50 green printing tips!

Last year we had a great series of green printing tips, where we brought you information and advice on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Greg's tips are extremely valuable to anyone who is interested in greening up their printing and we have not one or two, but 50 of them! So we would like to remind you of these tips, and here you can find links to all these green tips:

Tip #1 - How about a digital job?

Tip #2 - How using eco-friendly printing practices while printing a brochure or a book will save me money?

Tip #3 - How you make sure everyone knows you're using green printing practices and it doesn't stay between you and your printer?

Tip #4 - What does FSC Certified mean? Is it enough?

Tip #5 - How can I avoid being green washed in being a green buyer of printing?

Tip #6 - Is Spot Color printing environmentally friendly?

Tip #7 - What is the best alternative if you can't afford to buy Seed paper?

Tip #8 - Does it cost a lot more to print my book on recycled paper?

Tip #9 - What to look when selecting a green print vendor?

Tip #10 - Are you buying environmentally sound business cards?

Tip #11 - What are your green options when it comes to promotional items?

Tip #12 - How to prepare files for your next Green Digital run?

Tip #13 - Are you looking for back to school environmental ideas?

Tip #14 - Can directories be green?

Tip #15 - Are PDF files the best fit for every document?

Tip #16 - Can green printing be done on a rush basis?

Tip #17 - How do you save money on your next print job?

Tip #18 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a Green paper?

Tip #19 - How can graphic designers make a difference and green up your printing job?

Tip #20 - How to create a green packging job?

Tip #21 - What new developments have surfaced in Green papers?

Tip #22 - What does I-Tone mean?

Tip #23 - Are there inexpensive Green papers for brochures?

Tip #24 - Can we be Greener in our use of Inter Office Envelopes, Presentation Folders, and Outgoing Envelopes?

Tip #25 - Can you Green your Print Advertising?

Tip #26 - What can we do to reduce the carbon footprint of direct mailing campaigns?

Tip #27 - Can you save money on paper on your next greeting cards order?

Tip #28 - Green printing resolutions for the New Year

Tip #29 - Why environmental views are not always in the core of business?

Tip #30 - How do you become Carbon Neutral in your next print job?

Tip #31 - How to produce the greenest hang tags?

Tip #32 - Is Tree Free Hemp Paper still available?

Tip #33 -Do I have a Green Marketing Give Away for Trade Shows?

Tip #34 -What should we look for in buying copier paper?

Tip #35 - Is Direct mail dead?

Tip #36 - Is Free Tree Bamboo Good for Printing Books?

Tip #37 - What are the best paper calculators available online?

Tip #38 - Can Hip-Hop "GO GREEN"?

Tip #39 - Do I have any new green printing ideas for you?

Tip #40 - How to green up your banners?

Tip #41 - Special tip for Earth Day!

Tip #42 - How to green your wedding with eco-friendly invitations?

Tip #43 - Are there any eco-friendly labels?

Tip #44 - What are the most important points of green printing?

Tip #45 - How to avoid greenwashing?

Tip #46 - Saving money on eco-friendly printing

Tip #47 - Does green printing cost a lot of money?

Tip #48 - What is new in the Tree free Paper markets?

Tip #49 - When do you print offset instead of digital?

Tip #50 - How we can we help your designer think Green on your next print job?

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 www.ecolibris.net/greentips.asp

You can find a list of all the other green resources available on our website at www.ecolibris.net/greenresources.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green printing tip no. 51: Can you help us with recommendations?

We are back today 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 after a year of providing you with great 50 tips, Greg has a special request from you.

Can you recommend on green printers that print on Organic T-shirts and Organic Hats?

Tip #51

I have taken 50 weeks to write Green Printing Tips featured in Eco-Libris blog, and now I need your help.

My website www.ecofriendlyprinter.com has all 50 tips listed, as well as Eco-Libris. On the left side of my site, near the bottom, I have a section called Promotional Products.

I need your help this week to expand my list of green printers that feature printing on Organic T Shirts and Organic Hats.

I will add these recommendations to my website. I get so many people asking me who can do printing on T Shirts and hats, and I now have decided to reach out to you.

