IMAF

What IMAF does

IMAF S.p.A. Industria Materiali Fotochimici is a Milan-based specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1961 that produces consumables and equipment for the graphic arts industry. Its portfolio covers the full printing workflow: prepress (presensitized offset plates, developers, plate cleaners, protection gums, correction markers), pressroom (roller and blanket washing solvents, dampening auxiliaries, fountain solutions for sheetfed, cold-set and heat-set web), flexographic printing (photopolymer plates distributed exclusively in Italy from Huaguang Lucky Factory, the graphic division of Chinese aerospace group CASC, plus engraving solvents and anilox cleaners), metal decorating (FOGRA- and ISEGA-certified washing solvents, varnish washes and diluents for aluminum and tinplate), and equipment (plate processors, plate washers, osmosis systems, dampening water filtration). A dedicated VOC-free product line and FOGRA/ISEGA certifications position the company for regulated and food-packaging end markets, and formulations are tailored to conventional as well as UV, H-UV, and UV-LED ink systems via an internal R&D laboratory. Headquartered in Peschiera Borromeo in the Milano metropolitan area, the company operates with 11-50 employees and reports a presence in approximately 60 countries.

IMAF runs a direct-to-customer go-to-market: printing chemicals, plates, and equipment are sold through the company website, inquiry forms, and direct enterprise contact channels, with pricing handled through customer-specific quotation rather than published tiers, consistent with a B2B specialty chemicals model where formulations are often customized to specific press configurations and ink systems. The primary customer segments are horizontal use cases — offset printing companies producing catalogs, brochures, newspapers, magazines, and banknotes; flexographic packaging printers; metal decorators serving food packaging; and prepress operations — with no named enterprise anchors disclosed in the available record.

The company is privately held under the Italian Società per Azioni (S.p.A.) structure with a paid-in share capital of approximately EUR 580,000. No funding rounds, external investors, M&A transactions, leadership changes, or public financial disclosures are present in the available data. The company maintains an Italian/English bilingual website plus YouTube and Instagram channels for corporate communication.

Name

IMAF

Legal name

IMAF S.p.A. INDUSTRIA MATERIALI FOTOCHIMICI

Website

https://imaf.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IMAF is a Milan-based specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1961 that produces printing consumables — dampening additives, washing solvents, plate processing chemistry, and fountain solutions — for offset, flexo, and metal decorating printers across approximately 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printing Chemicals

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging & Can Coatings (IMAEAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB), Flexible Packaging Printing & Decoration (Flexo, Gravure, Digital, Cold Foil) (IMALABAM)

Keywords

• Printing chemicals
• Offset plate processing
• Flexographic printing supplies
• Metal decorating solvents
• Prepress chemistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Printing Chemicals and Solutions: Sale of printing chemicals including dampening additives, cleaning solvents, rollers and blankets washing products, plate processing chemistry, and fountain solutions for offset and flexo printing applications.
2. Flexo Photopolymer Plates: Distribution of Huaguang Lucky Factory photopolymer flexo plates as exclusive Italy distributor, along with solvents for engraving and plate cleaning.
3. Printing Equipment: Sale of printing equipment including plotter geysers, plate processors, plate washers, osmosis systems, stackers, and water filtration systems.
4. Metal Decorating Products: Specialized products for metal decorating applications including certified washing solvents, metal varnishes, diluents, and rubberized fabrics for aluminum and tinplate printing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IMAF manufactures and sells chemicals and equipment for the graphic arts industry, including dampening additives, fountain solutions, roller and blanket washing solvents, plate processing chemistry, plate cleaners, protection gums, and correction markers for offset printing. The company also distributes Huaguang Lucky Factory photopolymer flexo plates in Italy and supplies FOGRA/ISEGA certified chemical products and equipment for metal decorating on aluminum and tinplate. Products are sold in various container sizes and used in 60 countries worldwide.

