When off-season circulations fall or advertisers demand local editions, Centro Stampa Quotidiani Spa in Lombardy, Northern Italy, has a solution: They print digital.

The company is using an HP T230 colour inkjet web, and is pioneering the use of lightweight newsprint stocks on the press.

Established in 2000, CSQ prints editions of overseas newspapers read by holidaymakers, as well as newspapers and inserts for local clients. The problem has been that outside the peak tourist season, conventional offset production was not viable.

Managing director Dario De Cian says adopting the latest digital technology means they can offer overseas clients the opportunity to publish all year round. He expects to print tourist titles conventionally from June to September, and use the HP T230 for the rest of the year with the same quality and newsprint substrate.

Shorter set-up times will also enable them to deliver the current day’s edition.

“Now we can print short runs digitally from 500-2000 copies to localise sections of publications and integrate them with conventionally printed sections," says De Cian.

He anticipates publishers will use the option to insert information for a specific city or area, or produce variable editions of a property newspaper based on local distribution requirements.

De Cian says the press allows quality equivalent to traditional offset, and – thanks to its bonding-agent technology – enables the use of lightweight and porous papers of 45gsm without show-through.

A Hunkeler inline finishing system will cover the three services initially planned –newspapers, covers and flyers. Integrated with other finishing equipment, it will enable CSQ to automatically combine offset and digital products ready for despatch. The T230 press prints at up to 122 metres a minute, with a web width up to 558 mm and print width up to 520 mm.