Don't let me down.

Have a great 4th of July and keep printing Environmentally. We have come a long way to eliminating plastic, to re routing our 100% PCW waste into new printing, saving our forests, using chlorine free bleaching, and Green E Energy.

I applaud our efforts. I thank Eco-Libris for the opportunity to reach out to all of you.

Greg Barber.

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!

Green printing tip no. 50: How we can we help your designer think Green on your next print job?

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 we're celebrating tip no. 50 with Greg who is presenting the most important elements a designer should look into when they want to green up printing job.

Can we help your designer think Green on your next print job?

Tip #50

We should first think of what we have learned on how to be Green in our printing.

Let's write down the important elements of going Green in your printing.

1. Paper: Tell your designer to consider using 100% post-consumer waste, recycled paper, or tree free alternatives.

2.. Inks or toners: remind your designer to ask for soy or vegetable based inks or 100% non toxic toner.

3. Green Energy: Make sure the plant you choose is using renewable energy. Ask if the energy is derived from Wind, Biogas or Soar Energy.

4. Layout: Maximize the paper, with little waste. Choose your print size to leave little waste paper space. It is environmental and a huge cost savings.

5. Bleaching Process: Ask for 100% Processed Chlorine Free paper. This will eliminate the creation of Dioxins, which are poisonous to all of us. 100% PCF bleaching is using Oxygen or Hydrogen Peroxide, not Chlorine.

6. Water: Using 100% PCW paper is saving our precious water supply. Recycled paper uses a lot less water.

7. Energy: Using 100% PCW paper uses a fraction of the energy to make the paper. If you use our Rock Paper, there is also a substantial energy and water reduction.

8. Carbon Footprint: To be Carbon Neutral, you must analyze the energy use, the water use, the inks or toners, the paper, etc. You may discover that one negative can be overcome by the positives. For instance, TerraSkin is a good Carbon Footprint paper, since it uses little energy and water to make the resulting paper. That overrides the freight. The Carbon Footprint will be favorable for Rock Paper, and 100% Post-Consumer Waste paper.

Have your designer ask the paper company and the printer to check all these points, before you decide on your next Green project.

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!

Green printing tip no. 49: When do you print offset instead of digital?

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 one of the key elements in printing and the question it brings up:offset or digital?

When do you print offset instead of digital?

Tip #49

Printing environmentally encompasses a lot of printers and a lot
of printing presses. The key is how you use those presses and
when to use them. I start off by asking you, what is your job look like, and then I offer to run your job on the correct press.

Let's start with a few questions I might ask you.

Is your art work in CMYK or spot colors? If your art is 1 or 2 pantone
(spot) colors, I might ask, "Are these your corporate colors?"

If your answer is that you do have corporate pantone colors, than I may decide that your job belongs on a 2 color, offset press. Offset printing uses soy or vegetable based inks. Offset presses can run the correct pantone color by buying that color ink from an ink company, like Superior Ink.

We have a better chance to hit the color you want by printing 1 color at a time. Digital printing creates your color, by printing 4 colors to create your 1 color. We are basically printing 4 colors on top of your font to create the 1 color you chose.

If you have small type and we needed to print 4 colors to achieve your 1 color printing, the registration is tougher to achieve printing in CMYK versus 1 spot color.

We have seen art work given to us that is in 5 point type and later the client complained that they can't read the copy. Maybe the job they needed would have printed better on a spot color press.

How do we go Green on our spot color press? We buy low VOC Soy or Vegetable Based inks. We use recycled paper and encourage 100% post-consumer waste paper. We buy our paper from certified mills that use renewable energy, like Wind Power or Biogas. We will offer direct to press technology.

What is the disadvantage of printing, using spot colors? It usually comes down to price. Digital printing is getting better each year and we are really good at digital printing. If you needed business cards, we can print them cheaply converting your spot color to CMYK. But, sometimes it is a lot
better to hit the exact color every time you print, by using the same ink from the same can of ink.

Sometimes, you need to print your type using 1 color and not 4 colors for perfect registration. Sometimes, you need to realize that your clients can't read the copy as well as you can, and small
fonts need perfect registration. Sometimes, when you print heavy solids in pantone colors, the ink lay down is better on an offset press.