Product overview

IMAF (Industria Materiali Fotochimici) is a chemical manufacturing company specializing in printing industry products since 1961. The company operates as a single integrated manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of printing chemicals and equipment organized into distinct product lines: (1) Prepress products including presensitized offset plates (UV P H, Thermal TP U, T D G PLUS, Thermal TS-R), plate developers, plate cleaners, protection gums, and correction products; (2) Pressroom supplies encompassing roller/blanket washing solvents for conventional and UV inks, dampening additives and fountain solutions, plate processor maintenance chemistry; (3) Flexo products including photopolymer plates (distributed exclusively in Italy from Huaguang Lucky Factory/CASC), engraving solvents, and anilox cleaners; (4) Metal Decorating solutions with FOGRA/ISEGA certified products; (5) Equipment such as plate processors, washers, osmosis systems, and water filtration; (6) Auxiliary products including roller rejuvenators and special application cleaners. Products are distributed and used in 60 countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Presensitized Offset Plates (Lastre presensibilizzate) Anodized aluminum printing plates with photosensitive coating for offset printing, including UV P H (CtCP), Thermal TP U (double layer CTP), T D G PLUS (processless), and Thermal TS-R variants. Designed for prepress operations at offset printing companies.
• Offset Plate Developers (Sviluppi per lastre offset) Chemical developers for offset plate processing including THERM DEVELOPER PLATINUM K/100, TECHNO PLUS, THERM DEVELOPER PM/A, TECNO-THERM, CLEANER MCB 85 Plus, DIAZODEVELOP, and replenisher products for prepress operations.
• Offset Plate Cleaners (Emulsioni disossidanti) VOC-free plate cleaning emulsions for removing ink and regenerating non-printing areas of offset plates, including PREPARCLEANER A 21, ATTIVATORE ALLUMINIO, ACTIVAL, RAPIDEX N, and ACTI UV.
• Offset Plate Protection Gums (Gomme di protezione lastre) Plate protection and gum solutions including TECNO GUM, GOMMA SOLVENTE 940, OFFSET SINTETIC GUM, TP 3001, and NEO GUM for protecting offset printing plates during storage.
• Offset Plate Correction Products (Correttori per lastre) Plate correction markers including P90, F P, OFFSET PEN, and DELETION PEN for correcting positive and negative offset plates during prepress preparation.
• Film Processing Chemistry Film processing chemicals including COMPOS A 11 developer, IMAFIX 890 fixer, FILM WASH cleaner, and SUPER BLACK TONER spray for prepress film treatment operations.
• Plate Processor Maintenance Chemicals Plate processor maintenance products including SOLVINE CTP, SOLVINE A 90, SLP ROLLER CLEANER, and PLATE MATIC for cleaning and maintaining plate processors.
• Roller and Blanket Washing Solvents Roller and blanket washing solvents including products for conventional inks, UV/H-UV/UV-LED inks, bivalent solvents, and pre-wash solutions (PRE-WASH, UV WASH 4600, PRE WASH PLUS) for pressroom cleaning operations.
• Dampening System Auxiliaries Dampening system auxiliary products including RE-HARDENER FOUNT, RE-HARDENER FOUNT PLUS, DRY INK FOUNT ECO, SCHIUMA STOP anti-foam, and FOUNT CLEAN for offset press dampening systems.
• Dampening Additives and Fountain Solutions Dampening additives and fountain solutions including ALCOFOUNT, ISOAL 88, ALCOPRINT PLUS, ALCOPRINT, FOUNTAIN 2000, and FOUNTAIN P.U. for sheetfed, cold-set, and heat-set web offset applications. Includes VOC FREE variants.
• Flexo Engraving Solvents and Detergents Flexo plate engraving solvents and detergents including FLEX-ALL-CLEAN, ANILOX CLEAN, ANILOX UV CLEAN, CERAMIC CLEANER, PENTAPOLISH-PLUS, US-26 FLEXO, FLEXO SP 28, FLEXOL 15-16-18, and PULL 80 for flexo plate processing.
• Flexo Photopolymer Plates (Lastre flexo fotopolimeriche) Photopolymer flexo plates distributed exclusively in Italy under the Huaguang Lucky Factory brand, the graphic division of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). High-quality plates for flexographic packaging printing.
