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 discussing some great tree free paper options and it's amazing to see what a big variety of options is available. Just pick your favorite and go easy on new trees!
What is new in the Tree free Paper markets?
Tip #48
First, I will review the Tree Free papers for you. We stock the following:1. Sugar Cane
2. Bamboo
3. Banana
4. Lemon
5. Coffee
6. Mango
7. Hemp
8. TerraSkin
9. Seed Paper
Most of the tree free papers made today are a combination of post-consumer waste and the plant chosen. Tree Free is used to specify no new tree fiber is used to make the new grades of paper.
For example, Sugar Cane is now mixed with Bamboo, at 25% Bamboo, and 25% Sugar Cane,
and 50% PCW. Hemp is 25% Hemp and 75% PCW. Banana, Lemon, Coffee, and Mango, all made in Costa Rica, are 10% plant, and 90% PCW. Last but not least, seed Paper is 100% PCW, and Wild Flower Seeds are hand inserted into the mix. Plant this paper, after using, and wild Flowers will grow. We offer these lines in text and cover weights.
Even 100% PCW is a tree free paper to me. No new trees are used to make 100% PCW paper. All of it is recycled, printed waste. ur 100% PCW lines come in natural, beige, green, kraft, tan and light gray, to name a few of the colors.We offer these lines in text and cover weights.
TerraSkin is different. There is no PCW fiber in TerraSkin - it is made of 80% rock mineral deposits and 20% polymer. TerraSkin uses the most renewable natural resources known to mankind. 60 million years of calcium carbonate, and mineral deposits, found in Limestone, at the bottom of the oceans, are used to make this tear resistant, and waterproof paper.
Terraskin uses the least amount of water to make this paper, and TerraSkin looks and prints like a dull coated paper. The mineral used, Calcium Carbonate, is found in numerous health products, including your toothpaste.
TerraSkin is now offered in pressure sensitive labels, on rolls. We have these rolls in several widths for letterpress, digital and flexo, roll printing. We are using TerraSkin to replace 100% plastic, poly labels. Also, terraSkin is available in flat sizes for commercial printing of
brochures, business cards, hang tags , pocket folders, etc.
Price wise, I list below the order of cost from low to highest price per pound.
1. 100% PCW
2. Bamboo & Sugar Cane
3. Hemp
4. TerraSkin
5-8: Coffee, Banana, Lemon and Mango
9. Seed Paper
Call me for samples.
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!
3 comments:
Thanks, Greg. We were going to use the Terraskin (and other brand names using this mix) but we backed off when the mill told us they made it using 20% plastic polymer made from petroleum. Also, our recycling company said that recycling this paper would pollute the fiber stream at the mill. It seems to us that it's not a great environmental choice given the non-renewable ingredients that then make recycling more difficult. What are your thoughts on that?
Thank you.
Todd Truesdale
Founder
Recycled Paper Printing, Inc.
It is always good to take care of environment by using recycled paper and a little effort from an individual can make difference to whole world. Nice to know about the sources of the green paper products.
From Greg Barber:
Hi Todd,
It has been some time since we connected.
Yes, there is 20% polymer in TerraSkin and 80% calcium carbonate, which comes from limestone. We have 60 million years of those deposits in the oceans.
What you need to consider is that we are replacing Poly labels and not 100% post-consumer waste labels, which I also sell.
So, we are reducing the plastic in poly labels (100% plastic) to (20% plastic polymer) in TerraSkin).
I think you would agree, we are helping the environment by using a lot less plastic than what the poly labels use.
The reason for poly labels is that they are strong, and water proof, and TerraSkin is also strong and waterproof.
TerraSkin uses 1/5 the energy to make the paper. That goes along way to offset the shipping.
TerraSkin uses (no new water) to make the paper. We have a water shortage that must be addressed.
Even my favorite environmental paper, 100% PCW, uses water to make the paper.
Terraskin can be recycled with level 2 plastics. More on that to follow.
As the demand for this grade increases, we will seek ways to recycle this line.
But, let's compare apples to apples. We are going up against the billions of labels that use 100% plastic, and that is the huge poly based labels.
Compared to that market, TerraSkin is REAL good.
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