Let us decide if we feel you should print on an offset press. We don't want our clients to be disappointed and we want you to come back again for another job. We may ask you to make your font bolder and larger. We may say pay another $100 and use our two color press for this job. We may say it is worth it to wait an extra day for your printing.

But, also like all printing jobs, once a job needs more than 500 sheets of 13 x 19 paper to achieve your quantity, offset printing will be less money than digital. The break even point is around 500 sheets. So if you need 10,000 postcards, I would say you are on our offset presses for both quality
of your pantone solids and for the best price.

Again, let me advise you, which way is best. Let me balance your budget and your quality expectations. But, whichever way you go, I will encourage you to use the most environmental paper, and the best inks or toners, and FSC paper and Green E energy.

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!

Green printing tip no. 48: What is new in the Tree free Paper markets?

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!

Green printing tip no. 46: Saving money on eco-friendly 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 talking about one of the most important issues when it comes to green printing - how you can actually save money by adopting eco-friendly practices.

Saving money on eco-friendly printing

Tip #46

I encourage my clients to analyze three items before deciding which way to proceed on their next environmental print project. I say environmental print job, as most of my clients want 100% post-consumer waste paper, processed 100% chlorine free, or at least 30% PCW paper.

Here are the three questions.

Firstly: Is the project a digital or offset print job, by quantity?

My rule of thumb, is to see if your printing can fit on 500 sheets of 13 x 20 paper. If it can, you are probably going to save money on 4 color print jobs printing digitally.

You can fit (9) 4.25 x 6 postcards on a 13 x 20 sheet size and yield 4500 postcards.

You can fit 1000 8.5 x 11 fliers on 500 sheets of 13 x 20 and you get 10,000 business cards, at (20) up on 13 x 20.

Secondly: Can you use a white sheet that is approximately the brightness of a typical xerox paper (90) brightness, or do you need 96 brightness, like a typical laser paper?

If the whiteness or brightness is not crucial, you may save 30% on your final print bill. We offer 89 brightness at $1.00 per pound less than our 96 brightness. If you needed 500 pounds of paper, that is a paper savings of $500 plus the printers mark up.

Thirdly: Let the printer advise you if a slight size change can save you significant money.

The best example of this is postcards. If you want 5 x 7 postcards, you will get (4) cards per 13 x 20 paper size. If you switch to the normal postcard size of 4.25 x 6, your yield is (9) postcards per sheet. More than double the cards if you changed to the smaller size. That might save you 50% on the printing.

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!

Green Printing tip #45: How Do I Avoid Greenwashing?

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 talking about an important issue - greenwashing. To get an idea how common this issue is just take a look at the report 'Seven Sins of Greenwashing', which found that 98% of products reviewed on this study committed at least one of the sins of greenwashing!

How Do I Avoid Greenwashing?

Tip #45

It is important that we use the definition of recycled paper and the
definition of processed chlorine free bleaching, and apply these definitions when avoiding Greenwashing.

When you see an advertisement for the most environmental printing for business cards and postcards that features FSC and soy inks, it is the right time to ask a few questions.

Your first question to the printer should be, " How much Post-Consumer Waste is in the paper used for my job?"

The second question should be, "How is the paper bleached?"

I will take a good guess at the responses to those two questions - Our paper is FSC certified and is Elementally Chlorine Free (ECF), or our paper is 10% Post-Consumer waste recycled and the bleaching is Chlorine Free.

Now we go back to the definitions. Recycled paper must contain 30% PCW if the paper is uncoated and 10% PCW, if the paper is a coated grade. The 10% PCW response would make the paper a recycled sheet.

In regards to the bleaching question, ECF sounds good, but is not good. ECF uses Chlorine Dioxide and will cause Dioxins to be created, when mixed with other chemicals.

In either response that I guessed at, there is too much emphasis on FSC and ECF is fooling the public. It sounds good, but it uses Chlorine.

