Why keep it simple when it can be complicated?
Fine Art Printing meets LONGO
Motivated by the highest demands of its own customers, constantly growing ambitions towards itself, and with lots of passion for art in its luggage, the print company LONGO has set out on its journey.
Wandering through LONGO's spaces, one finds countless books and brochures - no surprise in a print company. What stands out, however, are the numerous art catalogues and photo books - a garden of Eden for every art lover.
Illustrated books and catalogues represent the high-class in the printing sector, which is why demanding German art publishers have always belonged to the favourite customers of the Italian printing company with its headquarters in Bolzano/South Tyrol.
LONGO has never considered meeting the highest demands to be a pressure, but rather an inspiring challenge. The incentive to keep improving, to optimise technology and methodology as well as to push the boundaries of offset printing - these are the key attitudes of the 70-person team in Bolzano.
Driven by this uncompromising demand on themselves and on the company, Giuseppe, Martin, Judith, Benjamin and Harald set off. From Milan to San Francisco, a short detour in Munich and a weekend in Basel - no distance too far, no effort too high to leave a lasting trace in the field of fine art printing.
Every challenging project reignites the passion for print and shows how innovative this industry can be. Print is not old-school and boring. Print can do something if you let it.
When Stayinart announced that each cover of the next issue would be unique - drawn by the Viennese artist Johann Rausch - it was a creative production assignment that had to be mastered.
Such and similar projects encourage us to keep moving, to constantly question and reinvent ourselves. And not to forget that LONGO has an absolute reason to exist in this - let's call a spade a spade - troubled industry.
LONGO's focus on fine art printing comes in part from its love for art and detail. The photographer Michael Chinnici recently demonstrated once again how important the result of the final product on paper was to the artist. In order to give appropriate expression to both colour and black and white images, processes were adapted to bring together two techniques developed by LONGO (Spektra7 and Triton). We discussed orange tones until late at night, standing at the 10-colour printing press. For seven days, Michael practically lived in the printing company together with Giuseppe, LONGO's professional in the field of fine art printing. Six nights and countless coffee breaks later, the result was more than impressive.
Projects of this nature are complicated and time-consuming, and on top of that the print industry is exposed to ever-increasing cost pressure. Paper prices are rising, orders and print volumes are decreasing. Nevertheless, LONGO remains true to its credo: passionate about quality and innovation, delivering top performance without being sidetracked.
Success proves LONGO right: step by step, the company has managed to establish itself in the world of art, and the South Tyroleans with the Italian-sounding company name are well known in the artistic world at home and abroad.
Oliver Klink from California, the renowned art publisher Mack Books from London, New York galleries and also Peter Kohl from Carinthia appreciate the sensibility for art and books and the direct " participation " in the production process.
As a result, days and nights at the printing press turn into minutes until the face of the cover of "Vanishing Cuba" finally comes closest to the moment which Michael Chinnici likes to remember with a contented smile.
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