Italian ink suppliers acquire color specialist

Kolor+Service and T&K, two of Italy’s leading suppliers of inks, products and services for the graphic arts industry, have acquired Tecnologie Grafiche, a Verona-based company specializing in systems for measuring and controlling color and quality across printing and packaging. The deal broadens the group’s offering and extends its presence along the entire production chain—from pre-press and printing through to finishing.

Founded in 1983, Tecnologie Grafiche was the first company in Italy to introduce color and quality evaluation systems, training courses on methods and standards for printing processes and consultancy on calibration and certification. The Vipdens densitometers, distributed by the company, were the first to introduce objective color measurements to the trade, replacing visual assessment.

A Fogra member for thirty-five years and a Ugra Certified Expert (UCE), the company is the exclusive Italian distributor for Datacolor/Techkon, including the SpectroDens instruments and software; ColorLogic by Hybrid Software; Barbieri electronics and PrintFlow. It also resells the GTI Graphic Technology and Peret brands.

Through the acquisition, Kolor+Service and T&K combine their nationwide sales and service network, active throughout the country, with Tecnologie Grafiche’s technologies and know-how. The result is an integrated offer that supports clients at every stage: pre-press and digital printing with ColorLogic and Barbieri, in-press color control with Datacolor/Techkon, workflow automation with PrintFlow, visual assessment with GTI and folding-carton inspection with Peret.

The brands distributed exclusively by Tecnologie Grafiche are used in more than one hundred countries across Europe, the US and Asia, in sectors ranging from textiles and apparel to paints and coatings, automotive and plastics, and on to photography, design and videography.

'This acquisition is an important step in the growth strategy of Kolor+Service and T&K,' stated Claudio Parietti, general manager of Kolor+Service. 'By welcoming Tecnologie Grafiche, we broaden our pressroom portfolio with a complete range of instruments for measuring and controlling color and quality, and we move into the world of prepress and digital printing. That allows us to offer clients end-to-end support, from pre-press through to finishing. Andrea De Rossi’s expertise will be a decisive asset to the group as we continue our mission to help customers achieve the right color, every time and at every stage of the production chain.'

'This union will allow the company I founded in 1983 to be revitalized and strengthened with fresh, highly motivated energy,' said Andrea De Rossi, director of Tecnologie Grafiche. 'With a solid, well-organized commercial structure behind me, I will be able to devote more time to the work I love most: training and consultancy. We have just opened a new training room to welcome young operators and clients who want to learn the techniques of this extraordinarily technical and creative craft. I believe it is right to pass on what I have learned over more than fifty years in the trade to those who will be the technicians and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, and I am confident that sharing this goal will bring great rewards in the years ahead.'