Greening the Printing Process

Eco-friendly, sustainable, carbon credits, waste reduction. These are but a few of the new terms being bandied about among printers. But green is more than a passing trend. Responding to industry demand, over 6,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space at GRAPH EXPO is dedicated solely to exhibitors that display eco-friendly products and services focused on sustainability. In addition to the exhibitors in GREENspace, there are free education seminars, complimentary one-on-one consulting with sustainability experts, and access to products and services.

Consumables

PolyPrime manufactures 2nd Genesis Recycled Sheet made out of recycled milk jugs. The sheet is extruded polyethylene post-consumer plastic that can be converted into packaging applications. It is available in several colors and stock thicknesses. Verso Paper Group provides coated paper, including coated groundwood and coated freesheet, supercalendered, and specialty products. Mohawk Fine Papers produce Mohawk Superfine, Strathmore, Mohawk Loop, and Color Copy.

MagneCote, a magnet paper, is recyclable and biodegradable. It can be perforated, die-cut, and laminated and can run on sheetfed, flexo, and most HP Indigo presses. It consumes only 1/3 of the natural resources of its competitors and has a minimal CO2 footprint.

For those seeking environmentally-friendly toner and ink cartridges, Anew Green Inc. is displaying its recovered OEM toner that reduces CO2 by 1.4 pounds per 1,000 pages. It is produced with 100% renewable energy. Its “Anew Printer Service” offers eco-friendly printer service for IBM, Ricoh, InfoPrint, and Oce printers.

Recycling and rebates

For those interested in energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy, Session Solar’s CEO, Elmar Niewerth, is discussing the company’s management of the 650kW solar installation at Lithographix Inc in Hawthorne, CA.

Recycle Capital works with printers to help them save 25 to 40% on their monthly facility energy expenditures and qualify them for rebates with the IRS of up to $1.82 per sq. ft. of facility footprint.

Northstar Recycling Group is demonstrating how printers can recycle, reduce paper waste, and begin to employ better trash disposal and handling. EZturner offers an alternative: an easy-to-use manual pile turner that is environmentally-friendly since it uses no electricity or motors.

Postpress products

TEC Lighting is asking attendees to stop by its booth with their prints and the company will coat them on the spot. DILLI’s UVV 2506 UV curing printer is environmentally-friendly and odorless. Grafix LLP is a supplier of sheetfed press peripheral equipment, such as conventional hot air and infrared drying systems, full and hybrid UV curing systems, powder application sprayers, process temperature control systems, and exhaust equipment.

WEIMA America is displaying its WLK10 shredder. This series of shredders feature large hoppers, which enable a “dump and run” process that helps prepare waste to receive the highest yield from mills or recyclers.

Pressroom products

New ways to go green with pressroom chemistry recycling systems and new low-VOC washes are being introduced at PRISCO (Printers’ Service). In addition a variety of new products from the PriscoDigital division, HP Scitex FB500 and LX600 printers are being demonstrated live on the floor. A new TRESU UniPrint Combi coating unit is on display for the first time in the U.S., too.

Humidification systems are on display in the GREENspace. DRAABE manufactures its system with a 100% hygienic design; titanium/stainless-steel nozzles; silent, drip-free operation; low energy consumption, and a lifetime warranty through a service agreement. The water treatment system ensures no scale deposits in pipes or mineral dust in the air, and provides reverse osmosis water for humidification and process applications. Ikeuchi USA’s dry fog humidifier called “AKIMistE” helps control static and suppresses dust by producing a humidifying mist.