Printing Green and Loving It!

The buzz-word in printing these days is “green.” Companies are establishing sustainable business management practices and expecting their employees to follow along. Just as clients are “going green,” so is the printing industry to keep up with this new global demand. Paper, ink and technology are paving the way to less waste and l
ess harm on the environment and this is becoming the norm in the printing industry. But what does it mean to truly print green?

Printing green is good for the environment, right? Yes, this is true. Both the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) offer certifications to paper manufacturers and printers. For a paper or a press to be certified they must follow a chain of custody for every bit of paper that is produced or purchased. The source of the wood used in producing the paper must come from a certified forest that is practicing responsible harvesting and growth management principles. Each certified piece of paper can be tracked back to the forest it originated from. By specifying jobs to print on FSC or SFI certified papers utilizing a certified print vendor you are doing your part to protect the earth’s natural resources for many generations to come.

Paper is not the only “green” material in printing. So is the ink – just think soy, soy-based ink that is. Soy-based ink is non-petroleum based ink that is friendlier to the environment and allows printed products to be more easily recycled when they are printed with this ink. This is because the soy ink is easier to remove in the cleaning process at a recycling plant. The soybean that this ink is derived from also uses less energy to grow and emits less volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air when used as ink.

The type of printing you choose can also impact the environment. If you choose digital printing over offset then there is less waste. This is because with digital printing you get exactly what you order. There are no overages to account for. However, digital may only be cost effective for print runs under a couple thousand pieces and there is a size limitation for digital presses. If you choose offset printing, you can print using soy-based ink instead of toner. And, offset can be used to print any size and quantity, but is more cost effective on larger print runs.

Here at BG, we pride ourselves on having numerous green printing resources. Our clients can turn to us to lead them down the “greener” path of printing without sacrificing the quality of their print collateral. So the next time you or your client wants to be “green,” just turn to your nearest green printing professional to lead the way.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things

It has come to the point that saving money and getting a “deal” has become an art form. In our personal lives, from cosmetics, food and clothing to big ticket items, it’s second nature to consider lower cost items next to the pricier alternative and compare them as apples to apples. For example Publix has a marvelous line of products that are in my opinion of equal quality to many name brands. On the other hand I am the not-so-proud owner of a gigantic vat of not-so-great body lotion from a popular pharmacies private label alternative (whose private label products are usually ab fab). For decades, successful companies have capitalized on budget conscious consumers by offering products and services comparable to the brands and products most highly coveted by them.

Here at BG we have always practiced a proactive approach to bringing exceptional value to our clients through media placement, account and creative services and production. Recently, we were looking for a way to save money on some big ticket drum scans that were previously done at a shop in NYC. These scans are tricky business and the nationally known artist we contract with to produce fine-art quality illustrations was confident that the shop he uses in NYC was the best way to assure the quality we were seeking. We aggressively researched other options and low and behold found a great new local resource. The results were 100% comparable drum scans with a savings of over $1,000 — and a very happy client.

Historically, and even more so now, great opportunities exist to expand your resources, save money, and have a leg up on your competition. But they don’t always come knocking at your door. It is second nature for us at BG to constantly be seeking out new media, processes, products, and any other resources that bring superior value to our clients, especially now, when marketing dollars need to perform with more efficiency than ever.