Process free platesetting continues to advance

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Process free platesetting is the next step in cutting processing steps from print production lines and making them more environmentally sustainable. Going process free does away with the plate processor, chemicals, disposal concerns and of course the man power and time involved in prepress.  The main developers of … Read more

Ink recipes keep evolving

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ink contributes only a miniscule amount to the overall carbon footprint of printed matter. But its use, development, manufacture and removal in readiness for substrate recycling can have a substantial impact. The use part is especially important since it can affect operators’ health and influence other aspects of … Read more

Printed newspapers inching closer to the exit

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner USA Today is one of that country’s few national newspapers. Others include the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor, but unlike these titles USA Today may be phasing out its printed versions. There are only around 730,000 copies printed for a nation of over 350 million … Read more

Shifting conversations

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We have always been strong supporters of the printing industry and its sustainability. We have encouraged the use of print as a sustainable communications medium because it is mostly based on a renewable resource, paper. It is still highly sustainable as a medium, however it is increasingly clear … Read more

Where do the climate change numbers come from?

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We are told with increasing shrillness that something must be done about climate change. And it must, but too often we have dismissed the calls to arms simply because we can. We can hide behind the lazy idea that it’s not as bad as it seems, that someone, … Read more

Processless plate calculator from Kodak

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Switching to processless plates ought to be a no brainer, since they are far kinder to the environment than conventional plates. The decision should be not whether to do it, but whose plates to go for. Agfa, Fujifilm and Kodak are the top developers and manufacturers of this … Read more

Bottom up progress on climate change mitigation

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been over ten years since we started the Verdigris project to raise environmental awareness within the worldwide graphics industry. In that time there have been sporadic flurries of interest in sustainability from printing companies, but rather more interest has come from their customers, the print buyers. But … Read more

Recycling times are changing

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Recycling is getting more complicated. Rapid developments in substrate recipes, inks and imaging technologies, render established business models meaningless. Disruption in packaging is turning everyone away from petrochemical based plastics, and paper recycling is becoming immensely confused. Deinking and recycling methods m ust keep pace. Never was that … Read more

HP investing more into water based inks

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner HP has announced a $200 million investment into furthering its water based printing technologies for corrugated packaging and textile printing. The money will be spent on digital printing technologies for these applications in order to make them more sustainable. The money will be spent over at least five … Read more

Print the Change cooperative

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner A new cooperative for green printing has been set up for sheet fed offset printing companies. The Print the Change cooperative wants to attract organisations keen to turn themselves into more environmentally friendly outfits. At first glance, and in the current eco-aware climate, this looks like a brilliant … Read more