Eco-printing

Antoine Morisot (antoine@rede-verde.org)

11/2009

Keywords: eco-printing, recycling, ink, pollution, sustainable

We, environmentalists, recognize that it’s extremely difficult to go completely

paperless. And although we may carefully select our paper stock based on the
impact it has on recycling, we still consume a lot of ink and ink cartridges.
Indeed, like the majority of consumer products, the use of printer ink has a
tremendous impact on the environment. Solvents, toxic pigments and nearly
three litres of oil are needed to produce a single 100ml cartridge of printer ink.
It’s somewhat difficult to say that simply using recycled paper in printing helps
the planet.

Here’s a small summary of the different types of ink commonly used:

 The Inkjet cartridge is one of the most commonly used, and therefore one of the most
dangerous to our health and to the environment. Inkjet ink is known to contain toxic
solvents, dyes with heavy metals and other chemical additives.

 The ink powder (toner) used in laser printing, as in the process of photo-printing, is
particularly harmful. Not only is it as environmentally destructive as regular ink, it also emits
potentially dangerous chemicals into the air.

 “Solid” ink, where ink is stuck to wax during the printing process, could be a good alternative
for producing less waste (up to twenty times less waste, according to some manufacturers)
thanks to a less resource-intensive manufacturing process. Unfortunately, the manufacturing
of solid ink uses far more energy than the production of the two other types.

It should be noted that many of these inks use vegetable oils (flax, sunflower or canola), but in much
lower quantities.

Solutions?

Several potential solutions are now available to help reduce waste and pollution. Recycle your
used cartridges, or use the services of businesses that refill them at a lower cost than
purchasing new ones.

The development of soy-based inks could enable the production of environmentally-friendly

inks.

The recycled paper, already naturally low in hazardous components, does not require chemical
treatment for industrial or professional printing.

Rede Verde Conservation Network Inc. BN: 845495613NP0001

st
York street, 8 - 1 floor Moncton, NB E1C2X9 Canada
URL : www.rede-verde.org Email: info@rede-verde.org
 The problem of chemical use, however, remains: if an ink is 50% soybean-based, the other 50% is
still composed of dangerous chemicals. And with the controversies surrounding so-called “biofuels,”
is this really a better alternative?

The most unique (and probably the most environmentally-friendly)

solution comes from a Korean who found a way to use coffee and
tea as a substitution for printer ink.
Why throw away the coffee grounds or teabags? Carefully pour them into
the printer (Printer RITI Coffee), which uses the kinetic energy of your
arms, and voila! An environmentally-friendly printer! This project, made for
the Greener Gadgets Competition, could be quite promising.

And there is one more solution: the font.

The web agency "Ecofont" realized that printing could consume 20% less ink with a
simple trick: a font (free for download) where each character has many tiny white
holes that are invisible to the naked eye.

Printing that’s 100% green and sustainable may not happen tomorrow, but we are
beginning to see many exciting solutions. One solution that everyone can do? Minimize printing to
cut down on the use of ink (regular or soy) and reuse and recycle the cartridges. Until the coffee ink gets
mass produced...

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Translation for Rede Verde Conservation Network Inc.: Michael Saba

Rede Verde Conservation Network Inc. BN: 845495613NP0001

st
York street, 8 - 1 floor Moncton, NB E1C2X9 Canada
URL : www.rede-verde.org Email: info@rede-verde.org