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7 steps to greener printing in 2014 « Back to list

We previously looked at 5 ways to improve how your business recycles and with this in mind; we thought we’d take a look at how you can become “greener” with your printing in 2014. So what do we mean by “greener”? When we say greener, we are talking about eco-friendly printing solutions. Ways in which you can help the environment through your printing. We’re big on being green at Digital Printing and are constantly fine tuning our operation as we strive for ultimate levels of efficiency. We have declared a bit of a war here on waste because it’s not only bad for the environment but also costs money and time, and let’s face it, these are two things no organisation can afford to waste. You can check out our environmental policy here and below we take a look at 7 ways you can enjoy greener printing in 2014.


Green print solutions - Digital Printing

1. Recycled paper:

It may seem like an obvious place to start but consider introducing recycled paper into your business this year. Developments in the way recycled paper is manufactured means that the quality of recycled paper can be right up there with the quality of non-recycled paper, so you have no excuses this year. Start on a greener path by using recycled paper for internal documents.

2. Print to standard page sizes:

Reduce the amount of wastage you have by printing to standard page sizes such as A3, A4 and A5. This will reduce the amount of paper you need to cut off when completing your artwork. If you regularly print leaflets and flyers in your office use these standard sizes to reduce your own wastage.

3. Light weight paper:

Another way to improve how you can enjoy more eco-friendly printing in 2014 is by opting for lighter paper when printing your documents. Use lighter weighted paper (80gsm – 100gsm) when printing on a daily basis as you will get more value for money.

4. Only print what is needed:

When it comes to ordering printed marketing material, your cost per sheet becomes cheaper as your quantity of prints increases. This can often encourage businesses to print more copies than needed and these additional copies can often start to gather dust in your office before being tossed into the bin. Our advice is simple – only order what is needed. The easy to use order process here at Digital Printing means you can quickly and easily print more copies of your artwork when needed.

5. Use both sides:

Again, this is a pretty simple way to improve your printing habits in 2014 and only involves clicking a button on your computer when sending a document to print. Print on both sides of the paper to reduce the total amount of pages you need to print, and only use colour ink when it is essential.

6. Remember email:

You can also reduce the amount of paper you use this year by emailing any internal documents. With the developments of tablets and smartphones, reading emails is now even easier and can be done on the go, so rather than printing that document to read in the office or on the train, send it by email and read from your screen.

7. Think with ink:

Our final tip for printing is to look at the ink you are using in your printer. Greener printing doesn’t just have to involve the paper you use. Opt for a vegetable or soy based ink for your printer. The VOC emissions from these inks are extremely low and these inks are also easier to remove when paper is going through the recycling process. Consider making the change to eco inks in your work place this year and take another step towards a green printing solution.

So there are our seven steps to becoming greener in 2014 with your printing. From recycled paper and eco inks to the size and weight of paper you use, it’s amazing the difference that some small changes will do for your business, your carbon footprint and the environment as a whole. If we all tried to make small changes in how we print, it would make such a small difference. We’ve started, why don’t you follow.

Let us know how you plan to improve your printing habits in 2014 by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.