Grafiche Pradella strengthens production with Screen

Grafiche Pradella has installed a second Screen Truepress Label 350UV SAI S 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 business with a strong reputation for precision and craftsmanship in label production. The company 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 client 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, REM, the company began exploring how digital technology could complement its flexo operations to cost-effectively improve operational flexibility.

After evaluating several machines, Grafiche Pradella was confident that the Truepress Label 350UV SAI S would grow with its business. The company added a second white printhead to the digital UV label press after it started receiving high demand for digitally printed labels on clear plastic films that required dense, high-opacity white base coverage. This flexibility enabled Grafiche Pradella to support smaller production runs that were previously uneconomical with flexo printing, expanding its overall client base.

Encouraged by the success of its 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 Pradella. '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 a series of successful hybrid digital-flexo printing workflows. This hybrid configuration allows Grafiche Pradella to choose the optimal printing option based on job complexity and run length or streamline the production of labels that require flexo and digital printing through a single, deeply integrated central workflow.

Grafiche Pradella’s management team already foresees further expansion, including plans to add a third Truepress Label digital inkjet press. This additional line would not only continue to expand productivity but also offer opportunities to explore new markets and labels with Screen, including low-migration labels for the food and pharmaceutical sectors, which 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 reflect exactly the kind of business driving the Italian label-converting sector. We're excited to see how far they have already come and just how far they will go.'

Pradella shared his optimistic outlook, stating: 'Digitally printed labels are the future, and Screen has been the right partner to help us reach this point. Our success so far comes from hard work, trust, and collaboration. With Screen and REM, we’ve built a powerful reputation for enhanced quality and fast turnaround times with our clients, and we’re excited to see what an increasingly digital printing future holds.'