There are many different ways in which a printing business can actually save money by looking at the products and the processes they use, then switching to more eco-friendly options. Here we take a look at some of the ways that going green can help save your printing business a lot of money.
1. Using eco-friendly inks to make maintenance easier
Depending on what you’re printing, there are a number of different kinds of inks that you can use. For instance, large format printers have access to water-based inks, as well as the industry-standard solvent, and oil based inks which can be made from harmful chemicals.
Solvent based inks can be extremely difficult to remove and causes printing machines to be clogged with ink, requiring special cleaning tools and extra time in order to maintain all of the printing equipment. As such, it’s not exactly an eco-friendly or cheap way to print.
However, if you switch to green printing practices such as using water-based inks, then you could greatly reduce the amount of time and money spent on maintaining your printing equipment. Since water-based inks are much easier to clean off of your machines, you can simply wash down your equipment and let the remaining ink run through a typical drain.
This makes it extremely easy for you to keep your machines in good working condition, resulting in fewer repairs and less time spent maintaining them. This ultimately leads to more money saved and can drastically improve your profits depending on how much you print.
2. Offering green options for your customers
There are also a number of green options that you can offer your customers which will also save you money. For example, offering double-sided banners and exhibition stands may reduce the quantity of products required. This means that posters and advertising materials can be double-sided for flexibility and to save space, and it also means that they’re not wasting material.
A double-sided option doesn’t cost you extra either since you’re using the same sheet of material to print on. However, it does mean that you’re using less material overall, helping you save a considerable amount of money on large printing jobs. So if you haven’t already, make sure you add a double-sided printing option for convenience, flexibility, and money savings.
3. Reducing power consumption of your printing equipment
If you want to maintain sustainable green printing then it’s important to take a look at the printing equipment that you’re using. While high-end printing equipment might not be considered eco-friendly, there are still a couple of ways to help you minimise the amount of power being drawn by the devices. This helps to save a fair amount of money in terms of electricity without reducing the overall productivity and efficiency of your business.
For starters, unless your printing machines require a long startup time, consider putting them into a low power standby mode or even consider turning them off when they’re not in use. Some machines may also have eco-friendly settings that help you conserve power, and there are also many large format printer manufacturers that sell eco-friendly printers. Whether you offer green digital printing or use large format printers, there are most likely a few ways for you to reduce the overall printing cost.
4. Refillable ink can help you save a lot of money
These days, many printing machines use tanks to store their ink instead of individual cartridges. This is a huge change from the disposable plastic cartridges that people are used to. Instead of buying a new product every time you need to refill the ink levels, you simply add the ink directly to a built-in tank that is used by the printer. This can help you save a considerable amount of money because you don’t need to stock up on different kinds of cartridges that might not be completely used up before being replaced. It’s hard to gauge just how much ink is left in those cartridges and even software can’t tell us, hence why it’s a good idea to switch to something that uses an ink tank instead.
This is a great eco-green printing change that can save you a lot of money and also helps to protect the environment since you’re creating less waste. This likely requires you to swap out your printing equipment with something that has a refillable tank, but the savings are worth it in the long run.
5. Recycle where possible
While the idea of using a printer with an ink tank is enticing, some printing companies can’t afford to switch their printer just to go eco-friendly. Many printers, especially those used for commercial and industrial-level purposes, don’t exactly have options that make them more sustainable.
Instead, for these types of printing machines, you should aim to recycle as much as possible. For example, toner cartridges for laser printers can be recycled and reused, thus saving you money while helping the environment. Similarly, regular printing cartridges can also be refilled to a certain extent, though it may take a bit of practice and time to get them working correctly in your printer.
In Summary
We hope that these five tips have helped you understand some of the cost-saving benefits of sustainable green printing. Depending on the type of printing that your business does, you may find that there are a number of different ways for you to save money and protect the environment at the same time.
