1. Choose paper wisely
Paper usually has the greatest influence on the ecological balance and the price of your product. In order to conserve resources and reduce costs, pay attention to the number of copies, formats, pages and grammage as early as possible in the planning phase. Order only the quantities that are actually required and talk to your printer in advance about the best possible use of the printed sheet. Also consider the possibility of using high bulk paper to reduce the overall weight of the job.
2. Consider the content
When choosing paper, take into account the requirements for the appearance, feel and durability of the end product. Recycled papers have many ecological advantages and can now be used for almost all applications without any problems. If, however, absolutely brilliant colour reproduction is important, or even for particular mechanical performance, virgin fibre papers are the better choice. When you select certified paper from sustainable forestry, this is fine from an ecological point of view.
3. Ask about ink
Process inks should be free of mineral oil, based on vegetable oils and free from hazardous substances (such as cobalt and its compounds).
4. Think about de-inking
In the case of special colours, varnishes and digital printing toners, de-inkability is a basic requirement.
5. Sustainable finishing
Similar requirements apply to print finishing. All adhesives, foils, special effect inks and varnishes should be demonstrably separable from the paper in the recycling process and should be free from hazardous substances. With a view to ecological balance, classic die-stamping and blind embossing are the best choices for finishing methods. However, if lamination increases the value and thus the service life, this is sustainable.