Festival banner printing in Pune means Ganpati mandal backdrops and welcome arches, Navratri garba banners, Diwali sale flex, Shiv Jayanti banners, and festive offers for shops at Christmas, Eid and New Year. 3 Red Media prints these at its own unit in Chandni Chowk for Ganeshotsav mandals, housing societies, temples, shopkeepers and event organisers. The one thing every festival job has in common: the date does not move, so order early.
Pune’s festival calendar for printing
| Festival | Usual time of year | What gets printed | Send designs by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiv Jayanti | February (19 Feb), and also by the Hindu calendar date | Chowk banners, procession backdrops, portrait flex | Early February |
| Gudi Padwa | March or April | Society banners, shop offers, Marathi new year greetings | 2 weeks before |
| Ganeshotsav | August or September, 10 days | Mandal backdrops, decoration flex, welcome arches, sponsor boards, aarti timing boards | 3 to 4 weeks before; mandals plan earlier |
| Navratri and Dussehra | September or October | Garba event backdrops, entry gates, sponsor walls, Dussehra sale banners | 2 to 3 weeks before |
| Diwali | October or November | Shop sale banners, society greetings, Diwali Pahat event backdrops | 3 weeks before |
| Christmas and New Year | December | Shop and cafe offers, window graphics, party backdrops | Early December |
| Eid | Moves about 11 days earlier each year | Shop offers, greeting banners, community event backdrops | 2 weeks before the expected date |
The weeks before Ganeshotsav and Diwali are the busiest of the year for every print shop in Pune. Designs approved early get printed calmly; designs sent two days before compete with everyone else’s.
Ganpati mandal backdrops and decoration flex
Many mandals and families now use printed flex for the Ganpati decoration background: temple scenes, palace or fort themes, 3D-look art, floral patterns. Printing it makes a large, detailed backdrop possible without days of handwork. For mandals, the usual set is the main decoration backdrop, a welcome arch at the road, sponsor boards and a board with aarti timings.
- Measure the mandap frame after it is built, width and height inside the frame, and send both.
- Keep the Ganpati idol’s position in mind: the most detailed part of the art should sit behind and above the idol, not hidden by it.
- Ask for matte media for the decoration backdrop. Lights and camera flashes reflect off shiny flex and spoil darshan photos.
- Use your own design or licensed art. 3D Ganpati backgrounds downloaded from the internet are often low resolution and blur when printed 10 ft wide.
- Sponsor boards: collect sponsor logos as original files early. This is usually what delays the order.
For home Ganpati, a decoration background of around 4×6 ft or 6×8 ft fits most living rooms. Printing on sunboard gives a stiff panel that stands without a frame for smaller setups.
Shops: festival sale banners
From Navratri to Diwali most Pune markets run their biggest sales. A sale banner outside and offer graphics on the glass do most of the work. A banner with the offer and dates, and one-way vision or vinyl offers on the window, can be changed for each festival. See also our shop branding guide for the rest of the shop front.
Permission for festival banners on roads
Banners on public roads, chowks and poles in Pune need permission from PMC or PCMC, and the corporations do remove unauthorised flex and issue fines, especially after festivals. Mandals usually take permission for the pandal and should ask about banners at the same time. Our banner permission guide covers the basics; confirm details with your ward office.
Reuse: save money next year
Festival prints come back every year. Keep dates, the year and the edition number (“25th year”) on a separate strip. The main backdrop or greeting banner can then be rolled, stored dry with the print facing out, and used again. Only the strip is reprinted.
Shiv Jayanti and Diwali Pahat
Shiv Jayanti is celebrated in Pune with processions, chowk decorations and large portrait banners of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These are usually wide outdoor flex with eyelets close together, since they hang across or along roads for several days. Use a high-resolution portrait from an artist or a licensed source, and get the Marathi text checked before approval.
Diwali Pahat, the early-morning music programme many societies and organisations hold during Diwali, needs a stage backdrop that looks good in low dawn light and in photos. A matte backdrop with warm colours and large type works well, and it can be reused each year with a new date strip.
How ordering works
Send the frame or wall size, your design (or theme, text and photos) and the festival date on WhatsApp or through the quote form. You get a price and a proof. Printing at Chandni Chowk starts after approval, and the finished prints can be picked up or delivered across Pune and PCMC.