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.

Taking the IT

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Getting rid of electronic stuff that is no longer cost effective is a major problem for all users of digital technologies. There are only so many relations on whom you can offload your creaking mobile phones and decrepit laptops. When it comes to bigger kit such as servers … Read more

Green Shoots or Are You in the Weeds?

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner If you’re in the northern hemisphere, are you enjoying sleepy summer days, when not much seems to be happening? Or perhaps you’re struggling through cold and rain in the southern hemisphere. Either way your business hopefully is part of the busy cohort that is helping to produce signs … Read more

Sustainability Policies Reaching Far and Wide

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Companies who reckon that the environment and sustainability are not high on corporate agendas are missing an important trick. Actually there is no trick to it, because sustainability policies add value as well as saving money for the business. According to McKinsey & Co, a consultancy, sustainability is … Read more

How Colour & Workflow Management Help Build Sustainable Businesses

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It’s been clear for years that digital technology has massively revolutionised the prepress industry. But for some printers and publishers of a greenish hue, prepress and digital process management are also tools for reducing their environmental impact. You may wonder, how so? The obvious answer is that digital … Read more

De-inking Innovations

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner It looks like a spelling mistake but adsorption de-inking is real and apparently could be a very effective alternative to flotation de-inking. If it works, adsorption de-inking could be another positive step in the environmental sustainability of the printing and publishing industries. De-inking is one of those touchpaper … Read more

Getting Uglier in Indonesia

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Despite protestations to the contrary the steady destruction of Indonesian rain forests continues. A few weeks ago Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), one of Asia’s larger pulp and paper companies requested the FSC to withdraw their Chain of Custody certificates (COC). A COC confirms that wood and … Read more

Be Green to Be Seen

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Every time we go to a trade show it seems the amount of greenwash sloshing about gets thicker and sloppier. And although it might not seem so, this is a good thing. It’s good because it reflects suppliers’ and manufacturers’ awareness that they need to be green to … Read more

Green the New Gold

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Fespa opens its doors this week and includes an impressive array of environmental content. For instance, Caldera will be showing an inRIP carbon footprint calculator and there will be a glut of new environmentally friendly, UV curing digital presses on show. Fespa has attracted audiences from all over … Read more

The Economics of Green

by

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner Ideals are all well and good but at the end of the day businesses exist to make the money that keeps economies afloat. Carbon calculating and offsetting exist in order to enhance the business. As someone at Mondi’s Green Event said earlier this spring, “green is about being … Read more