Driven by the brothers' authentic passion for printing, the workshop was gradually transformed into a real graphic business, now led by the Ferrari brothers along with their children -- Alessandra, Silvia, Antonio, and Giovanni. In 2011 to further diversify their offering, the family decided to combine traditional sheetfed and web offset printing with new services such as transactional printing and direct marketing. In 2016 production was expanded with a second plant in Costa di Mezzate in the province of Bergamo. This made it possible to extend the business thanks to increasingly important partnerships with publishing and industrial groups.

Development strategies

Walter Ferrari, owner of Graphicscalve, explains, "In recent years the company has been renewed organizationally and technologically to track the evolution of the market and, at the same time, provide continuity to our entrepreneurial activities. The core business at the moment consists of commercial printing on paper with offset or digital technology along with expanded ventures in the field of visual communications. We also offer internal IT services for the design of dedicated software for supporting the management of production flows."

From mailing to communications required by law, from point-of-sale communications to leaflets, brochures, and catalogs, Graphicscalve offers sheetfed and web offset printing as well as digital printing, embodying all the processes of the printed product. The clientele is mostly Italian with some orders from abroad. The goal is to expand markets using innovative technologies that enable a wide variety of formats and quantities. The target sectors include banks, insurance companies, furniture, clothing, food and beverages, and, very importantly, the non-governmental sector, for which dedicated mailings are created.

Walter Ferrari continues: "What we focus on today is our 360-degree service that is characterized by rapid response and high quality. We want to cover all of the customer's needs, from communicating an event at the point of sale to personalized communications. Our goal is to support the customer from the initial project to finishing. For this reason we are equipped with a complete fleet of machines that includes digital printing systems and cutting plotters, sheetfed and web offset printing presses, small-format sheetfed digital printing systems, and finishing equipment, including cutting, folding, die-cutting, creasing, binding, and enveloping equipment. With this lineup of hardware, we can guarantee a complete service with high added value."

A new press in the press room

Graphicscalve's fleet has recently been expanded with the addition of the new Komori System 38S, the offset press equipped with the KHS-AI and AI-Link systems for one-step management of register adjustment, color matching, and folding settings. The KHS-AI system generates control synergies that offer a significant reduction in paper waste and preparation time and, at the same time, a reduction in ink and solvent consumption. Among the advantages of the press are constant quality even at the maximum printing speed of 50,000 IPH, high productivity, and an outstanding cost-performance ratio.

Walter Ferrari explains: "We made an assessment of the market, which is dictated by falling print volumes and requests for increasingly tighter delivery times. This led us to choose a fast machine with high quality, short makeready times, and low waste. The natural choice was Komori's System 38S. It guarantees us rapid plate changing by Full-APC and good printed products with a low percentage of waste. The machine is equipped with a perforator and a sheeter delivery device. In addition, a trimming line has been added which enables us to deliver finished products. It is a machine built for our needs. In fact, our goal is to make the most of short startups with smaller quantities and maximum customization of the printed products. Among the determining factors in our choice were the makeready times and also a larger format that allows us greater versatility. With this installation we intend to expand our target sectors, such as technical publishing. In a few months we will also include a bookbinding system in our finishing department, and we already have the saddle stitcher. In this way we will have an end-to-end production flow to provide fully finished work."

Graphicscalve focuses on short to medium runs, and Komori's web offset technology is ideal for meeting the needs of large-scale distribution as well as commercial and publishing markets. Thanks to the new web offset press, the company can manage a wide variety of formats and print runs while maintaining excellent print quality.

As for Komori's assistance and support in the installation and training phases, Walter Ferrari comments: "We are satisfied with the work done, and the project was completed on time. Komori has kept its promises and for us this is fundamental to relationships with our suppliers, allowing us to guarantee service to our customers." Ferrari concludes: "We made this investment because we believe in the future of print media and in our future, confident of the managerial contribution that our family's second generation will bring. Over time, customer needs evolve and we keep pace with these changes. It is necessary to be able to offer multimedia communication, because paper is a driving force for virtual media. Important results can be obtained by combining physical and digital media."