Printing “Green” is not always what it appears to be, especially from the viewpoint of the consumer.  We believe in and exercise environmental stewardship in our practices on a daily basis. But, there are many misunderstandings regarding the total ecological impact of a policy or product on our environment. For example, it takes more energy and chemicals to manufacture a ton of recycled paper than it does paper from virgin pulp. But we hear the word “recycled” and think: Good!

Nonetheless, you will be asked about recycled papers and soy ink, so here is some pertinent information.

PCW – Post Consumer Waste:
The regulations vary from state to state regarding what % of PCW is required in the end product to be considered a “recycled paper”. Coated papers require a lower Percentage (typically 10-15%), compared to uncoated papers, which are normally required to be a minimum of 20% PCW in order to be called recycled.

Coated Recycled Papers Pricing:
Add 5% to the CPM for Recycled Coated Papers (20% PCW substrate).

Recycled Logo Use:
The recycled logo can be used at anytime, since there are no regulations governing it’s use. All it really indicates is that the paper is a recyclable product.

Vegetable Oils and Soy Ink:
Another common misperception is that Soy Ink (the vehicle component of the ink is made from soy oil) is better for the environment. Soy oil is a vegetable oil, like other vegetable oils used in printing inks.

Our ink has a vegetable oil content of 20-25%, and is thereby no better or worse than soy ink. The use of either ink has the same ecological impact. Our inks are not classified as a hazardous material by DOT or OSHA, and do not require any special handling. On the downside, Soy inks dry very slowly (days) and will rub, since the ink film will be much softer than a conventional vegetable oil ink film.