Monday, 11 April 2016

The Benefits Of Brochure Printing That Is Eco Friendly

By Shirley Jones


An increased sense of responsibility towards environmental conservation is causing changes in consumer spending patterns in many markets. The printing industry is no exception. Consumers are constantly looking out for products and services which reflect the values about the environment that they hold dear. For this reason, all businesses need to shape up or will have to ship out in due course. There are a number of things a business can do to implement brochure printing that is eco friendly.

Strive to utilize your resources optimally and minimize on wastage. These include raw materials such as ink, paper and water and other inputs such as electricity. Putting only the essential information on the brochure will help you save on paper requirements. Another strategy that can be used to reduce the amount of paper used is to have a design in which the brochure is folded several times.

Conventional brochure printing involves the use of petroleum-based inks. These ink types are harmful to the environment due to their production of volatile organic compounds, VOCs. Among the many negative effects, VOCs increase smog formation which reduces visibility. The discovery of vegetable based inks has been a welcome development in many quarters. These inks are just as effective as the conventional types and are free of VOCs.

Using recycled paper is another way of conserving the environment and reduce on operational costs at the same time. Recycling can be made possible in two main ways: using post-consumer waste paper and using pre-consumer waste. Post-consumer waste paper is obtained from products which have already been used and discarded. Pre-consumer waste paper, in comparison, is the excess paper that comes from the manufacturing process.

Apart from reducing the strain on trees, recycling paper helps in conservation in several other ways. For instance, this type of paper usually requires less water to process than virgin paper. There is less effluent emanating from this process than when processing virgin paper. For many years, there were concerns with use of chlorine as a bleaching agent but newer alternative methods which do not involve chlorine have been devised.

Recycling and reuse should be extended to the other raw materials. Water is among the most important inputs and is the easiest to reuse. Studies show that one can reuse at least 60% of the water going through the first cycle of processing. Ink can also be recycled but more emphasis should be placed on reducing wastage.

Energy efficiency is an important consideration for anyone concerned about the environment. Cut down on your use of fossil fuels and consider substituting them with renewable energy options such as solar and wind. If you are to buy new equipment, focus on getting higher output (more prints for a unit of energy used). Regular servicing will ensure your printers remain energy efficient.

Once you make the decision to go green, be prepared to meet the associated expense. While this may discourage you in the beginning, the long-term benefits are huge. Consider outsourcing part of the process if you are not in a position to finance the shift. In case of such a partnership, make sure your partner company is also environmental conscious.




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