Sandy Alexander is Green in NYC
May 16, 2007

Editor’s note: Roger Ynostroza is the senior project editor for GAM, and we’re delighted to have him make his presence felt online. In his first blog post here, Roger gives an inside look at a recent Sandy Alexander event he attended in New York City.

by Roger Ynostroza

“We’re committed to environmental stewardship because it’s not only good for business but it’s just plain right,” said president/CEO Roy Grossman in winding up Sandy Alexander’s technology and environmental printing seminar May 9 in New York. The Clifton, NJ-based company held the event to update about 300 of its top clients and their graphic designers and production specialists on the latest advances in print production, paper choices and PDF use on the environmental front.

Grossman noted that Sandy Alexander was an early proponent of environmental responsibility, adding ISO 14001 environmental management certification five years ago to its ISO 9001 quality certification, thus becoming one of the few printers in the world to achieve dual certification. The company also earned Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification and two years ago began buying clean, renewable wind-generated power.

Grossman capped his remarks by presenting a check to the Rainforest Alliance, which is active in 60 countries and “works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.” In handing the donation to Ana Paula Tavares, deputy director and director of development of the Rainforest Alliance, Grossman noted, “This is truly an investment in the future of our planet. Personally, I view these efforts as making better lives for all our children, including my 22- and 20-year-old daughters.”

The evening affair, held in the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, was jointly sponsored by four partner firms, including Sandy Alexander’s system supplier, H.A. Metzger, Inc.

Artwork Systems described the benefits of its newest AM color system, Concentric Screening, which utilizes neither a solid nor hollow dot center but a series of tiny concentric circles in each dot that, say developers, gives unmatched detail, more vibrant colors and a wider color gamut, all while allowing precise ink adjustment on press. Sandy Alexander combines Artwork’s Concentric Screening with its own Eyemax Color system in a trademarked solution it calls Cynergy.

Fujifilm, provider of the Trueflow 3 system in cooperation with Screen (USA), invited Cheryl Kahanec, Sandy Alexander VP and director of digital solutions, to explain the many benefits of using the latest PDF solutions. She told clients, “Right from your office, you can preflight and color manage your print files, optimize uploaded files and be assured that you’re always working with original files. All of this leads to a faster, more flexible and efficient workflow, which of course costs less.”

Sappi Fine Paper related the company’s “chain of custody” initiatives (beginning with forest certification and encompassing transportation, the mill, the customer and eventually the end user) and reminded attendees of Sappi’s worldwide “Ideas That Matter” program, launched in 1999, that awards monetary grants to graphic designers in the implementation of creative ideas that support social and environmental causes.

Sandy Alexander, founded in 1974, employs 335 people and operates web, sheetfed and digital equipment in two primary sites. In its last fiscal year the company billed $139 million, earning it the #47 spot on the 2006 GAM 101 ranking of top printers in North America.

Posted by on May 16, 2007 | Comments (0)