Connections
5 Tree-Free Papers
The Sustainable Printing blog hosted on Today.com recently posted a great piece covering the five most popular, tree-free green printing papers available today.
Not all of them are widely available or cost-effective, but a few are catching on in the green printing industry as viable alternatives to traditional tree-fiber.
Hemp Paper
It grows fast, has incredibly high yields and it’s durable — making hemp an incredibly versatile material. For most commercial applications, hemp is combined (usually in a 1:3 ratio) with recycled tree-derived paper stock.
Unfortunately, this process of recycling, washing and bleaching recycled stock and then combining it with hemp fiber uses a lot of water, electricity and resources. If your goal is sustainable printing, I recommend investigating both how this particular paper was manufactured and the size of the manufcaturer’s ecological footprint.
Cotton Paper
Cotton paper is bright, white and beautiful to work with. It feels amazing between your fingertips and it actually lasts much longer than traditional tree paper. However, cotton paper is also exceptionally expensive.
There’s also the sustainable printing argument that growing that much cotton to sustain a paper industry would require an epic amount of farmland and more resources (watering, maintaining, processing) than tree-derived papers. So, while cotton may be green paper in small amounts, it doesn’t scale well into mass production.
Kenaf Paper
Like hemp, kenaf grows quickly and produces a high yield. And because kenaf is naturally white, it requires significantly less bleaching than paper made from tree fibers. Today, kenaf is poised to be the next big green paper in the sustainable printing industry.
Bamboo Paper
I’ve heard of bamboo socks, but did you know they also make bamboo paper? Though not widely available, bamboo paper is being developed and marketed as a green paper. It’s expensive, but if it catches on, the price could come down.
Rock Paper
No, not Rock Paper Scissors. Rock paper is essentially made from limestone and will eventually break down over time, particularly when exposed to the elements. There’s no bleaching involved, but don’t expect long term durability with this green paper choice.
Photo: Joi (bamboo)
Photo: Ingermaaike2 (hemp yarn)
Why Should a Printing Company Blog?
In this economic slump, there’s a lot to talk and write about. And we need a place to publish our thoughts and ideas quickly, and to reach a lot of people. Surprisingly, for a printer, we’re not going to do it on paper either.
Of course we’re talking about blogging, which is where you’re reading this. Blogging is something fairly new. If you would have asked me about it two years ago, I would have said “it is what it is” without much interest. Two years later, more people know about blogging and more people are making the time to read, because it’s a great way to get information. It’s more than a trend, it’s the new way of marketing and reaching customers.
First off, what is a blog and why should your company use it?
A blog is a Web site that is written and maintained by either an individual or company with regular entries of commentary, opinion, descriptions of events or reporting with other material such as video or graphics or artwork. The entries are displayed in an easy to read format and are generally short or medium size in length, no more than 500 words per entry. Of course there are exceptions.
For our business, the blog is used internally and externally to help enhance our communication for public relations, marketing and name branding.
The nice thing about a blog is that it’s quick and at your fingertips literally. You can scan the information quickly, and if an article doesn’t appeal to you, skip it without missing anything. The blog is not a novel and if you get something out of it great. People will come back for more information and digest everything they learn. I think it’s highly unlikely they won’t unsubscribe to the blog unless they aren’t learning anything.
Trust factor on blog
Can you trust a blog?
I’ve found that on a business site, it does increase this trust. The blog is helpful, informative, and lets readers know what a company does, how it works, what it thinks of its customers. As I said, a blog can be a diary of the company and tell the story of what’s currently happening.
We use this blog to build a relationship with our customers, inform them of what’s happening, and the products we sell. And if you’re reading this, now you know why we do it. We do it because people buy from people they know and like. Our blog is a way for you to get to know and like us. I would invite you to come back on occasion and see what else we have to offer.
Why Some Print Houses Don’t Go Green
In today’s age of recycling and “going green,” several industries and businesses are taking note and doing business differently than 20, 10 even five years ago.
The printing industry is no different and have been going green with not only the bio-friendly inks we use, but also using more bio-degradable products and recyclable paper. Going green is not just the latest fad, but something that is here to stay in these times.
However some printing professionals have yet to explore this alternative route. Whether it’s from a non-concern, ignorance, or financial reasons, going green as not been embraced by everyone in our industry. Some don’t see the need for it. Some don’t understand it. And some printers simply don’t have the finances to change their equipment.
There are grants available to help businesses focus on green upgrades and for some that’s the only way to get an upgrade. However, many companies may be forced to go green, not because it’s the modern way, but because more customers are demanding it. Should companies not move with the times, it’s quite possible they’ll lose customers, and worse, lose their business.
But even in the face of the increased demand and need for green printers, there are still many questions to the issue. What else would cause some printers to make the move to green? Aside from a grant, could they get a subsidy? Would it really take customers to do this? Should we wait for the customers to ask, or should we take the first step?
The Government is already going green and as a result, making the rules on this.
If businesses do go green, it’s entirely possible they would receive more business. That window of opportunity is there. The companies who have jumped on the environmental bandwagon have the advantage; those who haven’t, don’t.
In my own business, customers are asking whether we can provide green ink and recycled paper products. They want to make a difference, and are asking about it, sometimes before they ask us about the price. Now, they’re not only checking the prices, but to see if this guy is greener than that guy. It’s not always who’s cheaper, it’s who’s also greener.
This scenario will be played out in the future, more often than not. That’s where green is going. Realistically, it won’t win you an automatic bid, but it will be a tiebreaker with a competitor. In today’s economy, it’s more competitive and certainly there will be more ties to break.
The question is, which printer will hold the tie-breaking advantage? Will the tiebreaker be a greener product a greener service or both?
Print Shop Decisions That Make You Money
The economy’s tough right now. I know it, you know it and your customers know it. So, what are you doing to set yourself apart and make those sales? What are you doing to make sure you’re winning the quotes you need to stay lucrative?
What are your tiebreakers?
The first thing you should be asking yourself is “What are my tiebreakers?” Basically, what sets you apart from the print shop down the street? Do you offer environmentally-friendly printing? Can you do UV-printing? Are you locally owned?
Today, a customer can get piles of quotes and estimates from all over the Internet, so what are you doing to set yourself apart? You need those tiebreakers to ensure they pick you and not your competition.
Are you on top of your sales stats?
Here at Lloyds, we used to measure our sales success on a month-to-month basis. That was okay, but then we started measuring our success on a day-by-day basis and guess what? A lot of winning days add up to one great month.
You know what else? It’s a lot easier to track changes and stay motivated when you’re watching totals every day compared to month-by-month. In a competitive market like this one, taking 30 days to notice a downturn could be too late.
Are you learning from your mistakes?
What happens when you put in a quote? Does it disappear into the nether never to be seen or heard from again? Instead of just firing off quotes, follow up on every single one. Call the customer directly and ask yourself “Why wasn’t I successful?”
Were your prices too high? Maybe they were too low? Maybe you didn’t have the image the client wanted?
Instead of moving on aimlessly and blind, take the time to look at what you did, so you can better your chances of winning the next bid.