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.

2014 Wish List

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Across the industry, we are all looking forward to writing new stories in 2014, stories that tell of revenue growth and profitability, of new business and rising customer numbers. We all want more engagement and more dialogue with our markets and we all want to see printers and … Read more

FESPA Sustainability Awards

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Fespa has added a Sustainability category to its prestigious international awards programme. We are honoured to have been invited to help judge the entries. Judging is always a tricky business, whether its kids at a Pony Club rally or an important industry award. In the case of the … Read more

Paper Tigers Hear them Roar

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner The paper industry has often been the target of chippy greens looking to offload their eco-anger. If past practise is anything to go by, they have some justification, but it is time to start cutting paper companies a lot more slack. Pulp and paper manufacturers have made massive … Read more

A Thing of Beauty is an Ancient Book

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We hear a lot about the wonders of digital media and for several years it has had print in a more than mild state of panic. The Bay Psalm Book is just the latest addition to the list of reasons to choose print over electronic media. This slender … Read more

Stepping Up to the Plate

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Agfa has introduced a new chemistry-free plate, the Azura TU with a tonal range of 1-99% supporting linescreens of up to 240lpi, holding a 20 micron spot and run lengths of up to 150,000. This is quite a leap up in durability so this plate will be attractive … Read more

Deinking

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Most people accept that recycling is a good thing. Take paper for instance: in 2011 70% of European waste paper was recycled. Logistics and sorting can be complex, but of equal concern is how waste paper gets prepared for its reincarnation and a new life. The removal of … Read more

Astonishing Uptake of ISO 16759

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner As members of an ISO technical committee we are not allowed to share detailed data on standards uptake. However we can share the fact that response to ISO 16759 for quantifying and calculating the carbon footprint of print media has been astonishing and far beyond our expectations. Strong … Read more

Print Saves Trees Campaign

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner We recently came across a US industry association representing 350 printers on the midAtlantic coast, campaigning with much the same goals as the Verdigris project. The Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA) “Print Saves Trees” campaign takes as its starting point the debunking of the idea that people … Read more

About Time

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner For those of us who find the concept of patience anathema, progress on sustainability is taking too long. However that sustainability takes time is the reality and is probably a reflection of how hard it is for businesses to shift their thinking. Sustainability progress depends on a cultural … Read more

Environmental PR Fail?

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The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Dear Sir or Madam, or Dear Laurel the emails from PR companies begin. Then follows a boast of one kind or another. It could be an installation story, a case study, some new technology or information, news about presence at a trade show, or a positive environmental achievement. … Read more