digitaldots.info

Digital Dots is an independent graphic arts research group specialising in digital prepress, printing and publishing technologies. The company is a collection of like-minded consultants and professional journalists with decades of experience working in the graphic arts industry. We publish a range of articles and reports and we also manage The Verdigris Project.

Carbon Balanced Printing making progress

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been a long and slow slog, but for the Carbon Balanced Printing initiative introduced several years ago, the direction of travel is definitely forwards. The scheme is a mechanism for offsetting annual carbon emissions via the World Land Trust (WLT), an organisation that has been around for some … Read more

Packaging waste still not sorted

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for several years that technical advances in the graphics industry are giving way to materials innovations. And as packaging moves into pole position as the most dynamic of print applications, developments in this field are becoming more than interesting. Sustainable packaging innovation focuses on a number … Read more

Online Printers Group goes processless

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The uptake of processless printing plates is finally starting to really gain pace, which is great news for the environment. In the lead is Kodak with over 5,000 sites using its Sonora plate. The company recently got a massive vote of confidence for Sonora X when Online Printers Group … Read more

Circular economies

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Printing plates are made from the purest of pure aluminium. One of the material’s most beneficial properties for a circular economy is that it is infinitely recyclable, with only a minimum loss of properties. This makes it an enabler for a circular economy, especially in the graphics industry. According … Read more

Miraclon’s PureFlexo making flexography more sustainable

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Miraclon, home of Kodak Flexcel Solutions, has introduced PureFlexo Printing, a next generation technology for flexographic printing. PureFlexo expands the operating scope for flexo. Print providers and their customers now have much more flexibility in choosing printing methods. PureFlexo printing is designed for printing wide web solvent inks on … Read more

Partnership is the way forward

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner There are many lessons being learned as the pandemic starts to loosen its grip in developed economies. One of the most important when it comes to sustainability in the graphics industry, is the need for more partnerships. Partnerships in this business come in many shapes and sizes. Agfa has … Read more

Money’s what I want

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner That line from Randy Newman’s song probably resonates for most graphics businesses, as well as their supply chains. Money is vital to keep businesses going, but it is also coming to the forefront of efforts to tackle climate change. We have long argued that environmental impact mitigation and sustainability … Read more

Augmented reality in printed packaging

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A few years ago there was a bit of a buzz around intelligent packaging. The excitement was based on the fact that with the addition of printed electronics and an online connection, packaging and food processing would be revolutionised. Smart packaging would use near-field communications to be more efficient … Read more

Sustainable textile printing needs a bigger conversation

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The Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The environmental impact of textile production is starting to get more attention. Manufacturers and developers within the graphics industry want to sell digital printing systems for direct-to-garment (DtG) and general textile printing, so they are especially keen. How they frame their messages is tricky though. There is an inherent … Read more