In the beating heart of Italy, where the sun kisses the olive trees and the sea cradles the coasts, Puglia stands out not only for its natural beauty but also as the cradle of innovation. Here, a story of resilience and innovation emerges: Mediatipo. This company was born between the pages of tradition and modernity, it has become a point of reference in the world of graphics and digital printing. Innovative ardor and the ability to evolve were the cornerstones of this metamorphosis which led Mediatipo to play a leadership role in the sector. We talk about it in this article and in the video interview with Cristiano Zonno, CEO of Mediatipo
“Different thinking is our DNA” declares Zonno speaking of Mediatipo, a digital printing company located in Puglia with thirty years of experience in the graphic sector which, precisely because of the desire to innovate and present itself on the market as a supplier of creative printed materials, has chosen to invest in a completely digital production workflow.
Consequently, alongside the historic offset and continuous forms printing departments, the company has inserted Durst large format sheet and web digital printing machines, Zünd G3 digital cutting systems and F-Service gluing plotters, in order to be able to produce in addition to packaging – for which a dedicated e-commerce portal will soon be ready – a whole series of cardboard displays and furnishings, (www.xcatola.com).
Xcatola: the magic of 2.0 cardboard printing
Mediatipo, a spin-off of the original Poligrafico Zonno, therefore gives life to a third company, Xcatola, founded in 2022 with the aim of revolutionizing the world of digital printing and converting.
It is no mystery, moreover, that in recent years the growth in volumes of cardboard printed products has represented a lifeline for many traditional printers, who have been able to change their skin, facing new challenges and new investments in order to serve a market in constant evolution. Cristiano Zonno is CEO of the company with his two cousin partners, Giuseppe and Nicola Zonno. Today the company has 14 faithful collaborators and has acquired experience over the years in managing this type of order, now it knows very well the materials, technologies, specific software for digital printing and converting. Over time, Duplo technologies have also been introduced into the company to create high-quality prints with raised UV digital coating, even if in a smaller format than the digital process, to complete the small format digital printing process already present in the company.
The idea of tackling an industrial market, with higher volumes and specific technologies, was then the reason for the creation of a dedicated company, Xcatola.
“We want to be complementary to the classic traditional cardboard industry and offer ourselves to the market for all the needs of small runs, from the single piece up to 1000-2000 pieces depending on the product, but also for sampling and for all those types of companies that work closely with marketing and love to experiment with extremely variable and personalized communication, who find a precious ally in digital technology”, Cristiano Zonno tells us, who, following a clear concept, namely ‘that those who produce, pack’, addresses an extremely large and varied market.
Choice of partners: Zund at the heart of the process
From a market analysis and also thanks to dialogue with converters and brands, one of the essential prerogatives for the new reality emerged: using only and exclusively water-based inks. The Durst P5 250 WT multipass printing technology was thus identified, to obtain high quality printing results comparable to offset, on all cardboard substrates.
“Our target audience is made up of small and medium-sized companies who, however, consider great added value the quality of the print, also because with the 6-colour Durst printer, that can print with a glossy effect, we can assure print results completely comparable to lamination or glossy coating, also guaranteeing a sustainable and PVC-free product”, adds Zonno.
Viene da sé che con una tecnologia di stampa digitale altamente produttiva, diventa assolutamente indispensabile prevedere anche la fase di taglio in digitale. L’azienda, che ha già avuto modo di apprezzare le prestazioni e la qualità del taglio dei sistemi Zünd con l’acquisto nel 2009 di un sistema G3 XL-3200, decide pertanto di inserire un nuovo plotter da taglio digitale, questa volta un modello D3 XL 3200 con sistema di carico e scarico automatico BHS150, puntando forte anche sull’automazione del processo di trasformazione, assolutamente un valore aggiunto quando si movimentano fogli che arrivano fino al formato massimo di 3×2 metri.
It goes without saying that with a highly productive digital printing technology, it becomes absolutely essential to include inhouse also digital cutting. The company, which has already had the opportunity to appreciate the performance and cutting quality of Zünd systems with the purchase of a G3 XL-3200 system in 2009, therefore decides to insert a new digital cutting plotter, this time a model D3 XL 3200 with BHS150 automatic loading and unloading system, focusing heavily on the automation of the converting process, absolutely an added value when handling sheets up to a maximum format of 3×2 metres.
Finally, the circle of digital investments is closed by the installation of a F-Service digital gluing plotter of Phoenix series, with which even the last bottleneck has been eliminated, giving life to a completely digital production process.
“One of our challenges, and we are sure that today with the digital technologies that we have acquired we will be able to pursue the objective, is to offer ourselves to the customer with a consultative approach aimed at making them understand that when thinking about a packaging solution, it is right to start from the main function which is to protect, transport, preserve and communicate the product, but it is absolutely necessary to also try to think of solutions that give a second life to that packaging through innovative materials, also because it is true that we break boxes, but then we also make them to measure”, concludes Cristiano Zonno, quoting the second motto with which he likes to present himself with sympathy to his customers.
