Ecologically Sustainable Printing: Aspects of Printing Materials

Abstract

Development of non-wood fibers has been one of strategies to ensure a sustainable fiber supply, including plantation management, reforestation and recycling. Some of alternative fibers are algae that can be used as raw material for papermaking. The Shiro Alga Carta papers made from algae in combination with Forest Stewardship Council certified fibers (FSC-fibers) were used for this research. Three offset inks were used in printing: vegetable-based inks with different amount of renewable raw materials and mineral oil-based ink. Three series of prints were made: non-varnished, varnished with water-based dispersion, and varnished with UV cured varnish. The possibility of reusing fibers was determined by methods of re-pulping (loop I, loop II, loop III). The vegetable based ink toward improved structure give bather results in terms of brightness, ink content and dirt count and area compared with the mineral oil-based ink. Something lower brightness gain and ΔERIC is obtained with water-based dispersion overprint samples. The lowest results are obtained for samples overprinted with UV cured varnish. The results of the research contribute to the explanation of paper/ink/varnish interaction on the reuse of the fibers, which takes into the area of the ecological sustainable development.

Proceedings - The Eleventh International Symposium GRID 2022

“…This kind of paper belong to European Standard grade list EN 643, Group 3: High Grades. It is important to emphasize that semifinished printed products (bulky, uncoated, coated paper) will have negative impact on the environment if offset inks contain non-renewable resources, which directly decreases eco-efficiency for bindery sector (Bolanča Mirković et al, 2019). The book designing logically starts in bindery.…”

“…As such, they need to be used as much as possible in bookbinding mass-production and ondemand. From ecological point of view, these environmentally friendly-books production on recycled ecolabelled fine papers provides sustainable forestry management on the global market, in which fine papers are manufactured from responsible wood sources that are 100% traceable (Sustainability in Publishing, 2021;Bolanča Mirković et al, 2019). Paperback edition books are widely represented in bindery sector because they play an important role in contemporary education and find their riders more easily.…”

“…Certified white printing and writing paper labels (FSC, SFI, PCF) help the sustainable forest management without harmful chemical (chlorine-free) waste (Bolanča Mirković et al, 2019;Twin Rivers, 2013). In that way everyone supports the highest social and environmental standards in the global market (Vidmar, 2019).…”

Sustainable approach to book designing concepts in bindery sector: An overview

“…This kind of paper belong to European Standard grade list EN 643, Group 3: High Grades. It is important to emphasize that semifinished printed products (bulky, uncoated, coated paper) will have negative impact on the environment if offset inks contain non-renewable resources, which directly decreases eco-efficiency for bindery sector (Bolanča Mirković et al, 2019). The book designing logically starts in bindery.…”

Drying methods of the printing inks

“…The LED-UV curing system, which is preferred in sheetfed offset lithography and digital printing machines, allows printing on substrates with lower thickness and different heat-sensitive because it emits less heat than conventional UV systems. It also reduces electricity consumption and can contribute to a reduction in VOC (Mirković, Medek & Bolanča, 2019). LED-UV systems are more environmentally friendly due to odorless production, less heating and lower energy consumption.…”