Green Printing and Recycling

Growing environmental concern regarding excessive human consumption, encroachment, unsustainable urban planning and depletion of natural resources like rainforests are issues attributed to human practices. In order to address these concerns; government, commercial, civic and private sectors are devising ways and means to mitigate the effect of these concerns. One green initiative to mitigate excessive human consumption and depletion of natural resources is green printing and recycling.

Green printing involves the application of smart and responsible printing practices in order to reduce excessive human consumption of paper, oil, aluminum, or plastics involved in printing, ink and cartridge production. Commercial printers today employ green printing practices in order to ensure that its high-quality printed products do not have adverse effects on the environment. Below are specific examples of green printing practices.
Proofing a Document - Print wastage can simply be reduced just by proofing the document. A free digital proof in PDF format is sent to the customer after initial layout by its prepress team. This digital proof is sent in order to ensure high-quality printing. A free paper sample kit is also delivered to each customer for approval of paper type.

Use of Natural-Based Inks - Professional printers now use vegetable-based, soy inks for offset printers. Soy-based inks have lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC) than traditional petroleum inks. This reduces harmful carbon emissions and creates a safer work environment for its staff.

Uses of Aqueous Coating - Commercial printers use a water-based, aqueous (AQ) coating to improve bio-degradability of its products and improve print drying times. Online printers offer AQ coating with in both gloss and matte finish.

Use of Sustainable and Recycled Stocks - Professional printing companies now use 10 to 30 percent recycled, paper stock certified by the Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Printers also recycle all paper scraps from print jobs by turning them over to a recycling plant in order to be recycled as new paper. Large-format poster prints today can be printed on 10 percent recycled, 100 lb. text gloss or uncoated stocks. Poster printing practices are now committed to doing its part to help save the environment.

For more resource information on
poster printing and poster prints, visit onlineposterprinting.com