Grafiche Pradella has reinforced its label production capacity and flexibility with the installation of a second Screen Truepress Label 350UV SAI S, also in a hybrid configuration with Lombardi flexo equipment to maintain consistent, high-quality label production with fast turnaround times.

Founded more than 107 years ago, Grafiche Pradella is a third-generation family-run label production company. It serves a wide range of sectors, including food, cosmetics, industrial, chemical, pharmaceutical, and automotive, on a diverse range of materials such as coated papers, thermal papers, and plastic films.

“We’re proud of our history as a third-generation printing company,” said Gabriele Pradella, CEO Grafiche Pradella, “But we’re also focused on the future, and our clients have come to depend on us for fast, reliable service and outstanding quality. After our first Screen Truepress Label 350UV SAI S allowed us to expand into new markets with digital printing while continuing to meet those expectations, we knew that we would need to expand our digital production workflows as our business continues to grow.

Before adopting digital printing, Grafiche Pradella relied exclusively on flexographic presses. However, working closely with Screen Europe and its Italian distributor for Label printing solutions REM, they began exploring how digital technology could complement its flexo operations to cost-effectively improve operational flexibility.

After evaluating several solutions, Grafiche Pradella found in the Truepress Label 350UV SAI S a press that could grow with as their business did. The digital UV Label press allowed them to add a second white printhead after finding there was high demand for digitally printed Labels on clear plastic films requiring dense, high-opacity white base coverage. This flexibility enabled them to support smaller production runs that were previously uneconomical with flexo printing, expanding their overall client base.

Encouraged by the success of their first digital press, Grafiche Pradella decided to invest in a second Truepress Label 350UV SAI S to keep pace with rising demand. “Customer orders for digitally printed Labels continue to grow,” said Gabriele, “and the new hybrid printing line enables our team to complete more Label production orders with the same number of operators without requiring any extra overtime, all while maintaining consistent print quality.”

The new press is integrated into a hybrid production line with Lombardi flexo technology, the latest in series of successful hybrid digital-flexo printing workflows. This hybrid configuration allows Grafiche Pradella to choose the optimal printing solution based on job complexity and run length or streamline production of Labels that require flexo and digital printing from a single, deeply integrated central workflow.

Grafiche Pradella’s management team already foresees further expansion, with thoughts on adding a third Truepress Label digital inkjet press in the near future. This additional line would not only continue to expand productivity, but also offers opportunities to explore new markets and Labels with Screen, including low-migration Labels to expand into food and pharmaceutical sectors that require even greater consumer safety and regulatory compliance.

“Grafiche Pradella represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking Label producer we enjoy supporting,” said Ettore Maretti, managing director at REM. “Their trust in Screen’s digital Label technology and commitment to continuous innovation reflects exactly the kind of business that is driving the Italian Label converting sector. We’re excited to see how far they have already come and just how far they will go.”

Gabriele said, “Digitally printed Labels are the future, and Screen has been the right partner to help us reach this point, and our success so far comes from hard work, trust, and collaboration. With Screen and REM, we’ve built a powerful reputation for exceptional quality and fast turnaround times with our clients, and we’re excited to see what an increasingly digital printing future holds.”