Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Ways Of Creating Digital Printing That Is Eco Friendly

By Angela Thomas


There have been sustained efforts geared towards adopting more environmental friendly industrial solutions all over the world. The printing industry is one of those affected. Printing firms are now moving towards digital printing that is eco friendly and abandoning decade old practices which have been shown to have a negative impact on the environment. We will explore some of the ways in which you can adopt to this new order of things in this industry.

One of the major changes being implemented is replacing the mineral based inks with those which are vegetable oil based. The mineral based inks emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The VOCs react with nitrogen oxide found in the environment to produce ozone gas. This type of ozone is different from the protective ozone as it is formed much lower in the atmosphere. It attracts materials such as dust particles forming smog.

The use of recycled paper is a step which can be undertaken by virtually any press. Recycled paper uses less water to manufacture, results in fewer effluents and most importantly, reduces the rate of deforestation. Chlorine is commonly used in bleaching this kind of paper but has been shown to have detrimental effects to the environment. Many manufacturing plants have now developed processes which do not require chlorine.

There are a number of other raw materials which can be recycled or reused. One of the inputs which may be recycled easily is water. In a firm which is operating efficiently, up to 65% of water can be recycled. This is likely to translate into huge savings as relate to operational costs. Other materials can also be recycled to various extents. Such may include, waste paper, ink and aluminum plates.

Energy conservation should be a priority. Efforts should be made to cut down on the use of fossil fuels as much as possible and use renewable sources of energy instead. If you are to buy new equipment, ensure it is more efficient with faster running speed which ensures there is more output per kilowatt of electricity used. Regular servicing ensures that your printers remain efficient and use less energy, ink and water.

The amount of paper used for proofs should be reduced as much as possible or eliminated from the process entirely. The use of emails is one of the ways through which this can be made possible easily. Not only does this practice reduce paper requirements within a firm but also helps customers to keep track of their work as it goes through the various stage of printing.

With regard to digital printing involving fabrics, one of the areas in which improvements can be made is in the pretreatment process. Traditionally, this stage has involved the use of chemicals which contain high levels of urea. When the fabrics are steamed, carbon dioxide, a well-known greenhouse gas is released into the environment. An alternative to this method is to use a special foam which achieves which is less harmful to the environment.

There are numerous opportunities which can be taken by businesses that are conscious about environmental conservation. Huge successes can be achieved by making small changes over time. Be ready to embrace technologies that will help increase efficiency in the printing process and reduce the wastage of inputs.




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