E-Commerce Times

Saturday, 21 November 2015

Some Features Of Digital Printing That Is Eco Friendly

By Mattie Knight


In a bid to conserve our environment the world is increasingly embracing eco friendly technologies. The main challenge is the fact that it has bit difficult to achieve the best quality without increasing the costs of production unnecessarily. The traditional printing techniques have been shown to be harmful not just to the users but to the environment as well. We will look at some of the ways in which you can adopt digital printing that is eco friendly.

Selecting ink requires which you take a number of things into consideration. The ink selected should be free from the harmful metallic elements or have them in very little quantities. In addition they should have great versatility as to be used with any type of materials such as cotton, nylon, rayon and silk. Ensure the ink can be used for a wide range of colors so as to improve on the efficiency.

Ink selection should be done with due diligence. Today, there are many types of water-based inks which are friendlier to the environment. The ink chosen should be versatile as relates to the materials on which it can be used. Choose one that can be used for materials such as silk, rayon, cotton and nylon. In addition, it should be usable with any color.

One of the most important raw materials in the process is water. Water is used at almost every stage. The problem is that most of it goes to waste. Printing firms are challenged to set up water treatment plants which will make it possible to recycle and re-utilize this water. In a sufficiently efficient system, at least 65% can be recycled. This goes a long way in lowering the production costs.

You need to re-evaluate the type of printer you are using in your firm. Two main types of the machine exist; digital and conventional. The conventional type is the most widely used. It has greater inefficiency in terms of water, energy and ink use. Replacing it with the digital type will without a doubt achieve greater conservation of these raw materials while maintaining high quality imprints on fabrics.

There are several chemicals employed in the pre-treatment stage. Urea is one of the key chemicals used here. As steaming takes place, the urea is broken down to release carbon dioxide as a by-product. Carbon dioxide has been documented to damage the ozone layer alongside other greenhouse gases. To avoid this effect, one may consider using a special foam which does not contain urea.

During engraving, a significant amount of energy is utilized. When using digital techniques, it is possible to considerably reduce this amount of energy. The other option which can be considered at this stage is the use of pigments as an alternative. Pigments are more efficient because they do not require pre-treatment and can be used for any medium.

Using sustainable techniques should be looked at as a win-win situations for the environment and the business. Many consumers are wary of products which have potential harmful effects on their health and will for this reason avoid them. Many governments are providing incentives for eco-friendly industries and increasing the taxes. It is increasingly becoming expensive not to go green.




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