Going Green: Questions to Ask Your Printer
Ready to dive, head first, into the waters of sustainable print production? Perhaps you’ve taken a peek at some of the sites provided in “Going Green: 45 Educational Resources” and now you’re eager to take off the arm floaties?
What about your print partners? Are they swimming in the same ocean or are they knee-deep in the cesspool? There was that postcard you received that said “we’re green printers”. That means they’re doing everything they can to provide an eco-friendly product. Right? And, they’re FSC-certified and that’s all that really matters. Right?
Time to throw in the life-preserver? How about a questionnaire, instead? Asking these questions will help you determine how well your print partners REALLY swim in the eco-friendly waters.
Inks & Chemicals
- What is being done to minimize emissions, including VOCs, in your shop?
- How much soy is used in your ink?
- Are your inks nonhazardous or nontoxic?
- Can you provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on your inks?
- Are the cleaning solvents used safe for human health and the environment?
- How are your employees safeguarded from toxicity?
Recycling
- What is the post consumer waste (PCW) content of your primary or house stock?
- Has your shop established a solvent recycling program?
- Describe how and where you dispose of chemicals, solvents and trash?
- Describe how your production methods reduce print overruns, waste allowances, and in-process waste.
- Do you go beyond regulatory requirements?
Internal Programs & Certifications
- Are you FSC- and/or SFI-certified?
- Is your shop ISO 14000-qualified?
- What other certification programs do you take part in?
- Does your organization have a dedicated manager for environmental health and safety?
- Describe any technologies, such as non-process printing plates, remote or soft proofing, etc. that your organization has incorporated into daily practice.
- What is being done to minimize your shops’ energy consumption?
- Does your organization purchase electricity generated from renewable resources?
- If you also manage data files (direct mail processing), what steps have you taken to ensure or assist with list management and data cleansing?
External Programs & Community Involvement
- Describe your organization’s environmental commitment.
- Does your organization’s mission statement include mention of environmental stewardship or corporate responsibility?
- Do you currently have a “green” education program for your customers?
- Describe any additional steps your shop has taken to promote the environment, including community engagement practices?
- Describe any additional eco-friendly practices not already mentioned?
Here’s an idea: Send these questions, along with any others that come to mind, to each of your print partners. Compile the (private) answers together into one spreadsheet to create an at-a-glance reference guide.
Can you think of any other important questions to ask? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.
One more thing: My next “Going Green” post will be all about meandering through the Environmental Certifications maze. If you don’t want to miss it or any others for that matter, connect to The Production Side through the RSS feed or email notifications in the right side-bar.
Photo courtesy PhotoXpress.com
Try Nice
When you work with outside resources, do you refer to them as vendors or partners? Are you collaborative or a hindrance? Are you flexible or rigid? Do you share pertinent information or are you stingy? Is it a give-and-take relationship or a take, take, take relationship? Are you nice or are you mean?
Here’s a little secret for you: Try nice. You’ll be amazed at how many “partners” you really have.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ooohoooh/1350774613/
Put Your Coat On!
Now that spring is in full swing, chances are you’re organizing your coat closet—cleaning coats to store until they’re needed again, donating those that have served their usefulness. How many coats do you have? One? Two? More than a few? Some serve the sole purpose of protecting you from the bitterness of winter, while others are more fashionable.
Coatings for print can offer the same options—protection and aesthetics. Not only can a coating protect from fingerprints, over use, scratching and the occasional coffee stain, it can also add texture and depth. Today’s coating options may even allow you to simulate other substrates or add a scent to your printed piece. Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons of varnish, aqueous, UV and laminate. Perhaps it will help you to determine which “coat” to wear today . . .
Varnish
Think of varnish as a colorless ink. It’s that old coat you grab without thinking. You know the one. The coat that’s never quite warm enough, but happens to be the most comfortable one in your closet.
Varnish is applied on press, either inline or dry trapped, through an inking unit and is available in a variety of finishes. Varnish can be applied to flood the entire page or added to specific areas. Since a separate varnish plate is used, it will hold dot-for-dot registration.
One down side to varnish is its tendency to yellow the sheet over time, which tends to be more noticeable on silk, dull and matte coated sheets. Varnish also requires a more lengthy dry time. Additionally, the use of spray powders to prevent pages from sticking together before they are completely dried can affect the look and feel of the final product.
Aqueous
Pull out the zebra-print trench coat! Yep. Trendy. Warm. Lookin’ good, too!
Just as the name implies, aqueous is a water-based liquid applied inline through a separate coating tower. It can be applied to the entire page or to specific areas, though spot aqueous may require a special plate to achieve desired results.
Unlike varnish, however, aqueous does not yellow with age and dries quickly. It also offers better protection against fingerprinting and smudging. Aqueous coating is available in gloss, satin and dull finishes, as well as custom finishes (e.g., soft touch, metallic, tinted, pearlescent) and is typically the lowest-cost coating option.
UV (Ultraviolet)
Now we’re talking heavy duty. Wool. Stylish. Add a bright scarf and hat. Make a statement and stay warm!
UV is a liquid coating that is cured instantly using an ultraviolet light. It can be applied inline or dry trapped to the entire page or as a spot. UV coatings are available in gloss, satin, dull, plus a wide range of textured and scented finishes.
While UV coatings offer more protection than varnish or aqueous and cure/dry instantly, they are vulnerable to cracking and fingerprinting. UV coating also tends to accentuate imperfections in the stock it’s applied to.
Laminate
Grab the parka! Yes, film laminates offer the most protection to your printed project.
Classified by thickness (measured in mils, or thousandths of an inch), laminates can be made of polypropylene, polyester or nylon. Since they are applied off line to either one side or both sides of the entire page, laminates require longer lead times, at a higher cost.
While I doubt you’d pair that zebra-print trench coat with a parka, you can mix some coatings. Be sure to discuss your desired results and end-use with your printer. Together you can be fashionable AND protected.
Wait! Before you go struttin’ down the runway, consider connecting to this blog through the RSS feed or email notifications. I’d love it if you came back for more!
PS – Thanks for your patience. It’s good to be back. And, yes, I do own a zebra-print trench coat.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossbelmont/4273178858/
One More Week
I do hope you’ve missed me. I have certainly missed you! No, I’m not running away from The Production Side. I’ve been dealing with some allergy issues that have taken their toll on my ability to think, write and see. I’ll be back next week with new posts that I hope you’ll enjoy and that (I hope) will be worth the wait. Until then, here are some older posts to check out:
Going Green: 45 Educational Resources
Mr. Data and the Fined-Tuned Guitar
Fab Five iPhone Apps—Production Management
If Print Were Really Dead. . .
Your Thoughts: Do You Comment on Blogs?
June 8, 2010 at 7:25 pm (Your Thoughts) (blog, blogging, challenge, comment, Your Thoughts)
This is the fourth in my “Your Thoughts” series where I ask you to be the post author by adding your comments to finish a sentence.
Guilty as charged! Realizing the error of my ways, I’ve decided to present you with a challenge. It’s one that I will be attempting myself:
Add a comment to at least one blog post per day.
If one per day is too much, try one per week. By all means, please remember to be respectful (yes, you can respectfully disagree with someone). Are you up for the challenge? Why not start now? Add your comment below to finish this sentence:
I do/don’t comment on blog posts because . . .
Photo courtesy PhotoXpress.com
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