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Green Printing - what you should know about recycled paper

"Green printing" is gaining momentum across the country as more and more people become aware of environmentally friendly printing practices. There are several elements that contribute to green printing, and it goes far beyond just using recycled paper.

recycled paper PrintingForLess.com wants to be your green printer so we're always happy to accommodate requests for 100% recycled printing paper. However, not all recycled papers are created with the same environmental impact, and an environmentally-conscious company should be selective when choosing the paper for their printing project. While printing on a paper with a high ratio of post-consumer content is a popular option that is beneficial for some projects, saving the environment is not that easy. Chemically de-inking post-consumer paper back into the clean white paper best suited for attractive full-color printing is a toxic process, one with high energy consumption and waste disposal challenges. The scrap paper from our production facility is recycled into newsprint, which requires far less energy, water and chemical treatment than recycling into white paper.

Let's explore a few recycling terms:

Post Consumer Fiber

The EPA defines this material as paper, paperboard and fibrous wastes from retail stores, office buildings, and homes. Used corrugated boxes, old newspapers, magazines, junk mail and mixed waste paper all fall under this group. These items have been diverted from the waste stream. The two key words to keep in mind are "end products" and "consumers". Scraps, cuttings, and loose ends from the paper mills do not qualify here.

Pre Consumer Waste

Also referred to as post-industrial waste, this is the by-product of the production process. Examples are "mill broke", paper off-cuts, make readies and rejected or surplus printed matter.

De-Inked Material

Waste paper that has had the ink, fillings and coatings removed before being recycled. Examples are magazines and newspapers that were printed but never sold.

Printing Responsibly

sustainable tree farm At PrintingForLess.com we consider ourselves to be a green printer, and we are excited about helping the environment with our green printing practices. We are proud to use paper made by the Oji Paper Group for our standard house papers. Oji is based in Japan and adheres to that country's incredibly strict environmental standards. Oji obtains 60% of its pulp from recovered paper, and nearly all of the rest from its own sustainably managed tree plantations.

FSC Certification PFL's sustainable paper sourcing practices have earned us the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) Chain-of-Custody Certification. Our main paper vendor, Unisource Worldwide, is the first paper distributor to obtain chain-of-custody certification by the three national programs that recognize sustainable forestry. These certifications are a guarantee to our customers that products printed on nearly all of our standard papers come from well-managed and renewable forests adhering to strict socio-economic and environmental standards.

The chain of custody is the path that printing paper products take from the forests all the way to the end consumer. In addition, you may be able to place the FSC logo directly on your printing project so that you can demonstrate your commitment to eco friendly printing. Call 1-800-930-7057 to ask the Green Team any questions you have on how to make this happen. PFL, our paper supplier and our customers play a vital role in helping to ensure the sustainability of the world's forests for future generations. PFL is proud to support and promote green printing practices through the use of recycled paper and managed forests.

soybeans for green printing ink Additionally, our inks are vegetable-based, primarily soy, which is both gentle on the environment and produces bright, high-quality images. We also use water-based aqueous coatings to protect your printed pieces. It provides a high-gloss surface that deters dirt and fingerprints and is friendlier to the environment than the UV coatings used by other commercial printing companies.

As part of our goal to be a green printer, a focus at PrintingForLess is reducing waste. By using top-grade paper with highly-trained press operators and eficient printing equipment, we have considerably reduced the number of test or "make-ready" sheets needed to produce your printing project.

While PrintingForLess.com considers all of its print jobs eco-friendly and green printing, if you'd like to have your printing project quoted on 100% recycled paper, or look into alternative eco friendly paper options, please let us know by calling us at 1-800-930-7034, or request a custom printing quote on our Custom Pieces page. We'll work with you in order to get the best product to meet your eco printing needs and suit your conscience.

Read more about Green Printing and our responsible environmentally friendly practices at PrintingForLess.com.
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