I just finished a diploma of graphic design a few months ago. And during a subject called “prepress”, I found out that printing is not the most ecological part of graphic design. In fact traditional printing is not very good for the environment at all. It isn’t all just about the paper they use, but they also use loads and loads of metal printing plates and lots and lots of water.
So I have been shopping around for the most ecological printer for some time now (like 6 months, on and off). And I think I’ve finally found a quality one that is reasonably priced.
Now I happen to know that Print Together is a very environmentally-aware printing company. Firstly, they have a dedicated page devoted to the environment. But it’s what they say on that page that counts:
Sadly, about 70% of all paper is produced from virgin fibre (such as from rainforests). Logging these old-growth forests also accounts for around 30% of global carbon emissions. This needs to change! Our house stocks are 100% post-consumer recycled.
At PrintTogether, we only use high quality recycled papers. If it’s not recycled we don’t touch it! Our house stocks are 100% post-consumer recycled. More details on the stocks we use can be seen below.
There are different types of printing inks available for offset printing. Inks are made up of various ingredients such as pigments (organic or inorganic) which create the colour, an oil base liquid that is mixed with the pigment and then dries, and a binding agent made of either organic resins or polymers. PrintTogether only use vegetable based inks for offset printing.
The environmentally friendly alternative is vegetable based ink. The base liquid for this ink is made from a variety of vegetable oils such as corn, walnut, coconut, linseed, canola and soy bean. Vegetable based ink takes longer to dry but, as a result, releases only around 2-4% VOCs into the atmosphere. Vegetable oils are a renewable resource, unlike petroleum. Solvents are not required for cleaning, as the press can be cleaned with a water based cleaner, reducing VOCs further. Vegetable based ink is also much easier to de-ink when recycling and results in much less hazardous waste.
Vegetable based inks are no more expensive than petroleum based inks. With time we predict petrol based ink will be a thing of the past. The sooner the better!
PrintTogether use vegetable based inks for all offset printed materials.
So I thought I’d share this company’s details and do my bit for the planet. If you click on this referral link, then if you go on to place an order with PrintTogether gives me a 5% voucher.
If you’re still reading, I think it’s worth copying their text that concerns what to avoid when printing (somehow I don’t think they’ll mind)
There are a few extra things you should also consider when creating your designs and deciding what colours to use.
Metallic ink:
Ink that contains metallic particles should be avoided. These inks cannot be recycled and end up in landfill, where they can then leak toxic compounds into the water table. Metallic fragments can also be harmful to animals and humans if inhaled or absorbed. There are other ways to create extra special designs with a standout factor, such as environmentally friendly aqueous varnishes and finishes like embossing or die-cutting. Bad varnishes:We recommend not using varnishes. If you do want a varnish on all or part of your printed materials, don’t go for a UV (Ultraviolet) coating. This type of finish may look glossy and nice, but they are detrimental to the environment. They cannot be de-inked which means they can’t be recycled and end up in landfill. UV coatings also require a great deal of energy. Also try to avoid solvent based varnishes as these emit VOCs.
The cleanest alternatives are vegetable or soy based sealer or an aqueous (water based) varnish. However, we strongly recommend not using varnish at all as chemicals are required to wash the machine after use. PrintTogether therefore do not use varnish at all.
Lamination:
Laminating thicker items such as business cards and covers, looks nice and makes them more durable but, again, this should be avoided. These items can not be recycled after they have been discarded and so end up as landfill.
So I am just about to get 200x 570gsm business cards made up because they’re currently on special at only $163.90 until tomorrow only… granted it’s not as cheap as vistaprint, but the quality is MUCH higher. It’s also much cheaper than moo too!
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