Somehow I can't shake the image of Kermit the Frog sitting on his oversized box lamenting...
."its not easy being green". Well... let's face it, that could've been the theme song of the printing industry a while back but
.....no longer!!!!
Great strides have been made in recent years to keep us printers thinking and going green. From recycled paper to soy ink to chemical free digital equipment, we are with the times and eco-conscious!
To make the point, let's take a look at how Alphagraphics Madison goes "green" in printing a full color brochure:
1. Quote request comes in by phone, email, website etc. Specs are gathered and ...
2. Estimate is sent by email.
3. Estimate is accepted by phone or email and...
4 Job is entered into our operating system and a ticket is printed to start the work flow
(NOTE: first time paper is used!)
5. Designer creates the brochure and a PDF proof is passed along to the customer. Changes and proofs can go back and forth several times until the design is approved. At this point, we can go directly to print or... if the customer prefers, offer a hard copy proof to check layout and color (NOTE: MAYBE only 2nd time paper is used!).
6. Designer sends approved electronic files to our Indigo Digital Press for print. The paper selected is a house favorite*, bright white cougar opaque text. This sheet is a #1 recycled opaque, acid free, full elemental chlorine free & lignin free, and FSC certified. The HP Indigo Digital Press not only produces high end offset quality prints but is considered to be more environmentally friendly than traditional offset printing. In addition, the Indigo requires minimal make ready time thereby using less paper and uses a waterless process, which eliminates high chemical content water waste that is common in conventional presses.
7. Brochure is sent to the bindery for trimming and folding then boxed in one of our Sustainable Forestry cartons and ready to either be picked up or delivered.
Stay tuned....for how we are eco conscious in our offset printing!
*Cougar Opaque is just one of the many stocks Alphagraphics Madison uses that is acid fee and FSC certified.