Flexibility to switch between print processes is providing new opportunities for clients of an Italian print centre.

But delegates to WAN-Ifra’s World Printers Summit in Munich heard first-hand from Centro Stampa Quotidiani general manager Dario De Cian of the challenge of raising awareness among customers, “both from an editorial and a marketing or advertising perspective”.

And he said fragmentation of customers requires strong organisational skills in production scheduling, production control, cost management and communication.

CSQ is now one of the largest printing plants in Italy, using both offset and inkjet technology to handle print runs of all sizes. De Cian says the investment in smaller formats, automation and new technologies have helped the company adapt to a changing market.

Created in the late 1990s when the publishers of L’Eco di Bergamo and Giornale di Brescia decided to close their individual printing plants and build a joint facility, CSQ was transformed by its investments in small-format presses, automation, and its hybrid printing strategy

“We transformed the company from a highly specialised manufacturing company – printing for two local news publishers with a circulation of 60,000 copies each – to a production company with a strong service component,” De Cian said.

So far, the company has invested a total of 137.5 million Euros (A$241 million), employs 76 people, and recorded a turnover of 22.5 million Euros (A$39.44 million) in 2024. It now serves about 80 customers.

The first investment in 2000 was about 45 million Euros (A$78.9 million). Over the years, the company invested in automation, smaller printing formats, and ink and dampening control systems. They were also the first in Italy to install QI Press Controls’ system, De Cian said.

“The installation of automatic ink and dampening control system has given us the possibility to change completely how our production is organised,” he said.

Some of the main titles printed at CSQ

Automation led to changes in staffing. After a three-month trial, unions approved a restructuring plan that reduced press staff from four to two workers per line.

“We have therefore moved from a very rigid work organisation to a smaller, more flexible workforce,” he added.

Many publishers move to smaller paper formats to reduce paper use and costs. CSQ’s investment small-format presses gave it an edge, as it could offer multiple options to its customers.

A mailroom capable of handling hybrid print runs

CSQ started production in April 2000. Today, with five offset lines and one digital inkjet line, it is one of the largest printing plants in Italy, capable of handling both large and small print runs.

The company began operations in 2000 with two Wifag OF 370 presses; two more OF 373 6×2 presses were installed in 2008 and 2010.

One of the offset lines at CSQ. Photos: Centro Stampa Quotidiani

All of these are equipped with ABB and QI control systems for cut-off and colour register, and QI IDS for automatic inking and dampening. The mailroom is equipped for inserting, trimming, bundling and other general operations.

Most recently, a refurbished Goss Universal 75 offset line equipped with EAE controls, was purchased in 2019 and went into production in 2023.

Digital production came in 2012 with a HP T240 press and a Hunkeler digital newspaper system, with CSQ the only printing centre in Italy that produces newspapers using both offset and inkjet technology.

Some of the foreign titles

All five presses operate every night. As well as its founding papers L’Eco di Bergamo and Giornale di Brescia, CSQ prints three editions of La Provincia.

“We also produce national titles such as Il Sole 24 Ore and Avvenire,” De Cian said.

The company also handles digital runs of Il Riformista, L’Unità, and Il Dubbio, and prints foreign titles including Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Ekstra Bladet, the New York Times, Bild, Le Monde, and La Croix. “Every night, the five presses are all in production,” he said. In some cases, circulation determines which technology is used. Its hybrid workflow allows publishers to shift between offset and digital printing.

“On October 2, we printed Süddeutsche Zeitung and Bild offset, because circulation was too high to print digital,” De Cian said.

This flexibility also helps with printing complex weeklies. For instance, Toscana Oggi is a weekly with about 9,000 copies across 15 different editions. The main section is printed using inkjet, while the inserts are printed offset.

“Now we have 5,500 copies printed with inkjet in 12 different editions, and then we insert the offset pages with our Müller Martini system,” he said.

In short, the mailroom has the flexibility to print any type of order, any given day making it ideal for products with hybrid printing requirements.

CSQ has continued to adapt as the number of printing centres in Italy declines. In 2004, there were 98 newspaper printing centres, and although the number rose slightly to 101 in 2009, it has since fallen to 39.

“In Lombardy, where we are, there were 20 printing sites in 2004, now there’s only eight,” De Cian said.

As printing centres shut down across Italy, CSQ found ways to stay in business. For instance, in 2007, CSQ had two offset presses and printed four daily newspapers, producing 155 million copies that year across 4,474 print jobs.

However, in 2024, the company had five offset presses and printed 12 daily newspapers. But the total number of printed copies dropped to 88 million even though the number of print jobs rose to 5,822.

This means CSQ now prints smaller runs for more clients and editions, thanks to the diverse range of presses it invested in, allowing flexible production.

– WAN-Ifra/Aultrin Vijay, with thanks