Greening Graphic Design - The Graphic Design: Reference and Specification - page 167

Fast Steps To Greener Printing

What you can do : What your printer can do :

• Use less paper by specifying lighter-
weight paper, using both sides, and
designing with standard sizes to get
the most out of each sheet.
• Choose paper that is totally chlorine-
free with high postconsumer recycled
content or that is FSC certified.

• Use the most environmentally prefer-
able inks and cleaners with low or no
VOCs.
• Have programs in place to reduce water
and energy use.

• Recycle as much as possible.
• Safely dispose of waste.

• Avoid neon and metallic inks.
• Use water-based, nonchlorinated glues
and coatings.

• Avoid printing more than you need.
• For small jobs, use digital printing.
• Specify the use of waterless lithography
when possible.

Inks and Washes
It is fairly common to hear soy inks being touted as an environmentally preferable option.
Unfortunately, the benefits of soy are more hype than reality. The soy oil used in ink is
similar to, and not any better than, ink made out of other vegetable-based materials (such
as linseed or cottonseed oil) that have been in use for hundreds of years. Ink that is
labeled soy is often less than 15 percent soy-based and some environmental organiza-
tions discourage buyers from specifying soy ink because soybeans are the crop most
frequently planted in places where rainforests are cut and burned. In general, vegetable-
based inks are better than inks that use petroleum (a nonrenewable resource) as a
medium, however it is not necessary to specify soy in particular. Regardless of what kind
of vegetable-based ink a printer may use, it is always prudent to ask what percentage of
vegetable oil the ink includes since there are no regulations that stipulate a minimum
percentage.

The most important environmental ramification of ink and other solutions used in offset
lithography is the release of volatile organic compounds during the printing. VOCs are
fumes emitted from solvents, inks, and cleaners used in the printing process. Prolonged
exposure to VOCs can have negative effects on a person's health, and VOCs are a major
contributor to ozone in the lower atmosphere. In recent years, companies have introduced
products that have significantly reduced or even eliminated the VOCs emitted by inks, sol-
vents, and press washes.