As the world becomes more eco-conscious, business clientele are searching for companies that prioritize sustainable business models and practices. Eco-friendly businesses prioritize recycling materials, using minimal electricity, and being judicious about the resources they consume. Many print shop owners are beginning to wonder—with all the paper and energy their printers consume—how environmentally friendly large-format printing is.
New Models Prioritize Energy Efficiency
Every day, printing engineers and manufacturers are looking to create a faster, more energy-efficient printer model to cut down on energy use. The faster a printer can produce an image, the less energy it uses. Plus, users can program these printers to turn on and off during peak usage hours to consume less energy. This doesn’t just help the environment; energy-efficient models can also reduce energy bills. Finally, fewer printer parts end up in landfills because these machines have long service lives.
Using Sustainable Practices
Printshops go through a lot of paper, which means more trees get cut, and the machinery to cut down trees emits harmful gases. The less paper you use, the less of an environmental impact your printshop will have, but how can a printshop possibly use less paper? It’s not necessarily about using less paper on the individual scale but using less paper as an industry. Recycling paper and using recycled bond plotter paper reduces the amount of paper companies in the industry use.
Ink Can Be Eco-Friendly
There’s simply no way to cut ink out of the printing business—without it, there are no images! Many inks contain harmful chemicals that release emissions during use and can leak poisonous substances into the earth when thrown away. Fortunately, eco-friendly alternatives, such as water-based or UV-curing inks, are becoming more widely available.
If you can’t afford these inks or can’t seem to acquire them, sustainable practices can reduce harm to the earth. Before throwing away your ink cartridge in the trash, take it to your local office supply store or recycling facility; they will dispose of it for you. Canon even has a recycling program for Canon ink tanks! All you have to do is drop off used cartridges at your local FedEx.
We know that sustainable practices can do wonders for the environment, but the question still stands. How environmentally friendly is large-format printing? The answer is nuanced. It depends on the people who run these machines. With eco-conscious people, the printing industry can rise to the challenge of sustainability. Ultimately, large-format printing can be eco-friendly, but it depends on the owners to make printing sustainable.