• Metal Decorating Products Complete range for metal decorating including FOGRA and ISEGA certified washing solvents, Metal varnish Wash, varnish diluents, alcohol reduction additives, ISEGA certified Isopropyl Alcohol, rubberized fabrics, back-adhesive blankets, plate and blanket undercoating, and anilox roller cleaners for aluminum and tinplate printing.
• Printing Equipment (Attrezzature) Printing equipment including Plotter geyser, plate processors (Sviluppatrici), plate washers (Lavalastre WP), Simplicius osmosis systems, Stackers, and DAMPENING CLEAN water filtration systems for prepress and pressroom operations.
• Pressroom Auxiliary Products (Prodotti ausiliari per la sala stampa) Pressroom auxiliary products including blanket and roller rejuvenators (LIGHT LITO, NOVOCAUCCIU, RIGEN 24, RIGEN BG, RIGENERATORE GR 44, CONDIZIONATORE PER RULLI) and special application cleaners for restoring printing surfaces.
• Special Application Cleaners and Auxiliaries Special cleaning products including ANILOX CLEAN, ANILOX UV CLEAN, CERAMIC CLEANER, PENTAPOLISH-PLUS, US-26 FLEXO, FLEXO SP 28, SOL ROL, CLEANER DISOSSIDANTE GEL, AQUAMATIC, and various specialty sprays for niche printing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced environmental impact through VOC FREE product lines
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Huaguang Lucky FactorycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIMAF is the exclusive Italy distributor for Huaguang Lucky Factory photopolymer flexo plates. Huaguang Lucky Factory is the graphic division of CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), a leader in commercial services for launch into international markets and one of the most advanced organizations in high-energy propellant technology development and deployment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toyo Ink SC Holdings: Japanese printing inks, coatings, and specialty chemicals group. Comparable in producing graphic arts chemicals and colorants, with a regional rather than direct competitive overlap with IMAF in Europe.
• Sakata INX: Japanese printing inks and graphic arts chemicals producer with global distribution. Overlaps with IMAF in offset and packaging pressroom chemistry but at larger scale.
• Flint Group: Global supplier of inks, coatings, and pressroom consumables for offset, flexo, and digital print. Comparable to IMAF across offset pressroom chemistry, flexo solvents, and plate-related consumables, with significantly larger scale.
• Siegwerk: Specialty inks and coatings provider focused on packaging applications including flexo. Overlaps with IMAF in flexo solvents and packaging-related chemistry, with stronger global packaging account reach.
• HuberGroup: German-headquartered printing inks and coatings producer with strong offset, packaging, and metal decorating portfolios. Direct competitor to IMAF in metal decorating (food packaging) and pressroom additives.
• Sun Chemical: World's largest producer of printing inks and pigments, also manufacturing fountain solutions, pressroom chemistry, and coatings. Direct overlap with IMAF's pressroom chemistry and metal decorating offerings, but Sun Chemical serves a far broader portfolio and geography.
• Agfa-Gevaert: Belgian-based imaging and printing solutions company with offset plates, inks, and specialty chemicals. Adjacent to IMAF in printing plates and pressroom chemistry, but serves a much broader technology portfolio.

Direct peers

• Prisco (Prismatic Group / Dover): Specialty manufacturer of pressroom chemistry including fountain solutions, detergents, and plate processing chemicals for offset printing. Most direct US/global peer to IMAF's prepress and pressroom product lines.
• Varn International (Kompac): Manufacturer of pressroom chemistry including fountain solutions, washes, and roller/blanket care products for offset printers. A direct, similarly sized peer to IMAF's pressroom consumables business.
• Marabu GmbH: German specialty inks and coatings for screen, pad, and digital printing. Comparable mid-sized European specialty chemistry manufacturer serving graphic arts, with similar go-to-market profile to IMAF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRfbpmw1ifVf7JYue7OaaXw
• Instagraminstagram.com/imafspa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IMAF