I am finalizing a branding project and am about to put my feelers out for ‘green printers’. Do you have a printer that you enjoyed working with and that puts an emphasis on eco-friendly printing? 100 instant karma points for any leads you might have.
http://www.boxcarpress.com/letterpress/letterpress-printing.html
they offer sustainable options. You can get just the (custom) letterpress plates form them or you can have them do the printing too.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:13 pm
Without a doubt – Hemlock Printers – Vancouver, BC, Canada.
http://www.hemlock.com/
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:19 pm
Rolling Press in Brooklyn, NY is superb.
http://www.rollingpress.com/
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:41 pm
every printer is eco-friendly with… wait for it… http://www.ecofont.eu/ecofont_en.html
;)
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:43 pm
we have two Brother HL-7050 Printers at work, there pretty efficient, I’m not exactly sure how green they are but they are uber-reliable!!!
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:50 pm
I haven’t used them personally, but I’ve seen samples from Greener Printer, and they look great!
http://www.greenerprinter.com/
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:50 pm
Try one from this list:
http://web.mac.com/ross.newport/PPN_Website/Welcome.html
Mar 17th, 2009 / 5:53 pm
I’ve used Castlereagh on Long Island for a decade (in fact, my contact there has been working with my company for over 30 years). They’ve recently been FSC certified, and I routinely print on 100% recycled paper with them. Email me for contact information: mandy [at] aworkinglibrary [dot] com.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:10 pm
Hi Tina,
First, I love your blog, keep it going. It’s a delight.
Second, I’m a fan of the Puritan Press, in Nashua, New Hampshire
Here’s something from their site:
6/2008 FSC Certification – This certification establishes us as a link between your printed product and responsible forest management. Contact your sales rep for more details.
And here’s their site: http://www.puritanpress.com
But here’s my disclosure: My brother is a part owner, Michael.
Best,
Steve
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:12 pm
http://www.greenerprinter.com/grp/home.do
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:15 pm
I want to echo Paul’s suggestion of greener printer (http://www.greenerprinter.com). I have worked with them and they do an awesome job and have super competitive pricing!
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:15 pm
I am a student, and I can’t afford much to buy a great printer, but the one I have right now works great. The ink isn’t that expensive to buy and the final outcome of the print job is actually great. By the way, I have Lexmark Z1480 printer.
When my ink had 10% ink remaining, a window popped up asking if I’d like them (Lexmark) to send me a bag so I can ship them my ink cartridge…so they could recycle it properly. It was free of charge. I’m not sure if other companies have the same program, but this was surprising to me.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:41 pm
Natural Source Printing in California has a stone-based paper that is arguably very environmental–not recyclable but it consumes much less water than paper during milling. Though I ordered a sample pack of papers from them, I have never worked with them and would like to know if any of your other readers have.
http://www.naturalsourceprinting.com/
Mar 17th, 2009 / 6:44 pm
Hiya – thought I’d throw a green packaging print company into the mix – particularly if you need to source stuff for the UK/Europe:
http://www.tinyboxco.com/
We worked with them for our wedding last June and the printing and ink quality were both excellent.
Chella
Mar 17th, 2009 / 7:31 pm
http://greenerprinter.com
wind powered. Berkeley CA
Mar 17th, 2009 / 7:59 pm
I’ve done some work with Greener Printer http://www.greenerprinter.com/grp/welcome.do. Also noted that http://www.48hourprint.com/ now offers recycled papers, but I haven’t tried them for that. They have never failed me on their other items.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 8:38 pm
I second the rolling press previous recommendation, I’ve had only wonderful results with them.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 8:41 pm
Hey Tina,
Check out Prismagraphic, here in Phoenix, AZ.
http://www.prismagraphic.com
Mar 17th, 2009 / 9:17 pm
Being in the Bay Area, I’m a huge fan of Greener Printer (already mentioned). A few things to look for in your “green’ printer, whoever you choose:
– Nice selection of in-house 100% PCW stock available
– Operates energy-efficient gear
– Uses chemical-free plates whenever possible
– Has an institutionalized policy for: recycling materials, use/disposal of toxics, waste reduction, energy reduction, purchasing
– Powered by renewable energy
– Located near the end user of the materials whenever possible
Also, check out Rethink Design’s printer finder (and their abundance of other green design resources): http://www.rethinkdesign.org/printerfinder.html
Mar 17th, 2009 / 9:17 pm
http://cmykprinting.com/ – right across the river from you in NJ
Mar 17th, 2009 / 9:26 pm
I had an internship over the summer and we used a green printer in NYC called Duggal Eco-Imaging. They were great and printed a whole bunch of vinyl wall graphics for us, but I imagine they’d also be able to print standard deliverables.
http://www.duggalecoimaging.com/
Mar 17th, 2009 / 10:41 pm
Depends, I suppose, on what you mean by green.
