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Many people have discovered the benefits of environmentally friendly printing. Starting with the design process, graphic artists can design the green-ness into the piece that is going to get printed. We call this process Clean Design. We believe that clean design starts with knowing what types of papers, processes, decoration techniques, coatings and bindery operations add up to making printing as eco-friendly as possible.
Papers
This is the easiest decision to make, use recycled paper, right? Well, the most responsible papers are not as obvious a choice as you may think. There are many things to consider.
- Recycled Content
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Post Consumer Waste (PCW) percentage
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FSC Certified (Paper that has virgin pulp that is trackable back to the originating forest)
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Elemental Chlorine-free
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Process Chlorine-free
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Acid-free
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Finishes or Coatings (Online and Offline)
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Brightness
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Thickness
- Mailing Techniques and processes*
Inks
We use Soy based waterless inks, which are the best combination of technology eliminating the use of water in the printing process, but the base product of our inks is soy. You can learn much more here.
- Waterless Inks eliminate water and chemicals that are normally necessary in the printing process to impress the image on a plate to the paper itself.
- Soy or Vegatable Inks eliminate the use of petroleum in the process of making ink, this also helps in the recycling of the printed products we produce. Soy and other Vegetable inks are easily separated in the recycling process from the paper on which they are printed. This has zero effect on print quality or the length of time that the printed impression will last in circulation.
Platemaking
Our Computer to Plate (CTP) system is manufactured by the same company that makes our offset printing press.
However, interestingly enough, our Presstek™ DI (Direct Imaging) press uses its own internal (online) platemaking system that is imaged thermally diretly from a computer. We do use our offline CTP system to make plates for our Heidelberg® offset printing equipment to make that process chemistry free and as environmentally friendly as possible.
The following statement was released by Presstek regarding their offline CTP system that we use on our Heidelberg equipment:
Not only do our chemistry-free plates eliminate a significant source of toxic emissions associated with conventional offset printing, our platemaking process does away with the need for film and its associated environmental impact.
- Our plates do not use any chemicals in their production
- We recycle all of our plates back to the manufacturer
- Our Presstek press uses only the area of the plate that you need and allows you to use more of the plate when imprinting a small area at at ime, for example, if you print a letterhead that only has a header, we still have a considerable amount of area to use on that plate.
You can learn more here.
Waterless Printing Presses / Chemistry-free Direct Imaging (DI)
The advantages start with the inks and extend throughout the entire waterless printing process. DI presses eliminate the need for: To read in much more detail about Waterless Printing, please click here.
- Chemical processing
- Production steps associated with film-based platemaking
- Separate imaging of plates using an offline CTP system Presstek DI presses achieve this efficiency
by automatically imaging the printing plates and printing the job directly on press.
The digital file is sent to the DI press where all four plates are simultaneously imaged
in precise register. Plates are imaged via thermal process; the heat from the lasers removes the top layers of the plate aterial, exposing the ink receptive layer. The laser and digital plate comprise an optimized system that eliminates the use
of chemistry in the platemaking process. 50 sheets to 25 sheets) after the DI was installed. From an ecological perspective,
this waste saving gains importance when you consider that one tree is equivalent to only two hundred thirty-six 11″ x 17″
brochures printed on 100 lb. cover stock. Paper waste reduction is achieved through the DI presses’ control over major variables in the printing process, such as ink/water by up to 90 percent.
Bindery
- In our bindery operation, we recycle all waste from trimming and die-cutting
- We use biodegradable shrinkwrap
- We use recycled cardboard to make our cartons
- We pack cartons as efficiently as possible while ensuring the integrity of your project without damage
*This is the easiest decision to make, use recycled paper, right? Well, the most responsible papers are not as obvious a choice as you may think. There are many things to consider.*Have you ever thought about the process involved in simply making a Postage Stamp…This simple choice avoids using a postage stamp that has adhesives, paper waste, tons of energy and non-eco-friendly printing done by the USPS (US Postal Service) in the printing and manufacturing of postage stamps.
We suggest using an indicia, which is that printed version of a stamp, that is simply printed in black ink with a black box around the details of who is mailing a piece and the permit number assigned by the post office.
Filed under: Acid Free, Chlorine Free, Design, Education, Environmentally Friendly Printing, Green Guarantee, Recycled Paper, Technology, Waterless Printing on January 12th, 2008
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Printing Responsibly uses DI presses, which bring 2 different types of advantages, performance and environmental.
DI presses get to approved color in as little as 12 minutes, which saves paper and energy.
DI presses print at 300 line screen, which is 50% higher resolution than conventional offset presses (typical presses max. 200 linescreen)
DI presses use soy based inks, which make it easier to separate ink from paper in the recycling process, and of course it doesn’t hurt to use natural ingredients when making anything.
