Environmental benefits of Waterless business card printing
The environmental benefits of waterless printing have captured the attention of printers and print buyers alike. The process eliminates fountain solution, which eliminates the consumption of water and significantly reduces the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere vs. conventional printing.A mid-size conventional printer with two 40” and one 28” press would use 10,200 – 13,800 litres of alcohol in a year operating three shifts, or 2,700 – 3,650 gallons. It should be noted that dampening alcohol substitutes are widely used in the United States.
According to Japanese authorities, 60% of VOCs in offset printing come from washing solvent, with ink and fountain solution contributing 40%. A reduction in washing solvent VOCs is critical for small to mid-size printers to make meaningful VOC reductions. Waterless printing makes that possible.
Research conducted at Tokyo-based Bunseikaku measured VOC emissions from the printing company’s waterless printing operation and also from its conventional wet offset operation. The results showed that the waterless pressroom created 75% less VOC emissions than the conventional pressroom.
Waterless operations using water washable ink systems are pushing the low-VOC scenario even further, with the potential to reduce VOC emissions up to 95% vs. conventional printing.
Reducing or eliminating VOCs benefits not only the planet, but also the people working in the pressroom. These chemicals demonstrate an array of health effects, ranging from eye irritation to leukemia. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene, as an example, causes cancer in humans.
The critical need for water conservation, which is gradually gaining awareness even in developed countries, is a highly attractive environmental benefit of waterless printing. In a BBC report, the United Nations warned that more than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2025 if the world continues to consume water at the current rate.
Printing has historically been a leading industrial consumer of water. According to data supplied by JL Lennard, a single five-six-color, 40 inch (102 cm) conventional printing press operating only one shift can use 3,175 gallons (12,019 litres) of water per year. An eight-unit 38” (96.5 cm) heatset web press will generate around 23,810 gallons (90,131 litres) per year. Some conventional web presses require more than 25,000 gallons monthly, which is enough water to overflow a swimming pool measuring 18 x 36 feet.
The combination of natural resource conservation, reduced air and water pollution, high print quality, productivity gains, and employee wellness position waterless printing as a robust and appropriate technology for the twenty-first century.
For more information about Waterless Printing click the link below to visit the official Waterless Printing Association website:
http://www.waterless.org/default.htm
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