Highlights from GAM's “Ask a Print Expert” web log, where NAPL's Ray Prince tackles challenges.

Question: My customers are asking for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified papers. Why should I do this? Do they print any differently?

Answer: Let's take the easy one first: They print no differently. Now, why should you do this? Younger print buyers care about sustainability. I did a lecture for a major printer who had 90 buyers in each day for a show-and-tell—90% were young and very interested in “green” printing. In fact, they're so interested that they'd pull a job to have it done by a green printer.

JR comments: While many of the papers are already FSC-certified, the problem is now the printer has to spend a few thousand dollars to get a piece of paper saying it is certified so the client can print the FSC bug on its product.

Ray Prince responds: The issue is: Are you mixing the FSC paper with other papers in the same job, and how are you handling the waste, trim and that which can be recycled? To be quite candid, some printers do stretch the truth (just a bit) and need certification and yearly audits to keep them on track.

Midwest Printer comments: It is true that many papers are FSC-certified. And if a printer offers FSC-certified paper, what advantage is there for the printer to become certified as well? If the client is getting the “green” paper, then what difference does it make if the printing company is certified or not?

Tex comments: The reason you should support FSC papers is simple: Your business relies completely on the fact that paper be readily available at an affordable price point. By supporting FSC-certified papers and companies, you are ensuring that our forests are managed in a more sustainable and responsible manner—and, in turn, helping to maintain the paper supply and pricing points our industry relies on. Provided they are managed responsibly, our forests can continue to produce the fiber necessary to serve our markets indefinitely. If not, then our industry will certainly be downsized considerably as the increased cost of paper eats away at our margins and revenues, as customers find cheaper communication outlets like the Internet and mobile media.

Print Papa comments: Thanks for clarifying that most of the papers we use are FSC-certified. I was aware of the symbol but never knew that we were printing green. We are an online print shop (PrintPapa.com) and we currently do not offer any FSC-certified paper. I am going to introduce that very soon. We have to be responsible citizens and try to be as green as possible. It is what we do today that will make our kids able to live in a better place when they grow up. It is all about being responsible. We print on Presstek DI, which is a waterless press; and we use the CTP system that just has a water wash. It's zero chemistry. Before I leave the shop, I turn off every computer (except for the main server and back up), every light, fan and the air conditioning. The bottom line is we should support FSC, even if it costs a little extra.

Question: We've used thermal CTP plates for years with great success in our pressroom. Our company has started a strong green initiative and asked me to look at other possibilities in an effort to cut down on natural gas use. Your thoughts?

Answer: Recently, we have seen a number of no-bake plates coming on the market that have reasonable run length and do not exhibit a strong tendency to scratch in the image area. As long as you are not using UV or any aggressive inks, you should be fine. In essence, look at run length and scratching as two of the deciding factors.

Question: Our company has heard that there are green alternatives to lamination for book covers. I was told this material is made from corn starch and is biodegradable.

Answer: I have seen one of the alternatives. The gloss was good and the look as well as feel was impressive. I did not check rub but I did check tear—and it tears easily. If tear resistance for a book cover is important to you, then you need to be careful.

Mark comments: What is the name of the alternative gloss?

Jeff Salisbury responds: It's called PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) and is made from corn. There is also FiberStone from Natural Source Printing; it's waterproof and made from natural stone.

ONLINE: e-mail questions to Ray at rprince@napl.org