Print and ink

Print+ Ink

1.

Platemaking

• Aluminum plate grained to attract water• Through a photographic process (toxic chemicals) an image is formed in a polymer coating that attracts ink and resists water • Plates are mounted onto rollers, ink wells are filled.

2.

SEt up

• Paper is fed through the press to adjust ink levels and roller pressure * All prints done during this phase called “make-ready” goes to waste.

10%

10% of any printing job goes to waste

3.

Run time

• Solutions based on alcohol or alcohol substitutes required for conventional offset printing is the major source of air pollution (VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds)

4.

Clean up

• Toxic solvents (VOC) to clean rollers and ink-wells. (Petroleum based inks)

52%

52% of enviromental impact of printing comes from the actual Printing Process

Small runs1-1000

Digital Printing

• Low ink waste, the most popular methods include inkjet or laser printers • Deposits ink directly on the substrate, there is no need for printing plates nor solvents to clean rollers • It allows for on-demand printing, and variable data for each impression Variable Data Printing (VDP) is a type of digital printing that lets you personalize every copy. Words, images - or both - can be changed with each impression. • Short turnaround time

• There is typically a loss of some fine-image detail by most commercial digital printing processes. • Limited variety of papers to choose from.

CONS

NO

• Paper waste• Ink Waste

• Cleanup solvents printing plate neccessary

LOW

Digital Printing | Small runs 1-1000

Medium Run (1000 – 50 000)

Sheet fed UV offset lithography

• Waterless Printing • Uses a special silicon plate with two surfaces one ink-resistant, the other ink-attractive • This eliminates the need for water solutions that generate VOC’s during run and clean up • Ink is set by ovens that help dry it

• This type of printing requires a major investment in equipment

CONS

NO

• Better photo quality • Broad color gamut

• Cleanup solvents water for printing process

PROS

Digital Printing | Small runs 1-1000

Large runs (50 000 or more)

Web fed offset

• Use huge rolls of paper rather than sheets • Most of these presses are heat-set, the printed paper passes through ovens in order to speed up the drying process Greener options to ask for: • Sealed press with VOC capture and combustion system. Captured VOCs are burned and the resulting heat fed into heat set ovens • Renewable energy credits (REC)

+ enviromental Impact

+offeset ptinting

+ digital printing

+ Sheet fed UV OffsetLithography

Print

17%

17% of enviromental impact of printing comes from Ink

Pigment > substance used for coloring

The easiest way to make the ink dry out fast is by making the medium volatile (VOCs)

Medium > keeps pigment particles suspended while the ink is on the press, once the ink is transferred to paper the medium must dry quickly so the pigments forms a stable bond to the paper.

Inks to avoid: 1. Metallic 2. Fluorescent spot colors 3. Inks that contain copper, zinc, barium and cobalt (used as a drying agent)

Eco-friendly Ink specs: 1. Low VOCs inks 2. Vegetable based inks 3. Ask the printer for the actual percentage of vegetable oil and VOCs content

Inks

the end

Got aSheet fed offset lithography idea?

Medium Runs(1000-50000) Waterless Printing and UV Printing Benefits: Special silicone plate eliminates VOCs by not needing water to print. Ink is set in the paper when exposed to UV lamps eliminating VOC-emitting solutions. Photographic quality and color gamut is enhanced. Limitations: Print shops have a high investment on machinery

Digital Printing

Small Runs (1-1000) Benefits: Low paper waste, low ink waste, no clean-up solvents, fast turnaround time, Print on Demand and Variable printing Limitations: Paper options are limited, image quality not the highest

Offset

Large Runs (50,000 or more) Most print presses are not very environmentally friendly at this level, they use roles of paper to print. What to look for: • Sealed presses with VOC capture and combustion system • REC (Renewable energy credits)

1.Paper waste 2.Toxic materials 3.Energy impacts 4.Air pollution 5.Petroleum based inks