Plastic Paper -- A Green Answer

The question that challenged American shoppers a decade ago was "paper or plastic?" This phrase was heard at grocery stores and other large retail outlets as efforts were made to give shoppers the option to select either a paper shopping bag or a plastic shopping bag. In other countries, a bag is not provided free-of-charge, so most often shoppers bring their own bag. But now that challenge will occur for shoppers as the choice between paper or plastic heads toward more sustainable printing practices. In the future, paper may be plastic!

There are several companies that have been declaring their 100% tree-free paper as a way to "go green" when printing documents, books, pamphlets and so forth. Some companies are marketing their synthetic paper as being "100% tree free" and also have a line of substrates that are made from polypropylene pellets and is also 100% recyclable. Part of the focus is on saving the world's forests, but the question many have is whether using plastic that stays in the environment much longer in the form of waste is really a sustainable option. Companies are selling synthetic paper and other types of paper.

Another factor that manufacturers taunt is that these synthetic papers are resistant to tear and other forms of abuse. This obviously increases the overall longevity of the printed materials, so there is less likelihood that they will become garbage in the near-term, thus keeping them out of the overall waste stream.

Substrates aren't the only environmentally friendly product category. One interesting software application is called an "eco-print calculator" this software can be integrated into a company's overall cost visualization software for large-format printers. It allows users to monitor all the costs associated with a particular print job, and even calculate the carbon that is generated by each element of any job, whether it is ink, media, electricity, or other inputs.

Overall the print industry is moving toward more green options and paying attention to the need for more sustainable practices when it comes to digital printing, paper and the environment. Would you like paper or plastic in your printer?

Oliver David writes for Fusion Digital Paper and other publications on subjects like vinyl paper.

Advantages of Digital Printing and Digital Papers

Digital printing has plenty of advantages for small and medium sized companies. Whether it’s letterhead, brochures, newsletters or full-scale marketing mock-ups being able to produce these on the fly, instead of waiting days for the finished product can mean the difference between landing a large contract or not. Having access to a digital printer is the key, whether for small or large scale print production.  

In recent years, small scale companies have come to rely on digital printing, especially for turning out printed marketing collateral or advertising materials: thus, they spare the steps needed to prepare printing plates, like in offset printing.

Furthermore, when any company, regardless of size needs printouts with image modifications for each impression, digital printing is definitely the preferable solution. With digital printing, the image can be promptly varied according to customers’ needs. Whether printing advertising materials, business cards, calendars, pamphlets, etc.

Fortunately, digital printing dispenses with the need to go through all the stages of preparation of printing plates, instead providing the direct printing of digitally based images onto a large array of media. This is an especially crucial advantage over offset printing as nowadays companies rely on numerous kinds of media in addition to paper, in order to achieve the most effective brand image.

In the past, the turnaround for a digital printing order could take days, if not weeks. With the advances made in technology, that lead-time can be reduced to mere minutes. The advances in technology have eliminated the estimating involved and the turn around time has been reduced.

There is one more positive aspect involved with the digital method of printing. Going green is the choice of a number of companies these days. Using digital printing can make a tremendous difference in the overuse of paper due to a bad print run or constant changes.  Recycling paper and using soy ink are other measures which help reduce the amount of harmful waste ending up in land fills and damaging the environment. And today there are a variety of synthetic products specifically engineered for digital printing. These papers are durable, tear resistant, and waterproof, Many provide companies with beautiful image fidelity and have excellent toner adhesion. Whether it’s vinyl paper, decal paper, waterproof paper or sticker paper having it run flawlessly through a digital printer is important