Annual · late October · Lucca (Tuscany)
For publishing houses, authors, indie labels, comic shops, art galleries, comic book creators, animation studios, board game designers, role-playing tournament organisers, hospitality teams running the booths and corporate sponsors that need branded staff apparel, high-volume giveaways for the public of the five days, welcome kits for international guests and accredited press, signed limited editions by featured creators, and coordinated materials for booths hosted inside the walls of Lucca — produced through the Milan hub and delivered by appointment to Lucca hotels or publisher consolidation warehouses.
Lucca Comics & Games is one of the most-visited cultural events in Europe, drawing several hundred thousand visitors across the five days at the end of October, and for publishers, authors and animation studios the editorial calendar makes it the autumn list showcase. For the booth team the operational calendar is compressed: the city turns into a diffuse fair, streets inside the walls close to traffic, vehicular access is rationed, and every goods delivery has to follow narrow loading windows coordinated with the organiser and the Comune di Lucca. For a publisher, author or animation studio team, the operational priority is not only printing the comic or the board game, but preparing a coordinated merch line — totes for the public, signed limited editions for invited guests, welcome kits for international creators, branded apparel for the signers at the booth and the logistics team — that lands in the right hands on the right days.
From the Milan hub, Corp-Merch.IT coordinates the full programme for publishers, authors and sponsors arriving in Lucca: pre-press artwork adaptation, district producer selection, pre-production physical sample and a 48-hour response window between brief and structured proposal. The Milan base gives us direct access to the districts of Como (textile and screen printing on organic cotton), Scandicci (small leather goods), Maniago (steel and small hardware), Agordo and Valdagno (eyewear), Murano (glass for limited editions), Empoli (glass), Faenza (ceramics), Padova (technical cartotecnica), Capannori (Tuscan paper mills for FSC-certified paper) and Prato (textile), so most of the production can stay on the Italian supply chain and respect publisher lead times without resorting to intercontinental transport. For limited run gadgets signed by creators we propose runs of 50-300 pieces with numbering and signature, managed through Italian district collectives with batch traceability.
For publishers and studios with an Italian VAT number, the invoice is issued through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) with 22% VAT in EUR; reverse charge for intra-EU buyers with a valid VAT number, split payment for public administration booths and Codice Destinatario or PEC for electronic delivery. For extra-EU publishers we can issue an invoice in EUR without Italian VAT under the applicable territorial rules, or a self-invoicing summary on request.
Logistics inside the walls. Lucca Comics & Games is a diffuse fair and does not have a single venue address like an exhibition centre. Goods deliveries must follow the rationed vehicular gates coordinated with the Comune di Lucca and the organiser, in very narrow time slots. The consolidated practice for publishers is to deliver the bulk of material to a hotel in the city (typically around Piazzale Verdi, Porta San Pietro or near the stations) or to a publisher's consolidation warehouse in the days before opening, and keep a restock buffer within the operational team's reach for the peak days. Tuscan weather in late October can be variable, so gadgets for the public — especially totes — should be packed to withstand light rain.
OEKO-TEX organic cotton T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts and shirts branded with the publisher or creator logo, sized for the booth team and for international guests invited to signing sessions. Production in the Como and Prato districts with recycled cotton (GRS) options on request; labelling by role and edition so the booth team does not have to re-sort the packages on site.
Organic cotton tote bags, bookmarks, magnets, illustrated postcards on FSC-certified paper, full-run enamel pins, metal water bottles and matching keychains for fast distribution across the five days. Quantities are planned against the expected number of visitors per edition and pre-counted into bundles of 100 or 250 pieces, so a crowded booth can restock without recounting stock on the floor.
Numbered and signed screen prints on certified paper in limited edition, lithographs, miniatures and collector items reserved for signing sessions and stand guests. We normally reserve a separate reduced-run batch (50-300 pieces) with progressive numbering and attached certificate of authenticity, so every piece remains traceable.
Coordinated boxes with illustrated notebook, branded pen, tote bag, small gadgets and welcome card for international guests and accredited press. For corporate sponsors we offer premium gift boxes with attention to detail, personalised label and bilingual packing list addressed to the recipient.
Lock down artwork, quantities, packaging and on-site recipient before starting production. The streets inside the walls of Lucca during the event week are largely closed to heavy traffic, and every delivery must be linked to a loading window confirmed by the organiser or the Comune; for most teams it is safer to coordinate delivery to a hotel in the city (typically in the area of Piazzale Verdi, Porta San Pietro or near the stations) or to a consolidation warehouse of a publisher with an operational base in Tuscany, and to handle booth restocking with manual trolleys in the agreed time slots.
For an Italian programme routed via Milan, shipments are consolidated and forwarded with BRT, SDA, GLS or DHL Express Italia with 24-48 hour windows across most Italian CAP codes. For programmes above 1,000 pieces we offer appointment delivery with phone pre-notice and, on request, on-site set-up by our staff. For limited runs and reserved kits we coordinate transport with specialised carriers that handle batch traceability and delivery signature. For international publishers based in other EU countries we can pre-clear cargo at Milano Malpensa and route the last mile through the same hub, so the goods flow is managed by a single team.
For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024) we provide a sustainability sheet per PO with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates under the GHG Protocol on the intra-Lombardy and Lombardy-Tuscany legs; for foreign publishers reporting under ESRS or equivalent national frameworks, the same sheet can be issued in English with Italian district provenance. The certifications most often requested in the editorial and comic book space are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on skin-contact textiles, GOTS on organic cotton, GRS on recycled polyester, FSC on paper and packaging, REACH SVHC declaration for pigments and inks, ISO 9001/14001/45001 of the producer. On request, we integrate verifiable environmental claims on the label, product sheet and publisher sustainability report.
The invoice is issued in EUR with standard 22% VAT (reduced rates of 4%, 5%, 10% available for the product categories that allow them, such as publishing) and routed through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) of the Agenzia delle Entrate to the recipient code or PEC address of the buyer. Corp-Merch.IT is a registered Italian VAT operator, listed in VIES for intra-EU transactions, and handles reverse charge, split payment and self-invoicing for public administration under Italian law. For corporate clients subject to IFRS reporting we also produce an attachment with inventory valuation and capital contributions separated between income statement and balance sheet.
Eight to ten weeks is the safest window to secure product choice and decoration methods. For signed limited editions by featured creators it is best to extend the window to 10-12 weeks to manage numbering, certificate of authenticity and reduced run. Tighter programmes are possible only after stock, print methods and venue access have been confirmed.
Only after the event organiser or the Comune di Lucca has confirmed the loading window, vehicular access and named recipient. Many publishers split the shipment between a central Lucca hotel and a Tuscan consolidation warehouse, and handle booth restocking with manual trolleys in the agreed time slots.
Yes. Staff apparel, public totes, signed limited editions and welcome kits can be packed and labelled as separate batches, linked to each publisher or author and to each delivery point. For multi-booth programmes we replicate the batches and consolidate into crates labelled by logistics node.
No. Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external B2B supplier that helps publishers, authors, animation studios and sponsors prepare their own merch for the event. It does not organise, sponsor or represent Lucca Comics & Games, the event organisation, the Comune di Lucca, the participating publishers or authors.
Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external B2B supplier for companies participating in Lucca Comics & Games. This page helps publishers, authors, animation studios, comic shops, art galleries, board game designers, hospitality teams and corporate sponsors prepare their own merch for the event. It does not represent the Lucca Comics & Games organisation, the Comune di Lucca, the participating publishers or authors, or the event sponsors.