How Green Is Your Printing Plant?

Just how “green” is your printing plant? More than you think, because you’re part of an industry that’s a good deal greener than it’s generally given credit for.

Tim Sawyer, vice president of marketing, graphics, for xpedx, points out that whether they’ve been aware of it or not, printers have been going green for some time now. “As their production methods evolved, their operations became greener as a result,” he says. “By adopting new technologies and optimizing processes, printers have been moving steadily in a more environmentally beneficial direction.”

Ryobi Green-lights LED-UV Curing

Nothing can top UV printing for good looks, robust surface protection, and rapid finishing. But for the last 30 years, printing with conventional UV technology has meant dealing with heat and ozone from UV lamps that consume large amounts of power—potential drawbacks for plants seeking to improve their health, safety, and environmental postures.

The good news for printers is that these problems can be largely eliminated by a new UV curing technology developed by Ryobi®, the offset press manufacturer marketed exclusively in the U.S. by xpedx. It’s the most recent addition to a long list of environmental advancements by Ryobi, a company that takes the environment into account in all of its manufacturing (see “The Green in Ryobi Red,” below).

Ryobi’s engineers have come up with an innovative alternative to conventional UV lamps: LED-UV, the first curing system for offset presses to replace standard UV lamps with arrays of UV-emitting diodes.

Industry Standards Help Printers Go Green

Despite the printing industry’s impassioned pursuit to “go green,” true reform is tough to set in motion. What exactly is “green” when it comes to print shop operations? Who establishes the guidelines? What are the expectations? How do you find the answers?

Close daily contact with a national customer base has shown xpedx how seriously printers take these questions. In response, xpedx offers customers educational programs aimed not just at enlightening them, but also at assisting them as they take their first steps toward adopting practices that are genuinely green—not just made up to look that way.