Label printing technology major Gallus Group, a subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG), has announced that Italian label specialist Artes Etichette has expanded its digital printing capabilities by acquiring the first high-performance hybrid press, the Gallus Five, worldwide.
Following its successful installation in December 2025, the new system has already enabled Artes to migrate a significant portion of its conventional workload over to digital, saving setup time and materials, and simplifying production. The investment reflects broader continued growth across the Italian label market, valued at approximately $2 billion in 2024 and forecast to expand steadily over the coming decade, driven by evolving packaging requirements and increasing product variation.
Gallus Five Rapidly Scales to Industrial Capacity After Installation
Within months of installation, Artes is leveraging the industrial capacity of the Gallus Five to handle a growing share of its production, particularly for food label applications, while also supporting work across chemicals and detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and durable goods. Routine jobs sit at 10,000 linear metres, with regular successful runs up to 60,000 linear metres repeatedly proving the press’s capability to achieve industrial-level productivity. For customers requiring high-volume, precise results, the Gallus Five is increasingly becoming Artes’ preferred platform, addressing the pressing need to deliver greater speed, flexibility, and consistent quality as customer demands continue to evolve. “Quality is being taken for granted,” states Artes CEO Luca Airoldi. “There isn’t a customer who says, ‘make me less beautiful labels for a lower price’. Labels must be perfect, and the Gallus Five delivers the precision required to hit that standard every time.”
Developed together with HEIDELBERG, the Gallus Five was designed to bring hybrid production into mainstream production at scale, addressing volume-driven markets where consistent, industrial-level speed, and efficiency are critical. The press incorporates the newly developed HEIDELBERG Saphira UV05 ink set – a major advancement in ink technology – with a high-pigmentation formulation that cuts ink consumption and lowers total cost of ownership.
According to Airoldi, the ability to respond quickly to urgent jobs, thanks to the inherent nature of digital printing, is another key advantage. He explains, “The Gallus Five allows us to meet challenging delivery times. When customer demands are urgent, quality and dependability are paramount. With this machine, it is very difficult to make mistakes.” Operating at up to 100 metres per minute, the Gallus Five’s combination of colour stability, predictable registration, reduced waste, and shorter make‑ready times significantly streamline operations. “With conventional technologies, if you have four or five colours, you need to factor in time to start up. With digital, you save time in setup, and material. There are no ink leftovers, no startup waste. This means that a complex job that may have previously required several hours of preparation can now be started in around 30 minutes,” adds Airoldi.
The new installation builds on nearly five decades of experience Artes has with Gallus machinery, dating back to traditional flexographic and typographic systems from the 1970s. In recent years, the company’s digital journey was accelerated with the installation of two Gallus Labelfire presses in 2018 and 2022, followed by Europe’s first Gallus One in 2024. The new Gallus Five was printing within weeks of its installation date and entered full production at the beginning of 2026. The press now operates two shifts per day, for a total of 15 hours’ production, and is already running at full capacity. According to the Italian label maker, the installation process was smooth and efficient, supported by its prior experience with Gallus digital technology, close collaboration with Gallus technicians, and broader HEIDELBERG customer support network. “The installation was very fast and well-coordinated, without any problems. We already have experience with the Gallus One, so we prepared everything before the machine arrived. It was all quite quick and simple,” Airoldi explains. Furthermore, its modular, flexible design under Gallus’ System to Compose platform concept also equips Artes to be able to scale and adapt production as application requirements evolve, supporting greater flexibility and long-term investment security, without disrupting existing operations.
“Seeing the Gallus Five deliver immediate, measurable impact for customers like Artes, as well as providing all-important assurances for long-term success, reinforces how Gallus, as a system integrator, is successfully supporting converters in deploying digital production reliably in real production environments,” comments Gallus Group CEO Dario Urbinati. “Artes Etichette’s success demonstrates how hybrid technology has moved beyond potential and niche applications, to become a true industrial production solution. Innovations only matter when they create tangible value for customers, and this installation clearly shows how the Gallus Five is enabling converters to scale digital efficiently while maintaining the highest quality standards. As more customers begin to realise these benefits, we’re excited to see this technology drive the next phase of smart, connected printing at an industrial level, across the label industry.”
