grafiche

Grafiche is the plural form of grafica in Italian, and it has two main senses. It can denote graphics and graphic design in the plural, referring to visual compositions, layouts, typography, and other elements of visual communication. It is also used to designate businesses that produce printed matter or provide graphic services, such as printing houses or design studios, often seen in business names as case grafiche or officine grafiche.

In terms of etymology, grafica derives from graphic, from Latin grāphica and Greek graphein, and the plural grafiche follows standard Italian gender and number rules. In practice, grafica describes the discipline or a project, while grafiche tends to refer to the collective body of works or to the service-providing companies that produce those works. The distinction can vary with region and industry usage.

Historically, printing and graphic arts in Italy developed alongside typographic practices from the Renaissance onward. Early grafica involved engraving, woodcut, and typography, evolving into modern graphic design and prepress workflows. In the 20th century, printing houses commonly adopted "grafiche" as a trade name and category, later expanding to digital prepress and multimedia design.

Today, grafiche often appears in professional settings as a label for firms offering design, layout, prepress, and printing services. In contemporary usage, many studios prefer "studio grafico" to emphasize design focus, while grafica remains the umbrella term for the field; grafica can also refer to digital and editorial graphics within publications and media.

See also: grafica, grafico, tipografia, stampa, design.