Italian Printer Adapts to Declining Printing Centers with Hybrid Model
Milan, Italy – Centroโฃ Stampaโ Quotidiani โฃ(CSQ) is navigatingโ a shrinking landscape of Italian newspaper printingโฃ centers by embracing a hybrid printing model, combining offset and inkjet โtechnologies to meetโข the demands of a changing industry. The company’s adaptability โขis allowing it to thrive โasโ the number of printing facilities nationwide plummets.
Once, Italy boasted a robustโ network โof newspaper โคprinters. in 2004, the country had 98 printing centers, a number that peaked atโ 101 in 2009 before entering a steep โdecline.Today, only 39 remain. This consolidation has forced CSQ to evolve from high-volume, single-newspaper printing โฃto a more flexible system handling smaller runs for a wider range of clients.
“On October โ2, โwe printed Sรผddeutsche Zeitung โขand Bild on offset, because circulation was too high toโข print digital,”โ explained CSQ representative De Cian. This capability extends to complex weeklies like Toscana Oggi, whichโ utilizes โคboth โinkjet for the main section and offset forโ inserts.โฃ Currently, toscana Oggi prints 5,500 copies in โฃ12 โdifferent editions, with offset โpagesโ inserted using a Mueller Martini system.
Theโฃ shift reflects a โฃbroaderโค trend at CSQ. In 2007,the company operated two offsetโฃ presses,printing four daily newspapers and 155 โmillion copies across 4,474 print jobs. By 2024, CSQ had expanded to five offset presses and printed 12 โฃdaily โขnewspapers, butโฃ total copies decreased to 88 million despite anโ increase in โprint jobs to 5,822.
This demonstrates CSQ’s successโค inโ adapting to a market demanding โmore frequent, smaller print runs and diverse editions, made possible by strategic investments in a versatile range of printingโ technologies. The company’s mailroom now possesses the adaptability to handle “any type of order, any given day,” positioningโฃ it as โคa โขkey player in a consolidating industry.
