Can Sustainable Digital Printing Really Be Achieved

By Roxanne Cruz


in order to have sustainable digital printing many things have to happen.People need to become more aware of the energy they are using and more aware of the effects of that energy use on our environment. Business, too, needs to come up with initiatives that help not only to conserve resources but to replenish what is already being used. Taking a balanced view of the issue should help both parties to use resources more wisely.

Some may not have been aware that every time they take a picture with a camera, and every time they print off a photo or take their photos to be printed, they are producing a carbon footprint. The newspapers, magazines and even the things we read online have this footprint. This comes not only from producing the physical content, such as the paper, but also the resources used by journalists to bring that content to the media in the first place.

On both a personal and a business level the use of paper, ink and electricity in the print process accounts for a lot of energy. By measuring how much of this is used we'll be more aware of our own contribution to carbon emissions. Of course, it does not begin and end with measuring usage. Taking concrete steps to cut down on waste is vital. What needs to be taking into account here isn't just the electricity, but the vast amounts of water that are used to produce the papers for newspapers and magazines. So finding a way of cutting waste could well save water too.

For people who think they won't make much of a difference it may be a good idea to start small and use recycled paper. The good news is that it's available almost every on the high street and does not cost that much more than non-recycled paper, and in some instances probably costs less. Another way to do your bit is to use recycled cartridges by buying them from special stockists. Once you have used them you can either refill them or send them back to be cleaned and used again.

Helping the environment is more than just using recycled paper. Companies can use good environmental practices by having a holistic approach to the whole idea of sustainability. They should be continually trying to improve their processes, make them more efficient. In essence this means three things: making their products more friendly to the environment, making sure the manufacturing process is environment friendly and making sure other processes, like their building and transport, are the same.

The number of initiatives that firms can take to help the planet are almost limited only by the imagination. Buildings can be assets used to generate electricity through solar panels and they can strive to recycle every last bit of waste.

One of the things people do not do enough of is monitor how much energy is actually used. There are products on the market that can help with this. By assessing energy usage they might be more likely to reduce that usage, especially if it is above average for their property or business.

Sustainable digital printing is about both individuals and business coming together for a common goal and taking multiple steps to cut down on the energy they use and make sure they use and reuse resources in a way that's friendly to the planet.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment