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Click on image to go to Author website. "THE RACE IS NOT TO THE SWIFT." Eccl. 9:11

Thursday 31 July 2014

Reasons To Adopt Sustainable Digital Printing

By Imelda Reid


Since medieval times the processes through which man has conveyed information has gradually undergone a systematic evolution, from primitive drawings on wall caves and stone tablets to the more advanced, sophisticated and detailed printouts. Sustainability is a holistic approach that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of the future generation. Sustainable digital printing is a new approach that incorporates environmentally sound methods to ensure a green world.

Despite the upsurge in demand there is need for a cautious and a sustainable approach especially when it comes to printing due to resource consumption and energy conservation. Digital printing can be done in a manner that takes care of needs of current generation and at the same time considers the needs of future generation. These actions not only contribute to resource conservation but also play a crucial part in waste and pollution minimization and energy conservation.

Sustainability is not a straight forward process that involves a list of dos and dons but rather a sophisticated sequential process involving the participation of every unit in a printing company. Manufacturing firms require maintaining their competitiveness as they incorporate the technology which needs to be systematic and systemic.

Systematic entails employing the green technical knowledge in a defined system with the other units in the industry. This green scientific know-how has to be introduced to the system in a manner that it does not create any technical difficulties with the current units in the industry. The green scientific know how has to be incorporated in every department rendering it systemic.

The underlying concepts that are employed in green scientific know-how are fundamental in technology. They include the products which entails the design, the unprocessed materials used in processing. Process involves the processing of pre-prints, production of real print and the post print.

The envelope entails all the activities that offer support and take place at the manufacturing process, such as the structural support in the vicinity of the industry, the firm employees and all the processes of maintenance. All these form a basis in which environmental guidelines and responsibilities are formed and established around these arising issues.

The elements include maximizing recycling opportunities. The other elements include the harvesting of renewable energy from its sources and the conservation of scarce resources resulting in the reduction of waste. These may be achieved through the use of environmental friendly vegetable based inks on printing presses, which do not have any petroleum base emulsions, lower ink and consumable wastage, less make-ready paper waste and better energy ratings thus more energy efficiency.

Furthermore, maximization of press sheet can be employed to limit waste by fitting multiple pieces on one large piece of paper. The paper fiber also must be the most environmental-friendly paper fiber which comes from crops and not trees like left over from parts of food that we do not eat, ideal for making paper-pulp and recycling of water used for press-plating imaging machine.




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