To be more environmental, I suggest using 100% PCW paper and 100% Processed Chlorine Free bleaching. PCF only occurs when you use 100% PCW paper. Otherwise, it will be ECF bleaching.

FSC is a good organization, but easy to manipulate to appear Greener than you really are.

Next week, I will review how to save money on your next environmental printing job.

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!

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!

Green printing tip no. 43: Are there any Eco Friendly Labels?

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 giving a great advice on how to make your labels more eco-friendly.

Are there Eco Friendly Labels?
Tip #43

One of the largest users of plastic is the label industry. White poly based labels are a huge market. It is also one of the worst markets for creating a landfill mess.

Billions of these labels are printed on liquor bottles, vitamin bottles, cosmetic packaging, etc., when wet strength, waterproof labels are needed.























To start to correct this environmental mess, we offer TerraSkin labels made from the Minerals in Rock. TerraSkin is third party certified as a Silver Cradle to Cradle substrate. You are using 80% less plastic and getting exceptional printing with TerraSkin, but still retaining the tear resistance & water proof qualities of film.

Our plants now stock 40" rolls that can be sheeted to smaller roll sizes, such as 7", 10" and 13” for label printers.

Our plants apply top coating to the TerraSkin, to allow roll printers to print on our stock.

This is a major break through, as inventory has been a problem. We were only selling the flat stock for Brochures, Business Cards, Pocket Folders, and POP type displays, waiting for the technology to be in place for the much larger market, LABELS.

Now, we are bringing in TerraSkin weekly to meet the demand. You can print 1-4 colors, and you can foil stamp and emboss them.

Label printers can call me for prices on final rolls top coated, and with the pressure sensitive and liners in place for roll printing.

Sheet wise, for small orders of labels or regular printing, we are in our final testing stages, printing samples on our Indigo presses.

We will stock 13 x 20 inch label stock, and we will stock regular weight TerraSkin paper, for commercial print jobs. TerraSkin is made without the use of any water, bleach or trees. It is waterproof & tear resistant. By choosing TerraSkin, you are supporting innovation to help us all save the planet (and in many cases you will also be saving money).

Mayor Bloomberg, in NY, used TerraSkin for a pocket folder recently.

So yes, there is a new Eco Friendly label stock in town. Call me with any question(s) you might have on this fantastic replacement for film and plastic.

For additional information, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You're also invited to contact Greg via email at greg@ecofriendlyprinter.com or phone: (973) 224-1132.

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green printing tip no. 42: How to green your wedding with eco-friendly wedding invitations?

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 talking about weddings and how you can you can make your wedding unique and eco-friendly, starting with the invitation.

How to green your wedding with environmental wedding invitations?

Tip #42

Many couples want to have their day be environmental as well as beautiful. They ask us what we would recommend.

I tell them they can print their wedding invitations on 100% recycled paper or Tree Free paper, and have them printed using soy inks.

We stock both 100% Post-Consumer Waste Recycled Paper and Tree Free Paper in both white and natural, earth colors. We print with Soy Based inks, and we feature Green E energy, and low VOC (volatile organic compounds).

We have added a few other papers that have been used for weddings. One is Seed paper. There are seeds embedded in the 100% PCW recycled paper, and the invitations can be planted in the garden and Wild Flowers will grow.

Also, we have paper made from Limestone and Minerals (Rock Paper) called TerraSkin that is a waterproof stock that looks like a dull coated paper and was used to print a 4-color invitation.

Other paper options include Bamboo, Hemp, Sugar Cane, Lemon, Coffee, Banana and Mango
papers. These options are mixed with Post-Consumer fiber, and are considered tree free.

The normal wedding invitation set includes a 5 x 7 invitation, 4.125 x 5.5 reply card, and envelopes that are 5.25 x 7.25 and 4.375 x 5.5.

Direction cards, and Seating Cards and Save The Date Cards can be added to complete your environmental wedding invitations.

A set of invitations, using 100% Post-Consumer Recycled paper and 1 color, black soy inks cost approximately $450. That would be for up to 225 sets. Seed paper invitations might run 3-4 times this price. Bamboo or Sugar Cane is approximately $650.

