Thursday, 10 March 2016

The Implementation Of Sustainable Digital Printing

By Richard Patterson


There have been sustained efforts by governments as well as environmental activists advocating for the increased adoption of technology that is environmental friendly by various industries. The printing industry is one of those that have come under intense pressure to change the methods that have employed for decades. There are a number of measures that one can out in place so as to implement sustainable digital printing.

One of the areas in which major changes can be made is in the types of inks that are used. The conventional types contain chemicals that release pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds are created when the chemicals are exposed to nitrogen oxide and sunlight in the environment. A layer of ozone in the low atmosphere is formed. This layer is undesirable as it contributes to widespread smog formation.

The other area in which significant changes can be made is in the type of paper that is used. Increased use of virgin paper causes increased deforestation, a major contributing factor to global warming and climate change. Recycled paper, on the other hand, helps reduce wastage and hence the need to cut down more trees. During processing, there is production of less effluent when recycled paper is used as compared to virgin paper.

Proof reading of manuscripts is one of the areas that has been shown to significantly increase paper needs. Fortunately, the increased acceptance of email for this purpose is one of the changes that has helped a great deal in this area. Apart from reducing the amount of paper, this change has made it easy for writers to keep track of their work as it undergoes the various stages of the process.

The other raw materials can be similarly recycled or reused at various stages. Water is one of the inputs that are easiest to reuse. It has been established that with the right measures in place, one can recycle at least 65% of the water that is used. This is one way in which operation costs can be markedly reduced. The other raw materials that have been successfully recycled or reused include ink, aluminum plates and waste paper.

Energy is another important factor to consider in the process. Most environmental conscious firms are now moving away from fossil based fuels in favor of renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind energy. Since it may be a bit costly to make major changes at a go, most companies do it progressively by replacing old inefficient equipment with that which has more output per kilowatt of electricity used.

Digital printing is also widely used in fabrics these days. The changes that are taking place in paper printing are also being applied to fabrics with tremendous success. One of the unique stages involved in the case of fabrics is pretreatment. This stage involves the use of chemicals whose major byproduct is urea. Urea is in turn broken down to release carbon dioxide. This one of the processes that has been eliminated and alternatives developed.

Using green based solutions in printing is a practice that is going to be vital to the success of any business in the near future. The good news is that there are numerous benefits that are released by the writers, the printing firms and eventually the final consumers. The savings in operation costs are passed on to all the players in the industry.




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