PrintingForLess.com is Quality Conscious, Fast and Certifiably Green

The folks behind PrintingForLess.com weren’t content to be producing top notch printed materials at top speed; they went one giant step further and determined to do it in an environmentally friendly fashion, and we’re not just talking about using recycled paper here.

In fact, not all the paper used is 100% recycled. The standard stock for card products is 55% post-consumer recycled paper. 100% recycled printing paper is available, and customer service agents are prepared to help you design your product to incorporate it for the best results. One reason for not using 100% recycled all the time is that once paper has been printed, before it can be recycled and turned into nice clean white paper again, it has to be de-inked. This can be a toxic process, resulting in some nasty wastes that have to be disposed of. The scrap paper at the facilities used by PrintingForLess.com is turned into newsprint. That type of non-white paper can be produced with the use of much less chemical treatment, water, and energy than can the bright white stock that is necessary for producing vibrant printed colors. Also of note is that the paper used by PrintingForLess.com is elemental chlorine free.

The ink they use is primarily made from soy because vegetable-based inks are better for the environment. Business cards, brochures and other pieces that will be handled need a coating that protects them from fingerprints and dirty smudges. Printing for Less’ high-gloss surfaces are produced with a water-based aqueous coating rather than a UV coating. Most printers have the aqueous coating, but they also apply UV coating in addition to it in their brochure printing process.

Like any of the major printing companies, whether online or brick and mortar, Printing for Less goes through a lot of ink and paper. In order to minimize their waste, all press operators are highly trained, so they get it right the first time and don’t have a lot of do-overs. Clearly there is no market for factory seconds in the custom printing industry. Make ready, or test, sheets can also be a source of waste for offset printers who burn plates for each color in the offset printing cyan, yellow, magenta, black (CYMK) printing process. Using high quality paper and highly trained operators also minimizes the number of make ready sheets that are wasted.

In the world of environmental consciousness, packaging is up there with the seven plagues. Everything has to be packaged for transport and for protection until it is in the hands of the end user. Printed matter is no exception, so in keeping with their minimal footprint philosophy, PrintingforLess shuns plastic foam peanuts and instead uses padding materials that are biodegradable.

“Carbon footprint” is a big thing for industry these days. Printing for Less has minimized theirs by being 100% wind-powered. It’s no surprise that the company is located in Montana. There aren’t many places where that would be possible. Though they pay a bit of a premium, the company considers it to be worthwhile since it allows them to run their operation with energy that is clean, efficient, and not dependent on foreign oil.

PrintingForLess has earned the Forest Stewardship Council’s Chain-of-Custody Certification. This is a rare accomplishment because it means the paper distributor that supplies them also had to be certified. The certification is documentation that from the tree to the consumer; responsible forestry is recognized.