The book “La Stampa è Bella – Half a Century in the Graphic Arts” is a historical and professional testimony, told through a fluid and personal narrative style “as an external observer”. It is the story of a working life spent in the world of the Graphic Arts—because, indeed, it is an art form—almost like a Golden Wedding anniversary with print, celebrated by one of the field’s most respected and long-standing journalists.

But through its digressions, which recount moments of current affairs and everyday life, the book is also a piece of contemporary history seen from the ground: in the streets, in factories, and in offices.

Its multidisciplinary approach, together with its conversational and ironic tone, makes it an engaging read even for those outside the industry. The reflections on the future of printing in the final chapters, and the way the challenges posed by digitalisation and artificial intelligence are explored, make the book particularly relevant today.

The chosen title, “La Stampa è Bella” (“Print is Beautiful”), is far from accidental: it is a tribute to a profession that the author has learned to love and appreciate throughout its long history, from Gutenberg onwards—a profession that continues to surprise us.

Because printing, today as yesterday, is not just technology: it is culture, expression, and a vision of the future.

A book that will remain as a record of the extraordinary evolution of printing—from typography to… we do not yet know what. Because what does printing mean today, in the age of the virtual world and artificial intelligence?

Language: Italian

Info/Contact: marcofrancesco.picasso@gmail.com