DI presses are waterless, this eliminates the normal dampening system in a press that requires water and chemistry to mix.
DI presses use temperature to control imaging.
You can download the same brochure we read before buying our latest press. Learn more about DI Presses at the website of the manufacturer, Presstek. www.presstek.com
Filed under: Design, Education, Products, Technology, Uncategorized on December 16th, 2007
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Welcome to the page that will help you get the best quality stationery.
Basically, stationery is the simplest form of business communication there is. Business cards, letterhead, envelopes, announcement cards, etc. are all simple forms of printed communications, but when crafted poorly, these staples of a good business practice can really hurt you.
So, the pitfalls are;
Really cheap stationery printers - Because they will not put the craftmanship into the printing, trimming, packing, and paper choices that you will need.
Full Color Stationery only printers - Because they cannot offer you match color or spot color (Pantone®) PMS color inks to ensure a good color match througout your stationery set and beyond into other printing you may do like a sales kit. We offer PMS matching inks throughout our stationery lines and pocket folders as well.
We offer the traditional craftmanship that you need, quality paper choices from all the top brands from, Mohawk, Strathmore, Wausau, Neenah and more. We offer you color choices of recycled papers, like Neenah Environments and Mohawk Writing.
Filed under: Design, Education, Products on December 29th, 2005
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Inequality Matters
Inequality of income, access to health and education, and access to markets for trade is trapping people in a cycle of poverty despite their best efforts.
Rich countries account for more than 50 percent of the world’s annual income, but less than 20 percent of the population. The posters in the “Inequality Matters” series illustrate how much disparity there is in the world even in the fundamental human conditions.
About the poster series
The posters were conceived and designed by Tom Geismar through AIGA for the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme in anticipation of The 2005 World Summit. The Summit, held on September 14-16, 2005, is the largest gathering of world leaders in history. Heads of state will attempt to forge a common agenda on international development, security and human rights.
Click this link to download them as PDF’s or use your right mouse button.
And guess who printed them…Printing Responsibly was extremely fortunate to have been chosen to prep, proof and print these beautifully designed posters for this life changing event taking place at the UN this next few days.
We hope that the members of the UN take notice of the messages on the posters. The content and message of all the posters are that things are not equal among the worlds poplulation and show how the numbers stack against some countries more than others, and we here in the US need to pay attention to what advantages we have and not take them for granted.
A mesage from the designer:
I did want to thank you for the terrific job you all did with the UNDP posters. The printing was excellent, and you turned it around in very little time. And I especially appreciated your spirit of helpfulness and cooperation. As is so often the case, here was a 3 year project that went down to the last minute, and somehow you pulled it off.
Please keep me informed of your activities; hopefully we can do other projects in the future.
Best regards,
Tom
Filed under: Education, Uncategorized on September 13th, 2005
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Printing Responsibly supports the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.
The Wine Festival in Upstate NY is going on its fourth year, and is bigger than ever. This is an event that is not to be missed. If you are a wine lover, or even admirer, you will enjoy the variety of what our local wineries have to offer.
And if you like food, like we do, then put this event on your “must do” list. Fine gourmet food purveyors from our local area will put out their best “tastes” for all attendees.
Please drop by our booth for more information on Spot/Full Color, Fine Art and Recycled paper printing.
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th, 2005.
Filed under: Education, Events/Sponsorship, Uncategorized on August 22nd, 2005
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Kevin Byrd wrote a great primer for web developers looking to print quality business cards. If you have additional questions, please shoot us an email at help@PrintPromotion.com. We’re here to help.
Don’t forget that we offer spot color printing and raised ink for business cards, letterhead, and stationery. We also offer spot color printing for pocket folders. You can find our templates here.
Filed under: Education on June 28th, 2005
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When you need to look your best, you need a custom run. By utilizing custom runs we can give each job the attention it deserves to ensure the best results.
Many online printers utilize gang run printing to offer lower prices, however, with lower prices comes a quality tradeoff. Gang runs can offer cost savings because they group a bunch of different jobs together and run them through the press all at once. These jobs share the setup costs, but they also share a color calibration and paper stock. The press operator has to choose a color calibration that will work for all jobs, making it sub par for each individual job. You’re also usually stuck with gloss coating that can look good for certain promotional pieces but can’t provide a more sophisticated feel when that is what you desire.
Our custom runs allow you to choose the paper stock right for your job and ensure the best results by calibrating the colors on press just for your job. On press your job has our undivided attention.
Gang runs are appropriate for certain situations, but when you need to look your absolute best, you need a custom run. Custom run pricing becomes more competitive as the quantity of your job increases.
Filed under: Education on June 13th, 2005