Print has followed Vivek Panchakshari through much of his life, even when he wasn't planning on making it a career. Growing up in India, he spent time after university classes helping at his father's print and copy business, learning to interact with customers and solve problems. He later studied telecommunications engineering, moved to Australia, and worked in technology consulting before entrepreneurship eventually brought him full circle. One question kept pushing him toward something different: What else can we print on? After customers responded enthusiastically to wooden products but wanted greater customization, Vivek began searching for a natural material that could combine the feel of wood with the possibilities of digital printing.
The answer became printable wood veneer — but getting there was anything but simple. Vivek spent years experimenting with materials, thicknesses, coatings, print settings, and production methods. When printers were understandably reluctant to put an unfamiliar material through their equipment, he eventually bought an existing print business so he could conduct the trials himself. Greenigo initially found an audience in weddings, where personalization and a natural, distinctive aesthetic had strong appeal. When COVID disrupted that market, Vivek pivoted toward gifting, collaborated with Australian women artists, and developed a wholesale network. The philosophy behind the products remained consistent: He wanted to create “collectibles, not disposables” — printed pieces people would want to touch, keep, and remember.
Now Vivek is thinking beyond what Greenigo itself can manufacture. He is working with HP and his material suppliers to adapt the wood veneer for HP Indigo technology, a painstaking process in which an individual round of testing and material refinement can take two to three months. Certification remains a work in progress, but Vivek sees the larger opportunity as building an ecosystem in which printable wood veneer, digital workflow, and HP Indigo PSPs come together. Among the applications he envisions are hardcase books with wood covers and collectible or legacy editions that publishers and authors could offer to readers.
Vivek talks about the importance of sales, marketing, and networking, but his advice to the next generation is even simpler: “Stay relentlessly curious.” Greenigo exists because he kept testing an idea after plenty of reasons to stop, changed direction when circumstances demanded it, and remained open to partners who could help take it further.
