The catalog at the Tourism Exhibition of Rome
A Guinness World Record Catalog!
Giant 264-page book is world’s largest
R-World Home

Sora (Frosinone), Italy – The largest book in the world has been created in Sora, Italy. It is a giant catalog commissioned by an international tour operator for clients in the United Arab Emirates.

Roland SOLJET SJ-640

The catalog was printed by Enzo Canettieri, owner of Poligraph, a typography and graphic design firm. Canettieri says he grew up “drinking milk and ink” and this gave him special “chromatic fingers” for the digital printing field.

The enlarged catalog reproduces the original version very accurately, and is a full 264 double-sided printed pages with a plexiglass cover. The statistics are amazing: The book measures 5.25' x 5.25' (1.60m x 1.60m), took 30 working days to produce, and, including labor and materials costs, is valued at US $2000 (€20,000). After printing, Canettieri had to search for a suitable cutter, which he borrowed from a colleague in Aprilia (Latina- Lazio).

The catalog was shown at the Tourism Exhibition of Rome and then at the Roland Creative Center, where it was received with great admiration.

Enzo Canettieri states: “I embarked on a remarkable solo adventure in creating this catalog. I printed 18 hours a day for 6 days. You can easily understand how I felt as time went by.”

Canettieri used his Roland SOLJET SJ-640 to print the 7500 sqft (700 sq. meters) necessary to create the enormous catalog.

News of the project soon spread and many curious and interested people went to Canettieri’s laboratory to see his work. Many journalists also published articles and photos in the local press. Canettieri was incredibly happy and proud of his workmanship. Canettieri has been a printer for 27 years, inheriting the business from his father, and says he never thought he would find so much satisfaction in his work.

About two years ago, Canettieri upgraded his production platform from classic offset printing to digital printing. In addition to the SJ-640, he

Enzo Canettieri assembling his enormous catalog

purchased three new Roland machines: the SOLJET PRO III XC-540 and VersaCAMM SP-540V printer/cutters and a CX-24 vinyl cutter, allowing him to enter new markets. Incorporating the new technology was not accomplished without some effort. The most difficult and costly aspect for Canettieri was mastering use of the new media. Today his production environment is
fully functioning and Canettieri is proud to be
a technological craftsman.

Canettieri’s passion comes through when he describes his work: “I love my job so deeply that I do not feel the strain of the long hours. Money is not the main reason why I am in this business. It’s the personal satisfaction that only people sharing my passion for fine workmanship can understand.”