Catalogue Printing in Italy: What to Specify

A catalogue is a deadline with pages in it. The extent is high, the content is photographic, and the date it has to be in someone’s hands is usually fixed before the artwork is finished. Those three facts decide the binding, the paper and the proofing, in that order.

Italy has a strong commercial print base for image-led work, so the interesting questions are about colour control across a long run and about what happens after the pallet leaves — whether the producer also addresses and mails it.

What to put in the specification

An RfQ carries one specification field, and this is what belongs in it for catalogs. Anything left out is something each producer assumes differently — which is why offers stop being comparable.

Trim size and extent

Both, precisely. Extent decides whether saddle-stitching is possible at all, and it is the first thing a producer checks.

Binding method

Saddle-stitch works up to a limited bulk and then starts to creep and gape; above that it is perfect bound or PUR. Ask the producer what your extent and paper allow rather than choosing first.

Text and cover paper

Weight, coated or uncoated, gloss or silk. On a photographic catalogue the sheet is the picture quality, so this is not the place to write "standard".

Colour targets

Say which images or brand colours are critical, and whether you want a proof on the production stock. Ask what colour control the press runs — consistency across signatures is the thing that goes wrong on a long catalogue.

Finishing

Cover lamination, spot UV, foil, and whether the cover has flaps. Note any perforated or tear-off pages, which are separate operations.

Mailing and distribution

Say whether the producer polywraps, addresses and posts it, or delivers pallets to you. If they mail it, the address data format and the postal service matter as much as the print.

Quantity and run-on price

Two or three quantities plus the run-on. A catalogue reprint mid-season is common and the run-on is what tells you what it will cost.

Proofing and approval

What kind of proof, how many rounds, and the last date a page can change. Write that last date down — it is the item most often discovered too late.

Delivery date

The date the goods must be delivered, not when you hope to send files. State it in the RfQ so every offer is quoting the same deadline.

Packing

Cartons, bundle counts, pallet height, and whether the receiving site has a specification for pallets.

Sourcing in Italy

Ask how colour is held across the run

On a high-extent catalogue the risk is not the first sheet, it is signature twelve. Ask what in-line colour measurement or control the press has and how deviation is handled.

Decide early who mails it

Polywrapping, addressing and posting are services some producers offer and others do not. Asking in the RfQ avoids discovering after award that you now need a mailing house too.

The last-change date is a specification item

Ask for it in writing in the offer. A catalogue whose prices change after the plates are made is a reprint, not a correction.

Four ways this goes wrong

Choosing the binding before checking the extent

Give extent and paper and ask what the producer recommends. A saddle-stitched catalogue that is too thick gapes at the fore-edge and looks cheap.

No delivery date in the RfQ

State it. Two offers at different lead times are not comparable on price alone, and the cheaper one is sometimes cheaper because it is slower.

Supplying low-resolution images

Agree the image requirements before the quote. A producer who has to resample your photography is solving your problem at print resolution.

Leaving mailing out of scope

Say whether you want it. If you do, include the record count and the data format in the specification.

Frequently asked questions

Saddle-stitch or perfect bound for a catalogue?

It depends on the extent and the paper: saddle-stitching is cheaper and lies flatter at low bulk, but above a certain thickness it creeps and gapes. Give the producer your extent and stock and ask which they would run, then specify it so all offers match.

How do I stop colour drifting across a long catalogue?

Name the critical images and colours, ask for a proof on the production stock, and ask what colour measurement the press runs. Consistency across signatures is a press-control question, so ask it before awarding rather than after inspecting.

Can the printer also mail the catalogue?

Some can, polywrapping and addressing in line; others deliver pallets. Put it in the RfQ, along with the number of records and the data format, so the offers you compare cover the same scope.

When is the last point I can change a page?

That is a question for the producer and it should be written into the offer. The answer depends on the process and the schedule, and the cost of a change after that point is a reprint of the signature it sits in.

Catalogue printing in Italy