As we approach Earthday (April 22nd), I thought I'd highlight a few eco-friendly print tips over the next few weeks.
Things to keep in mind when choosing eco-friendly inks:
• Consider the source, and go renewable - like vegetable or agri-based compound. Agri-based inks are produced without toxins and biodegrade, effectively eliminating environmental, health and safety hazards.
• Spec low VOC inks, some of the new inks on the market are lower in VOC’s than older based soy inks. Over the last two decades, ink companies have made a significant effort and investment in developing and reformulating ink systems that have lower VOCs than inks sold previously for similar applications. Eliminating VOC-releasing products is an important step toward greening your ink.
• Stay true to sustainability principles and work to find recycled inks.
• Always use inks free of heavy metals.
• Avoid metallic and neon inks, which typically contain higher levels of toxins.
• According to the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers, many printers employ sophisticated “capture and control” mechanisms to minimize air emissions during the printing process. Typical examples are publication gravure inks (largely based on toluene), where the solvent recovery systems used on the printing press are near 99.5% effective. The “recovered” solvent is reclaimed and recycled to make more ink or for other uses.
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