niedziela, 14 lipca 2013

Can Sustainable Digital Printing Really Be Achieved

By Roxanne Cruz


It's a noteworthy goal, the goal people have of achieving sustainable digital printing. In broad terms it means that many want to welcome initiatives that help reduce the energy we uses and conserve the resources that use that energy. By looking at the the way resources are used and replenished, individuals and firms can take a balanced view and change the way they utilize resources accordingly.

You may not know this but every time you print something off there is a carbon footprint to that document. Magazines have a footprint also, as does use of a cell phone. The materials and energy associated with digital media mean it uses a lot of energy, and sometimes we forget about this when thinking about its carbon footprint.

On both a personal and a business level the use of paper, ink and electricity in the print process accounts for a lot of energy. By measuring how much of this is used we'll be more aware of our own contribution to carbon emissions. Of course, it does not begin and end with measuring usage. Taking concrete steps to cut down on waste is vital. What needs to be taking into account here isn't just the electricity, but the vast amounts of water that are used to produce the papers for newspapers and magazines. So finding a way of cutting waste could well save water too.

Buying recycled paper is a good start for many who feel they aren't in a position to make a huge contribution to environmental causes. It's widely available these days and this action can be supplemented by reusing ink cartridges or buying refurbished ink from retailers. Once cartridges are dry they can be returned to retailers to be reused.

The thing to bear in mind is that it's going to take more than a reusing ink cartridges and using recycled paper to create sustainability. Firms can be leaders by cutting out their energy usage and looking at how they can make their processes more efficient. By being creative they can come up with new ways to save energy, or new ways of using products that they would normally throw away.

Of course there are many other environmental initiatives print companies can take, such as reducing carbon emissions by using vegetable oil based inks, eliminating hazardous waste emission in the print process and recycling all waste. One thing all firms might want to consider is generating their own power but using solar panels.

If people and businesses monitor their usage then they are more likely to be aware of that usage, therefore they should be more likely to reduce that usage if it is above the average. Using less energy is a start and is something that can be done now.

There are small things we all can do to encourage sustainable digital printing. The first thing to do is recognize the issues involved and that change starts with both individuals and firms. If people work together for a common goal by recycling, reusing and calculating their carbon usage, then the print industry might be able to achieve sustainability.




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