Fontana Print SA follows a clear strategy on multiple levels: innovation that is firmly market-oriented, long-term succession planning in management, and partnerships built on strong mutual trust. These foundations have kept the company on a successful path for nearly seventy years. Fontana Print SA is well-positioned for the future.
Since 1967, Fontana Print SA has been based at Via Giovanni Maraini 23 in Pregassona, a district in the northern part of Lugano. At that time, the company consolidated its operations from two previous locations into a new building purpose-built for printing. Over the past six decades, Fontana Print SA has grown from a local print shop into a nationally recognized and active printing service provider. After the passing of Renato Fontana, the company’s founder, in 2011, leadership was handed over to his sons Ruben and Raoul. While Ruben manages the production side of the business, Raoul runs the book and magazine publishing arm, “Fontana Edizioni.”
In Ruben Fontana’s office, a large-format black-and-white photograph hangs on the wall. It shows his father Renato operating an “Original Heidelberg” press. The image not only marks the beginning of a successful entrepreneurial journey, it also symbolizes the start of a partnership with a supplier that continues to this day. As Ruben Fontana puts it, it “has developed into a friendship.” In the adjacent office, (Renato Fontana’s former workspace), sits Colin, Ruben’s son. At that moment, three generations are united. Fontana Print SA is firmly positioned for the future, and with Colin stepping up, it will remain family-run, hopefully with additional family members joining the company in the years to come.
The print market has changed, pushing printing companies to rethink their business models. Since its founding in 1957, Fontana Print SA has relied on business printing, commercial print products, and in-house published books and magazines. Then in 2024, the company reached a major strategic milestone with its entry into folding carton production and the printing of package inserts. To support this move, the new division “Fontana Packaging” was established.
In addition to printing and finishing, packaging development, both structural design and visual graphic, is handled entirely in-house. “We want to be a print service provider capable of meeting all market needs under one roof,” says Ruben Fontana, describing their vision. The packaging segment is off to a strong start. Fontana Print SA has already caught the attention of the pharmaceutical industry, successfully passing demanding quality audits for two clients.
In early 2024, Fontana Print SA began a significant upgrade and expansion of its production technology. For over a year now, the company has been running production on a single Speedmaster XL 106. A few months later, a new Easymatrix 106 CS die-cutting and embossing machine with stripping station, along with a Diana Go folding carton gluer, were added to the equipment lineup. The compact Diana Go operates at speeds of up to 300 meters per minute and enables the production of folding cartons with straight-line gluing and auto-bottom (crash lock) construction.
In commercial print finishing, an existing Stahlfolder KH 82 combi-folder was replaced with a new high-performance KH 82-P model featuring a PFX feeder. Thanks to its patented shingled sheet processing, the machine boosts productivity by up to 50% without increasing running speed.
A major milestone came in May 2024 with the installation of the Speedmaster XL 106. This top-tier eight-color system from the latest drupa generation marked a strategic shift: from two presses to just one. Previously, commercial work, magazines, and books were printed on a Speedmaster SX 102-8-P, while packaging was handled on a Speedmaster CD 102-4+L. The plan now was to consolidate all production on a single high-performance press from HEIDELBERG.
Initially, the company considered keeping both presses. But simulations using the HEIDELBERG Bizmodel showed that the new Speedmaster XL 106 would provide enough capacity for all jobs. “Even with the Speedmaster SX 102, we saw how much performance potential this technology has,” says Ruben Fontana. That press already featured the intelligent automation introduced with the 2020 generation of Speedmaster technology. Compared to the previous model—a Speedmaster SX 102 from 2013—the new eight-color press doubled output capacity.
With the Speedmaster XL 106, Ruben Fontana has seen a further significant increase in performance and a noticeable drop in costs. The biggest efficiency gain comes from fast job changes with minimal waste. Automated setup sequences, powered by AI-based software assistants, allow the system to operate almost autonomously. The press typically runs two shifts per day and still has room to handle additional workload.
But it’s not just about the technology. “It’s also about the people behind the machines,” says Ruben Fontana, pointing to the commitment and “tremendous support” he has received, especially from Dr. David Schmedding, Chief Technology & Sales Officer at HEIDELBERG, and Michael Knörle, Managing Director of Heidelberg Switzerland.
Fontana Print SA continues to invest in progress. The company will soon be commissioning a Jetfire 50. This sheetfed inkjet system is designed to ease the load on the offset press for smaller and medium print runs, whether business stationery, commercial print, magazines, or packaging. The decision followed extensive test runs at Wiesloch-Walldorf facility from HEIDELBERG. “We didn’t even need to optimize the data,” says Ruben Fontana. In both printing methods—offset and inkjet—the test prints matched perfectly in color. Even customers from the demanding pharmaceutical sector accepted the results.
The Jetfire 50 will be part of the newly established “Fontana Digital Solutions.” Alongside the inkjet press from HEIDELBERG, this division will house other digital printing systems, including a Scodix unit for digital embellishment.
Fontana Print SA has often led the way as a pioneer. In 2013, a Speedmaster SM 102-5 was replaced by a Speedmaster SX 102-10-P. At 18 meters in length, it was the first ten-color long perfector in the Canton of Ticino, and the first switchable long-format press of the new SX series in Switzerland. With the launch of the Speedmaster XL 106 in April 2024 and the upcoming installation of the Jetfire 50, Fontana Print SA is once again a first adopter of cutting-edge HEIDELBERG technology in Ticino. The market can look forward to seeing what’s next at Via Giovanni Maraini 23 in Pregassona.
Fontana Print S.A.
Via Giovanni Maraini 23
6963 Lugano
Switzerland