Green Options

Printing is not about dead trees, greasy ink, and stinking landfills. Vertigris, an environmental resources initiative, aims to change print’s image by providing a wealth of resources about the “greening” of print.

The 2009 National Environmental, Health and Safety (NEHS) Conference means that the printing industry is getting even greener. The conference covers a wide variety of printing disciplines, including commercial, digital, screen, newspaper, and flexographic printing.

What They Think, a commercial printing online portal, offers a variety of resources invaluable to anyone wanting to green their print marketing programs.

In my “Greening Print Marketing” posts, I’ve looked at a wide variety of reasons (and ways) for marketers to see their print marketing projects as green. But what about the flip side? Why do printers market their green initiatives?

The number one reason seems to be a reflection of their own personal commitment. In a recent survey by What They Think (Source: “Economic Outlook Webinar with Dr. Joe Webb” 3/26/08), 43% of printers said that their green initiatives were “more important to our company than to our customers at this time.” Only 8% felt that it was more important to their customers than it was to them.

Thirty-five percent felt that promoting their environmental sustainability initiatives was good for their business image. Nearly one-quarter (24%) saw it as a necessary cost of doing business in today’s climate.

When you think about “greening” your print marketing, do you think about the age of your printer’s press? If the printer is running “big iron,” or a traditional offset printing press, then the age of the press can have a significant impact on the environmental sustainability of your print.

Why? Because newer presses are designed for maximum efficiency, both in consumables and paper waste. This is great for your printer because it keeps his running cost down. But from an environmental sustainability perspective, it’s great for you because fewer consumables, less paper waste, and faster makeready means a less impact on the environment in terms of chemical, solid waste, and energy use.

As just a single example, take the MAN Roland 700 DirectDrive press introduced at Graph Expo ‘08, a commercial printing and publishing trade show held in Chicago, IL, over the last two weeks.