Green Printing tip #44: What are the most important points of green printing?

We are back today with a new tip on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg is beginning to review some of the most important lessons we've learned in the last 43 weeks, starting with the definitions of recycled paper and Processed Chlorine Free.

What are the most important points of green printing?

Tip #44

We have now posted 43 Green Printing Tips. I don't expect any of you to remember all the tips and I think it is now a good time to review the most important points.

For the next several weeks, I will do a quick review for you. If I was making a speech, I usually ask the audience, " What is The
Definition of Recycled Paper?". I also ask "What does Processed Chlorine Free mean"?

I have never gotten the correct definition from more than 1 or 2 people. It is hard to make the correct environmental printing decisions, if you are not absolutely clear on these definitions.

Recycled Paper must have 30% Post-Consumer Waste in the new paper, for uncoated paper and 10% PCW for coated paper. When I started in 1990, no one even knew about PCW. Only California required 10% Post-Consumer Waste to be considered recycled Paper.

Coated Recycled Paper gets the 20% reduction, since 40% of the paper in coated contains clay. That means, only 60% of the paper is fiber. So, the USEPA allows less PCW to be a recycled paper in gloss or dull coated papers.

Processed Chlorine Free means the paper is bleached with Oxygen or Hydrogen Peroxide and not Chlorine. Paper bleached with Chlorine will create Dioxins. Dioxin can poison us all.

So in today's review, recycled paper must contain 30% PCW for uncoated and 10% PCW for coated paper, and try to use Processed Chlorine Free paper.

Next week, I will review Green Washing.

For additional information, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You're also invited to contact Greg via email at greg@gregbarberco.com

You can find links to all the tips at http://www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!