Green Printing…. what does it really mean?

We love paper… LOVE it!  Our slogan for the past 30 years has been “Making You Look Better On Paper, ON TIME!”  It’s something we truly believe in and strive to accomplish daily. We also hope that it’s something that all printers, graphic designer, and marketing professionals all agree on: Paper ROCKS!

When many of our customers approach us, they want to know how they can produce something that’s environmentally responsible.  Some will be familiar with some lingo… throwing out terms like “chain-of-custody,” “carbon footprint,” “petroleum free,” and “green printing.” Though by-and-large the term most often mentioned is “recycled.”

“I want recycled paper!”  

“How much post-consumer waste is in this paper?”

“Let’s get some recycled paper and use a recycled logo.” 

Let’s look at a bigger picture though.  There’s more to it than just looking at recycled content in paper.  One should look closely at the entire process.  Now sure, printing companies like ours play a part. For example, we have a very healthy environmental policy in place, and try to make long and short term business decision with environmental responsibility in mind.  But what’s more important is to take a look at where the paper comes from. Where are the sources, how is it being made, and what are the ecological impacts of that process?

We at Universal Printing have chosen our paper suppliers very carefully, and do our best to ensure that all of our suppliers have aggressive environmental policies in place. A great source of information is the Print Grows Trees site. It talks about how printing is good for trees, which makes a lot of sense.  After all, there are a lot of synthetic papers out there, and almost none of them of are as eco-friendly as good, old-fashioned, made-from-trees paper. Few are recyclable, and most have very high carbon footprints in their manufacturing process.

At the end of the day… it’s really all about what’s best for the environment, for our customers, and for our community. We like trees… and we LOVE paper.