What Printer Trento does

Printer Trento S.p.A. is a privately held Italian book printing and binding company founded in 1980 by Dario Martinelli and Gianni Girardi in Trento, northern Italy. The company operates four integrated facilities within a 30 km radius — printing plants in Trento, a binding plant in Aldeno, and a logistics warehouse in Spini — producing approximately 15 million books annually across art & photography, educational & scientific, and lifestyle categories for publishers, museums, photographers, and artists worldwide. Its technology stack centers on six large-format offset presses (120x160 cm), including a 2021-installed KBA RAPIDA 164-5 SPC capable of both conventional and LED UV offset printing, complemented by specialty finishing capabilities (lay-flat binding, foil stamping, embossing, spot UV) and a plastic-free production line using process-less plates, plant-based inks, and biodegradable laminations.

The business model is project-based B2B commercial printing: publishers commission print runs on a quote-by-quote basis, with prices not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is built on a named regional field sales force covering Germany, the UK/Ireland/Americas, Benelux/Denmark, France, and Italy, plus a multilingual website and direct sales-office support. The company markets a 15-day production-and-delivery standard turnaround and a 24-hour quote response. Revenue is concentrated entirely in book printing and binding services with no subscription, licensing, or recurring-revenue layer disclosed; the company holds a subscribed share capital of €218,400 and has no institutional investors, parent entities, or subsidiaries.

Differentiators versus competing European book printers include the integrated printing-and-binding footprint, an industry-leading stack of sustainability certifications (FSC — first in Italy — PEFC, ISO 14001, SMETA, TÜV Austria carbon-neutral), participation in the Book Chain Project and ClimatePartner programs, and a customer roster including Penguin Random House, Taschen, Thames & Hudson, V&A Publishing, Springer, Pan Macmillan, Hatje Cantz, and others. The company is currently led by co-founder Dario Martinelli as general manager alongside co-owner Gianni Girardi, with Susanna Geier serving as Sales Director.

Name

Printer Trento

Legal name

Printer Trento S.p.A.

Website

https://printertrento.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Printer Trento is an Italian specialty book printer and binder, founded 1980, serving international publishers, museums, photographers, and artists with offset and LED UV printing across four integrated facilities in Trento and Aldeno.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Book Printing and Binding

NAICS

Books Printing (323117)

SIC

Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC)

Keywords

• Commercial book printing
• Offset printing services
• Book binding services
• Art book production
• Sustainable book manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Trento

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Book Printing and Binding Services: Commercial printing services for publishers, producing books on a project-by-project basis. Services include offset printing, LED UV printing, binding, and finishing. Revenue generated through custom print orders for publishers, museums, photographers, and artists worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Printer Trento is a book printing and binding company that produces high-quality books on a custom, project-by-project basis for publishers, museums, photographers, and artists. It operates six large-format offset printing machines (120x160 cm) at its Trento plant and an integrated binding facility in Aldeno, complemented by LED UV printing, plastic-free production, lay-flat binding, and specialized finishing services. Annual capacity is approximately 15 million books, with a standard 15-day production and delivery turnaround.

Product overview

Printer Trento is a book printing and binding company with over 40 years of experience (founded 1980) operating 4 production facilities in northern Italy. The core offering consists of offset printing services using 6 large format machines (120x160) and comprehensive binding services at their Aldeno facility. The company offers specialized printing capabilities including LED UV technology and a full range of finishing options. Product portfolio is organized around three main book categories (Art & Photography, Educational, and Lifestyle), complemented by specialty services such as Plastic Free Books, Lay-Flat Binding, and Climate Neutral Printing. The integrated production chain spans 30km, enabling 15-day production and delivery turnaround.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Offset Printing Services Large-format offset printing using 6 machines in 120x160 cm format, enabling high-quality book production on coated and uncoated substrates. For publishers, museums, photographers, and artists worldwide.
• Book Binding Services Complete hardcover, paperback, and specialized binding services executed at the Aldeno binding facility for publishers and art book producers.
• LED UV Printing Eco-friendly UV LED offset printing with instant drying, lower energy consumption, and vibrant results on coated and uncoated papers. For publishers needing premium print quality and sustainability.
• Plastic Free Books End-to-end plastic-free book manufacturing using FSC-certified paper, vegetable-based inks, biodegradable lamination films, bio-based adhesives, and compostable packaging. For publishers with sustainability mandates.
• Lay-Flat Binding 180-degree binding technique that allows double-page images to be viewed seamlessly without a classic spine, combined with product finishing. For photography and art book publishers.
• Special Finishing Premium finishing services including foil blocking, embossing and debossing, color edge printing, spot UV varnish, and vacuum shrink-wrapping. For premium book projects.
• Large Format Books Production of oversized books for art books, coffee table books, and specialty publications with non-standard dimensions, enabled by the KBA RAPIDA 164-5 SPC press.
• Climate Neutral Printing Carbon-offset printing service in partnership with ClimatePartner and certified by TÜV Austria, allowing publishers to produce climate-neutral books.
• Art & Photography Books High-quality printing services dedicated to art books and photography publications for museums, galleries, and art publishers requiring color accuracy and premium finishing.
• Educational Books Printing services for textbooks, scientific manuals, exercise books, and educational materials with durable binding for repeated use, supporting high pagination and varied print run sizes.
• Lifestyle Books Coffee table book production covering travel, food and wine, cooking, wellness, and leisure topics requiring visually attractive output, lay-flat binding, and specialized finishing.
• Maps and Guides Production of covered and self-covered maps and guides with high-quality print registration for detailed graphic elements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15-day production and delivery for standard orders
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ClimatePartnercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2020ClimatePartner manages eco-sustainable projects for Printer Trento's climate-neutral printing program. The partnership involves calculating carbon emissions from production processes and identifying offset projects. Customers receive specific labels with ID numbers for product traceability. Process certified by TÜV Austria.
• Book Chain Project (Carnstone)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project focused on responsible, transparent, and aware book production chain. Involves 24 publishers, 400 printers, and 300 paper makers. Includes PREPS (paper sourcing), PIPS (chemical transparency), and PRELIMS (social responsibility) components.
• SedexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary membership platform for ethical supply chain management. Printer Trento undergoes biennial SMETA 2 pillar audits by third-party providers. Reports publicly available upon request.
• KBA (Koenig & Bauer)coreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment supplier for KBA RAPIDA 164-5 SPC large format press enabling both conventional offset and LED UV offset printing capabilities. Partnership supports Printer Trento's technology advancement and quality capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rotolito Lombarda: Milan-based printing company offering book, magazine, and commercial print production. Comparable as a domestic Italian book printer with similar customer base of publishers and media companies.
• Nørhaven: Danish book printing company producing high-quality books for European publishers. Comparable as a Northern European book printer with similar trade and academic publisher customer base.
• Bell & Bain: Long-established Glasgow-based book printer serving UK and international publishers. Comparable as a heritage European book printer with similar B2B publisher focus and large-format capability.
• Mondadori Printing: Italian printing division of the Mondadori Group, producing books, magazines, and catalogs at industrial scale. Comparable in serving publisher demand for trade and educational books from an Italian production base.
• Pureprint Group: UK-based premium printing group serving publishers with high-quality book production. Comparable as a European art and lifestyle book printer with sustainability credentials and direct publisher relationships.
• Clays: UK book printer (Bungay, Suffolk) producing hardback, paperback, and specialist bound books for major publishers. Comparable as a high-volume European book printer with similar trade and art book exposure.
• Optimal Media Röbel: German book printing operation (part of the Optimal Media group) producing hard- and softcover books for European publishers. Comparable as a premium European book printer focused on publisher accounts.
• Grafica Veneta: One of Europe's largest book printers, headquartered in Trebaseleghe, Italy. Directly comparable as a high-volume book printer serving major international publishers across trade, educational, and art categories.

Emerging players

• Steidl: German art book publisher/printer renowned for premium photography and art publications. Comparable as a high-end art and photography book specialist with overlapping customer base among art publishers like Taschen and Hatje Cantz.

Broad incumbents

• Elanders: Sweden-based global printing group offering books, packaging, and business information printing across multiple geographies. Comparable as a larger, multi-product European print incumbent with a significant book segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/printertrento
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/printer-trento

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Printer Trento