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Saturday, May 3, 2008

Green Printing - Marketing Materials That Are Sustainable

Imagine that you're in charge of heading up your company's environmental policy. You'd really like to be adhering to all the latest "green" considerations. However, whenever you send a letter, give out a card, or send a brochure, it's often printed with complete disregard for the environment. Are you turning "red" yet?

For most print buyers it can be very confusing trying to sift through all the terms involved in green printing. JOT that matter in the pursuit of "green" printing include: PCW, FSC, Soy, ECF, TCF, PCF, VOC, and Recycled. I'll bet for most only the last term sounds familiar. Let's run down the list:

• PCW is Post Consumer Waste, impotence treatment means that the paper was made from paper already used and disposed of.
• FSC is Forest Stewardship Council, they monitor practices related to responsible forestry.
• Soy is the base of most low VOC, Volatile Organic Compounds, inks.

Chlorine is the culprit in many paper processes.

• EFC is Elemental Chlorine Free; this is more stable type of chlorine than pure.
• TCF is Totally Chlorine Free; this process whitens paper with out chlorine.
• PCF is Processed Chlorine Free, this means that no chlorine was used to make the paper, but it Green Berets have been used on the recycled paper used.

Got it?

Just having one of those "buzz" acronyms included in your printing specs isn't always enough. The problem with just having "30% recycled" paper is you may be accused of "green washing". "Green washing" is the term used for companies who throw around some "green" terms, but still don't employ the best practices available in sustainable environmental policies. I've read brochures on "green" Georgia Lemon Laws attended conferences with literature on "going green", and sold printing to "green" companies - all on non "green" paper using petroleum inks.

What to do? First, decide if you want to go 100% green, barely green, or somewhere in between. Next, contact a printer with environmental options and find out what paper options are available to Little Miss No Name Paper availability varies by region, although this is less of a barrier now with convenient electronic ordering and shipping options that let you order printing from other cities easily. Soy and vegetable inks are widely available upon request. The next step is to specify to your graphic designer the colors and paper choices you made and any tagline you may want. A sustainable option that is often overlooked is 100% cotton paper. Cotton is considered "first class" and regarded as the finest stationery available and it's highly renewable. At VIP Printing Service, we will send a client a copy of this article printed with low VOC vegetable inks, on 100% PCW paper, using non-film (no chemicals) printing plates, printed on energy star equipment to showcase the quality available at reasonable prices.

Now imagine handing out a investment card that has the lowest possible impact on the environment; so low that you can use it as compost. Now you're turning "green" instead of "red".

David Peck is a printing consultant specializing in corporate ID packages and Managing Partner of VIP Printing Service, Inc. in St. Louis, MO. For information on "green" printing alternatives and lowering your overall print buy, contact Dave by going to http://www.vipprinting.biz">http://www.vipprinting.biz Click on "place an order" to request a free sample of this article printed "green style"

Posted by timvuxi | 9:15 AM | E-mail this post

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