Green Printing - Print Green & SAVE!

If you want to support green printing, you're probably on the lookout for a good printer.

Here are some great options worthy of your consideration:

#1. Greener Printer - These guys are Certified by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership and their level of commitment is truly commendable. In addition to printing on recycled paper, Greener Printer also uses vegetable and soy based inks that are lower in Volatile Organic Compounds than traditional inks. They even operate as a Carbon Neutral business and offset their emissions through carbon offsets and renewable energy credits.

Print business cards, brochures, flyers, postcards, letterhead/envelopes and more than a dozen other products quickly and easily online. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, they are an ideal choice for green printing.

Winner of the 2010 Acterra Environmental Business Award!

#2. 48 Hour Print - Green printing has become a major initiative at 48 hour print. Recycled paper is now standard... as are soy inks... and 100% biodegradable coatings (ie. gloss finish). They also utilize the world's most efficient printing press, they recycle ALL waste paper and printing plates, and their company culture is impressively environmental. They are also very affordable and have a huge product line.

#3.Green Printer - With CO2 friendly eco-paper, soy based inks, and a neat eco-savings calculater, Green Printer is another good choice for responsible green printing. They also offer a myriad of home and office products that can be set up online.

More and more people are demanding green printing... so more and more printers are calling themselves green. How much of it is lip service? And how much is genuine commitment to sustainable printing practices?

The only way to know is to know what to look for. It's not always easy to determine some of these, but in general, the more information you can find on a company's green printing practices, the more committed they probably are!

The Paper

Definitely one of the easiest and most important things to look for... printers should tell you what percent of their paper is recycled. When possible, look for 100% recycled PCW (post consumer waste) paper. You should also look for Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) or Process Chlorine Free (PCF) paper rather than Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) or standard chlorine bleached paper. Chlorine bleaching results in the emission of toxic byproducts that pollute our air, water, and soil.

The Ink

It's hard to call it green printing if the PRINT ain't green! Look for vegetable and soy based inks which are much better for the environment than petroleum based ones.

Company Commitment

Some green printing companies do a great job of showing their commitment to the green movement in general. They donate. They seek membership in green organizations. They pay for employee mass transit. They minimize paper use. They recycle. Etc. There are a lot of ways to "show your green" and the best green printers... do.

Carbon Neutral?

Printing and shipping result in emissions. Some companies that are committed to the green printing movement offset these emissions by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits and carbon offsets... and operate as carbon neutral businesses.

Printing Process & Efficiency

Printing machinery is not all created equal. Green printers will often invest in efficient printing presses and plates to reduce waste, energy consumption and emissions.

Understanding the impact that green printing CAN have on our environment requires an understanding of what printing DOES DO to the environment. Consider these surprising (and sometimes scary) statistics...

• 35% of the worldwide wood harvest ends up as paper


• The paper and pulp industry is one of the world's worst polluters of air, water, and soil


• Europe and America have less than 1/2 of their original forest cover


• The U.S threw out 20% of all the paper made in the world


• Producing ONE ton of virgin uncoated paper requires THREE tons of wood and 19,075 gallons of water!


• Producing 2,000 lbs of virgin uncoated paper generates 2,278 lbs of solid waste!


• The energy it takes to make a ton of paper can power a US home for 2 months.


• Printing uses trillions of gallons of water DAILY that's treated for toxic chemical content & released back into our waterways


• 90% of the US's printing and writing paper is virgin (as in, 0% recycled