Recycled Paper

All of our 30# newsprint is made from recycled Post Consumer Waste (PCW). Where available, the PCW recycled content is as much as 100%. In addition, all of our paper waste is pre-sorted for recycling; from the cores used to handle the rolls, to the wrappers used to protect the paper on the rolls.

Interesting Facts About Recycled Paper

• How Much Was Recycled in 2007?

  In 2007 54.3 million tons of paper was recycled nationally. 35% of this was turned into newsprint used for newspapers and magazines.

  This is the equivalent of saving 228 million trees in 2007 alone!

• How Much Energy Is Saved By Recycling?
  
  27% Less Energy Consumption
  47% Fewer Green House Gases
  33% Less Waste Paper
  54% Less Solid Waste

• Is Chlorine Used to Bleach the Paper?
  
  

  NO! The recycled paper that we purchase from AZ is PROCESSED CHLORINE FREE. The paper has not been re-bleached with chlorine containing compounds. These compounds are considered less harmful to the environment due to the reduction of environmental impacts associated with chlorine and chlorine compounds which significantly reduce a product's environmental impact.

Sustainable Forestry

Any paper that is not already recycled comes to us from sustainable forests in North America certified by third-party chain of custody organizations. This ensures that our paper comes from forests managed by people who care about maintaining the forest-eco system and long-term health of over 133 million acres.

Interesting Facts About Sustainable Forestry

• How Many Trees Get Replanted?

  In 2007 1.4 Billion Seedlings were planted. 1.7 Million a day are planted by just the Wood and Paper Industry.

• Who Owns Our Forests?
  
  49% Non-Industrial Landowners
  20% National Forest System
  13% Other Federal Agencies
          (BLM, National Parks, Fish and Wildlife)
  10% State and Local Governments
  8% Industrial Landowners

Ultra Low VOC Inks

We are proud to use US Ink’s Spectra High-Strength line of environmentally conscious inks.The family of “Spectra” Process colors are a unique series of Ultra Low VOC process inks for cold web offset presses. Spectra was designed with the needs of the more environmentally-conscious printer in mind.

Additionally, Spectra High-Strength Process Colors are easily saponified, meaning that their films can be readily removed from waste newsprint, thus helping downstream waste paper be more easily and economically returned to the consumer stream.

Spectra High-Strength process Colors are made from agricultural sources such as soybean oil and wood rosin, meaning that Spectra is a product made mainly from renewable resources.

Interesting Facts About Vegetable Oil Based Inks

• What is the Difference Between Heat Set and Cold Inks?

  Heat Set Inks need a heating source to "cook" the ink into the paper. This causes the chemicals in the ink to bond to the paper rendering it more difficult or impossible to recycle. Large ovens or oxidizing controls are also used to "cook" off the high levels of VOC's emitted from these inks. That requires more energy to run these large ovens and then conversely the cooled rollers needed to bring the temperature of the product back down.

Printing Plates

Our printing plates are made out of the same aluminium used to make soda cans. This means that all of our plates are 100% recycled. Along with our direct-to-plate process our imaging abilities are waste free. Because we are a direct to plate business this means that the films and the high VOC chemicals used to develop those films are now obsolete.

We are also exploring emerging technology of the self-processing plate. This plate has the potential to be hung on the press and have the first few rotations pull off the excess water soluble emulsion. This would further eliminate excess production steps and processes to prepare the plate for press.

Solvents

We use a sealed system for our solvents resulting in VOC emissions 1/10 of industry standards.