Earthtone To Officially Launch In the Northeast

Earthtone, scheduled to launch to print buyers in the Northeast early this year, is an e-commerce platform for the printing industry. The solution was created for print buyers and providers by Nader Alaghband, CEO and founder, and David Reid, founder and CFO, both based in London.

Earthtone was founded in 2005, and in 2006, Alaghband and Reid desired to further promote greener printing. "We have a background in the printing industry, and we decided to go above and beyond sustainability. We felt that this Internet/e-commerce opportunity for green printing should be implemented in the printing industry," said Alaghband.

Earthtone is a printing marketplace, similar to Amazon.com, where merchants are aggregated in one online location. Print providers will be able to set up their search engine optimized storefronts in less than 45 minutes.

Attracting Members

In July 2008, more than 1,000 print providers within the United States and the United Kingdom registered for Earthtone's network. Earthtone has been in beta stages for printers until the upcoming launch.

The Earthtone e-commerce solution is not software; print providers must join Earthtone's printing network, but there are no upfront or monthly fees. Printers pay no ongoing fees, and Earthtone charges a small commission on volume for business that it drives to its network.

"We attracted more people in six months because we align our interests with their interests," Alaghband explained. "If they don't make money, we don't make money."

According to Alaghband, trends such as online shopping and Web to print require a significant investment of time and money. Earthtone pursued the risk-free model that creates economies of scale. "Our innovative commercial print model helped us to be attractive to the print industry," he pointed out.

He continued to say that the printing industry, mainly quick printing, is risk adverse and skeptical of the Internet's role in growth. "When we founded the business, we wanted an e-commerce service that is tangible. The economic crisis is driving this. Obtaining credit to get larger equipment is also harder."

Earthtone's solution is expected to attract online print buyers, one reason being that "the Internet empowers consumers and gives them choice," he said. "The Internet is your oyster—everything becomes available to you. The Internet generation of consumers feels that they should be empowered to use what they want to use."
To date, Earthtone's network is "very large." Like Kinko's, it's important to small businesses.

"As a small business owner involved in printing, I know that putting together an e-commerce site is a huge undertaking," according to Mark Bonacorso, president of Media Ink., a full-service media relations company located in Tucson, Ariz.

"Selling print makes it more complex, plus you have different finishing options, paper options (black and white, etc.). I'm very Internet savvy, but the calculations for certain types of paper weight can get into some very complicated algorithms," he further noted.

"We're a tech specialist that can help small businesses and providers. For example, a print business with a revenue of $150,000 can add a $2 million technology (Earthtone's e-commerce solution) for free," said Alaghband.

Greener Printing

Earthtone promotes green printing. "Part of our goal is to promote eco-friendly printers on our network and to be more environmentally aware. We are vendor neutral, and we have a set of tools in place to allow people to find green printers," said David Reid.

Earthtone's Web site offers an eco-search function to find printing locations that offer environmentally friendly options:

When searching for a printing location:

• Look for a location that's within walking distance;
• Look for FSC, EMAS, and ISO14001 certifications.

When configuring your print job:

• Choose recycled paper;
• Choose duplex (double-sided) printing; and
• Use the soft proof function to avoid reprinting.

When you get to the location: