in fax machines. The current size of the fax machine market in India is worth around Rs 120 crore, and around 100,000 units are sold every year. More than 80 per cent of the fax machines sold in India use thermal paper, while the rest use plain paper. Technological trends in this market indicate that users are moving from thermal paper machines to plain paper machines (inkjet or laser printer). While it is true that the proliferation of Internet and e-mail has hampered the growth of fax machines in general, the situation is not going to hamper the TSP market, says Govindaraj, distributor of Whale India paper products, Bangalore. The demand for thermal sensitive paper has not decreased, he says. Almost all the government offices in Bangalore use TSP for the fax machines. Besides, the increasing number of ATMs and credit card readers in retail shops, which use TSP, are also increasing. Incidentally, the Bangalore Turf Club uses TSPs to issue terminal tickets, Govindaraj revealed. Government policy TSPs are imported into the country in a large quantity as production of TSPs in India cannot meet the demand. Till recently, TSPs were imported at a much cheaper rate from Japan and European Union. However, in the year 2000, the Commerce Ministry imposed anti-dumping duties on TSP originating from Japan and the European Union (EU) as it was found that the paper was exported to India below its normal value. The two countries account for more than 80 per cent of the country's imports. As there are no customs barriers within the European Union, the anti-dumping duty has been made applicable to all EU members. The dumping charge, however, pertains mainly to Germany and Sweden. The imports of these items have however continued, but are priced higher compared to the domestic products. The All Inda Thermal Papers Dealers Association had opposed the imposition of anti-dumping duty on TSP, alleging that the domestic producers are unable to maintain supplies even after its impostion. Besides, imposition of duty would lead to an increase in prices. There are very few companies in India which are into manufacturing of TSPs. Whale India (Delhi), Sri Krishna Mills (Delhi), Computech (Mumbai), Hitech Paper Co (Ernakulam), Techno India Pvt Ltd (Mumbai) and Chaman Industries (West Bengal) are afew to name. All the manufacturers of TSP in India are Small and Medium Scale Industries, With Krishna Mills, Delhi, having a total production capacity of about 2000 Mt. The only other major domestic producer in the organised sector, Denmur Fax Rolls, has closed down. Govindaraj says that the demand for
TSP is high and imports will continue as there is a big gap between demand
and supply of thermal sensitive paper. The demand is met by imports from
Japan, Germany, Finland and European Union. A few companies in India also
export TSP to neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka,
Burma, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan.
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