ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Can printing be eco-friendly?

Printing, in its various forms, has a significant impact on the environment, primarily due to paper production, energy consumption, and waste generation. Kirkcudbright Vintage Printworks is defining an eco friendly way of working from the outset.

Paper is one of the main consumables needed in both letterpress and digital printing. It's important that I keep its use under control and my standard paper is always made from 100% recycled materials. When I have to use specialised papers (photographic, or silk cardstock for example) I ensure these are sourced from companies using certified, sustainable forestry resources that reduce environmental impact. When I use craft products (such as greeting cards) they are also sustainable and made from recycled materials. All of the envelopes I use contain gum made from potato starch rather than animal based products.

Digital Printing can be quite energy intensive but my main print system uses half of the energy of an equivalent machine made by other manufacturers. It also uses less toner per print, is built using recycled plastics and has durable and long life components that reduce waste. It also uses a cartridge-free system which eliminates the need to continually replace plastic cartridges and this helps to minimise landfill waste.

Oil Based Inks are traditionally used in letterpress printing or alternatively rubber based inks. Both of these have a downside of containing VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds), they are difficult to dispose of and require solvents to clean up after use. I only use tradtional inks that I have diverted from land-fill and I use environmentally safer products such as "Clean Spirit" for cleanup. When I require new inks I use safe alternatives that use vegetables oils as a base.

Finally I only print what is needed. I prefer to print small runs and if you need more of something I'll just print some more. I try to ensure that people aren't ordering 2,000 prints "just in case" and then throwing away 500 of them. I'm happy to print small runs and provide top ups when you get low. There are no job setup costs so it will only save money and waste by working this way.