I think there’s a very strong argument for Yupo applications (cf Cradle to Cradle). Not everyone stocks the UV inks required, though.
I believe Print Icon (here in the City) might.
Mar 17th, 2009 / 11:39 pm
Lake County Press: http://www.lakecountypress.com/profile.asp
My partner wrote for a brochure promoting their green printing methods. He thoroughly enjoyed working with them as a client and loved what they were doing. I’ve seen some of their work and found it amazing. As a print production person, I have geeky thing about freshly printed materials and how they smell, and they smelled wonderful.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 12:40 am
No one has mentioned Waterless printing.
Not only does waterless save a tremendous amount of water during the printing process, but the actual result are cleaner and sharper, especially on an uncoated sheet.
Used with a 100% post-consumer sheet, and a business that buys into green energy, you can’t get any eco-friendlier.
I use Warren’s Waterless in Toronto, but I’m sure there are others in the US.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 1:39 am
PunchGraphix Xeikon: http://www.xeikon.com
They make digital offset machines where, unlike many other digital offset printers, no solvents are used for the “inkt”. The dry powder color is basicly melted on the paper… And ofcourse the fact that you don`t need to make plates for every print, can basicly use it for 1 piece (for example testrun) and for 10.000 pieces, personalised or not etc
Mar 18th, 2009 / 4:57 am
Ditto printing in Dobbs Ferry, NY – they do green printing for NY Botanical Gardens and did a great job for me
http://dittodoesit.com/
Mar 18th, 2009 / 6:20 am
A swiss printing company ;-)
FSC certified, Climate neutral printing (Climate Partner Programm) and CoSponsor of Betrand Piccards SolarImpulse Aircraft Project.
http://www.abaecherli.ch
http://www.climatepartner.com/
http://www.solarimpulse.com/
Mar 18th, 2009 / 6:40 am
greenerprinter.com are excellent. A little slow on delivery, however.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 8:07 am
Hi Tina,
I’ve worked with Tiger Press in Northampton, MA. They were already FSC certified and using soy based inks in 2005 before “green” was as popular as it is now. They were really great to work with I would definitely recommend them
http://www.tigerpress.com/index.asp
Mar 18th, 2009 / 8:09 am
You didn’t specify if you want an outsource commercial printer or to acquire a printer for your office.
On the low end of acquisition; Xerox offers a solid ink technology that leads the field in small printing aquired the technology from Techtronix a few years back. ($1000.00)
On the mid to large side; Konica Minolta offers green certified office and light production printing devices from 20-65ppm color.($5,000.00-$75,000.00)
On the High end Xeicon is a good option using polymerized toner which has a lower fusing point. ($100,000.00 and up)
Commercially: There is the FSC certification to look for, It certifies that he company is Forrest steward certified. There is a carbon neutral certification. Usually accomplished through a carbon exchange program.
I also want to note that some have greener processes and I would even conjecture that the processes are up to your opinion which are greener. Water less ink that uses chemical plates VS wood plates and watered ink. Or printing on Yupo or a film like paper as an alternative to the paper side of things.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 8:21 am
Thank you so much everyone! This is tremendously helpful!
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:04 am
I enjoyed working with Earth Colors. Not sure if they’re Green enough but they have a definite green emphasis.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:12 am
I don’t do much print these days but I second the opinion above, Rolling Press is very good.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:17 am
Hi Tina,
Pictorial in NJ (http://www.pictorialoffset.com) is a great print shop. They make environmental considerations top priority while putting out great work. I think they were the first company to get dual ISO certification. They are also family owned, and have great customer service. And, the fact that they are in NJ helps with the transportation carbon footprint.
I also did a project with Earthcolor (also in NJ http://www.earthcolor.com). They use 100% renewable energy for their printing plants and also make environment top priority (as well as quality :).
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
K.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:40 am
Rolling Press. Rolling Press. Rolling Press…
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:58 am
@Trey: I thought by indicating that I just finished a ‘branding project’ it was clear that I am looking for a professional print shop and not a printer for my office.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 10:35 am
greenprint software
save a ton on paper and energy
http://www.printgreener.com/
Mar 18th, 2009 / 11:16 am
We like a local shop here near DC:
Harris Litho
*Local, family owned, union, wind-powered, veggie inks, good recycled stock options….
Mar 18th, 2009 / 12:12 pm
http://www.partnersondemand.com/green.html
Here in Portland, Oregon, my favorite sustainable printer is Partners on Demand (POD). They are FSC-certified, SQG, soy inks and are rated conditionally exempt by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, which means that they do not generate any waste that cannot be put directly into the waste water treatment process.
Good luck!
Mar 18th, 2009 / 12:49 pm
Triangle Printers in Chicago has been in business for over 50 years and has FSC and SFI certification. Quality work at competitive prices.
http://triangleprinters.com/environment.php
Mar 18th, 2009 / 1:08 pm
Barefoot Press out of Raleigh, NC has been green since way back (the late ’80s). Checks in all the right boxes (soy-based this, water miscible that, a great looking 100% pcw house sheet, etc).
More than that, they have a knack for making tricky jobs look great. They just finished a job for me that used opaque white ink for a ghosty transparency. I couldn’t be on press, so the owner called me while it was on press with updates. It turned out great.
Definitely worth a look. http://www.barefootpress.com
Mar 18th, 2009 / 1:36 pm
I haven’t had a chance to use these folks yet but they are in my rolodex for a future day. Pinball Publishing
They have an option called Pennywise that is economical and eco-friendly!
Mar 18th, 2009 / 3:11 pm
I just used Pinball Publishing to create some custom Scoutbooks (Moleskines).
Great, friendly service and quality product. I would recommend them.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 3:32 pm
One more vote for greenerprinter.com. Not only am I happy with their printing, but their site makes it very easy to get a quick quote. Something that comes in very handy when trying to create a ballpark budget.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 3:53 pm
My mistake,
I help creatives realize larger project margins by migrating them to in-house printing for a living and kinda flubbed there.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 4:38 pm
Boston area eco-friendly printers:
http://redsunpress.com/
http://www.kirkwoodprinting.com/
Mar 18th, 2009 / 7:22 pm
http://www.earthenterpise.com
I haven’t worked with them, but they paid a visit to the firm I was interning at and brought some lovely samples. Very high quality. Family has been in printing for a while. They sounded like they were highly engaged in the projects they printed and extremely passionate about design and printing and problem solving.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:37 pm
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2008/28/c7387.html
I have worked with the Lowe Martin Group in Ottawa and I have always had superb results. Their customer service is also superb.
Mar 18th, 2009 / 9:51 pm
If you think of printing in Canada (which will be cheaper I assumed for large volumes) you should check this list. This is a list by the FSC of all the Canadian certified green printers.
http://www.fsccanada.org/FSCPrinters.htm
This is a calculator to give you accurate information that helps convincing clients on going green.
http://mpm.com/graphicarts/environment/environmental_calculator/
Mar 19th, 2009 / 8:12 am
http://www.ginnysprinting.com – tell Donna Revell I told you to call her. This place is amazing and they do packaging, fulfillment, etc. Wonderful.
Mar 19th, 2009 / 4:30 pm
it really depends on the size / quantity of what you’re doing. naturally…
but these folks at shapco in MN produce amazing work with every level of sustainable / green practice possible: they just don’t make a big deal out of it. call for details. WELL worth having them bid on your work!
http://www.shapco.com/
Mar 19th, 2009 / 4:38 pm
“green printer”
http://bit.ly/jszMi
Mar 21st, 2009 / 5:33 am
deluxedesign.com
Mar 29th, 2009 / 11:28 pm
This is way late but maybe for the next time…try http://www.cerqa.com/pages/commercial-printing.aspx for green printing in Austin Texas. They are FSC Certified, they use eco friendly inks, recycle all of their paper waste and they can handle your fulfillment of the print in-house saving some greenhouse gases. Plus they are in one of the greenest cities in the US.
May 20th, 2009 / 12:25 pm
Try Zenith Color. Printers are jumping on the green band wagon. Anyone can purchase recycled paper and become FSC certified. The printing industry has been using soy based inks for years. Zenith Color Communication Group, in Manhattan, is the only printer in NYC to own a truly eco-friendly, green press. There are no plates to hang on the press, it prints 300 line screen, waterless printing (NO water at all), soy based inks are used, fast make readies which use a lot less paper and no VOC emissions. PLUS, you save money and the environment. Check them out. They are located at 121 Varick Street, NYC, 212-989-4400, [email protected] http://www.zenithcolorgroup.com
Sep 26th, 2009 / 9:34 pm
Cutting Edge has always used soy-oil based inks instead of traditional petroleum-based inks for their full color offset printing.
May 16th, 2011 / 5:38 am