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 we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green printing tip no. 41: Special tip for Earth Day!

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 talking about Earth Day in a special tip for the upcoming 40th anniversary of Earth Day next week.

What is the advice from Denis Hayes, the founder of Earth Day to us today?

Tip #41

What Does Denis Hayes, the FOUNDER of Earth Day advise us to do now to keep their mission going? It is time to review where we stand, heading into Earth Day.

Last night I attended a screening of Earth Days, a movie coming out shortly, that is a review of "40 Years of Going Green"



The filmmaker is Robert Stone and the ORIGINAL Earth Day coordinator, Denis Hayes, were at the screening and we got to hear from them after this absolutely, terrific movie.

I was like a kid, and asked for Denis to autograph my invitation. That is the one and only autograph I have ever gotten in my life tme. I told him that I started my Environmental Printing businss at the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day. So his dream became my reality in forming my business.

It was funny how they said there were no Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook to help spread the word on the first Earth Day.

They went on TV, they got magazines to feature them, they worked around the clock to make it happen, and it was a bi-partisan effort in our government to support this hugely, successful 1st Earth Day.

THEIR ADVICE:

Their panel told us we need to energize ourselves, and keep their vision going. We need to encourage our friends to be environmental, and to not forget how our rivers and streams were so polluted, and how the smog in California was so bad, events got canciled. Just don't get lazy and complacent. Push for a better planet.

Don't put all our baskets in Climate Change. We need to control our population, and we need to
save our natural resources, and conserve our energy, etc. It was also funny to hear that President Nixon should be known as one of the most environmental Presidents.

The USEPA and many first environmental laws came because he pushed for them.

So, here we are 40 years later, and we all need to to our part to protect OUR environment.

You can choose to print on 100% Post-Consumer recycled paper.

You can choose to use 100% Processed Chlorine Free paper.

You can choose to be FSC.

You can choose to use a Green E Energy Printer and Paper Mill.

You can choose to call me.

Happy Earth Day!

For additional information, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You can email Greg at greg@gregbarberco.com.

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green printing tip no. 40: How to green up your banners?

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 talking about a way to green up banners, using no other than recycled plastic bottles!

How to green up your banners?

Tip #40

Today we have many more green options when it comes to making banners. For example, we have been printing biodegradable banners from bioflex, which will biodegrade in a landfill in 5 years.

We also have a natural, new environmental banner. Made from PET, which stands for polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic resin and a form of polyester. PET is the type of plastic labeled with the #1 code on or near the bottom of bottles and containers and is commonly used to package soft drinks, water, juice, peanut butter, salad dressings and oil, cosmetics and household cleaners.

In other words, these banners are made from recycled plastic bottles and containers.
This is a winner. We keep the plastic from going to the landfills and we make the recycled plastic into beautiful banners.

We have supplied the U.S Green Building Council, now called Urban Green Council, and CENYC, now called GrowNYC, and many other environmental groups with these durable and terrific printing banners, made from recycled plastic. Add the ceramic industry to our network of
believers. NCECA used our banners in Philadelphia at their annual show.

Here's an example of a PET banner we did for Ride Amigos, which arranges rides to events by grouping riders together. This way it saves fuel and money for these people. Also, many environmental riders have become friends and share their resources.

Most of the designers want to know how to create the files for these banners, so they won't look low res. My simple advice is this. Write the two dimensions down, such as 4' x 8' and then divide both dimensions in half. With the above size, you would come up with 2' x 4', when dividing both dimensions in half. Now save the files at 400 DPI, for the half size.

We will enlarge the banner 4 times to 4 x 8 foot, and the resulting DPI is 100 DPI, at the size we want. We can now print your banners with the quality you desire.

PET banners look like Vinyl banners, but are environmental and look and last as good as the non environmental, vinyl banners that we need to eliminate. And it gets even better - PET banners are cheaper than vinyl banners! Our price for PET banners is $8 per square foot. Last but not least - PET banners will biodegrade in a landfill.

For additional information on PET banners, please visit www.gregbarberco.com and www.ecofriendlyprinter.com. You can email Greg at greg@gregbarberco.com.

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!