Printing has always been resource-intensive work. After all, our goal is perfection, and that’s near impossible to achieve on a first pass. Machines have gotten better and processes have gotten smoother. But printers still face an essential conflict between resource use and job effectiveness.
Our standard paper size is 12 ½ x 19”. That allows us to print 11 x 17” pages with enough room for a margin and bleed, or print smaller pages with either larger margins or more copies on a sheet. The excess is later cut off and then gets tossed. Could we print on smaller-size paper, effectively ‘wasting’ less? Sure. But with the time we spent breaking down the press to a different size, we’d get fewer jobs done per day. Turnaround time would go down. And job price would go up.
Or take another typical aspect of offset printing. Offset printing requires a precise balance of ink and water, pressure and running speed. Presses require time and make-ready to get up to speed, meaning that the first several copies printed are often more like very rough drafts.
Would you accept an annual report or a sales brochure with incorrect colors or smudged ink? The bottom line is that we want each of our customers to have the highest-quality print materials around. And we’ll do what’s necessary to deliver that.
But that doesn’t mean we tolerate needless waste. At Oregon, we’ve put into place a number of processes to minimize our environmental impact:
So is being in the print business and being ‘green’ an oxymoron? We don’t think so. At Oregon, both resource conservation and high-quality print are important. We think we’ve found the right balance between the two.
Being green means using resources sensibly and mindfully—and we’re always looking for more ways to improve.
Got questions about resource use at Oregon? Drop us a line anytime.