Your monthly buyer’s guide to the latest print industry products
This month: Eco-Friendly Printers and Recycling Solutions
Eco-Friendly Printers
With dozens of different types of printers on the market today, it can be hard to determine which one suits your company best. Are you a business that shares in the growing concern for the well being of the environment? The following products might be worth taking a look at as they are some of the leaders in terms of their reduced environmental impact.
HP Designjet L25500
Overview:
This HP device has only been on the market for a few months, but has already created quite a stir. It uses latex aqueous-based inks, eliminating the need for solvents and cutting out VOCs. The printer suits small and medium digital print and sign shops, as well as copy shops and photo labs.
Benefits:
Besides providing a safe, chemical-free workplace for its operators, the Designjet L25500 can print products for use in sensitive environments such as hospitals, since no chemicals or odours are emitted into the air. The printer is also ideal for jobs like vehicle wraps as there is no waiting time or off-gassing process. Designed for both indoor and outdoor use, products printed on the Designjet are scratch, smudge and water-resistant.
Specifics:
The HP printer handles roll-fed media and can print on a variety of substrates such as vinyl, fabrics, paper and banner material. It can print at speeds up to 246 square feet per hour depending on which model you get (it is available in both 42-inch and 60-inch formats). Three Original HP printheads disperse six colours of ink, printing at 1200 dpi.
Xerox ColorQube 9200 Series
Overview:
Xerox’s ColorQube introduces a new environmentally-friendly approach to printing: solid ink. The solid ink cartridges mean a reduced impact on the environment in terms of the waste that is typically incurred with traditional ink packaging. Smaller packaging translates to eco savings all the way down the line, as fewer and lighter shipments are possible, cutting CO2 emissions.
Benefits:
This solid ink printing technology can generate up to 90 per cent less waste than traditional printers produce, meaning significant benefits for the environment. The resin-based ink sticks contain no solvents and cannot leak or spill. Multi-function devices, such as the ColorQube, also use less power than having a separate copier, printer and fax machine.
Specifics:
The solid inks used in the printer are non-toxic and resemble a large block-like crayon. When heated, the solid ink melts and adheres to the paper. Addressing concerns that these ink blocks may take a while to heat up, Xerox says that the machine’s first page out-time is just over seven seconds. The ColorQube can print and copy at speeds up to 50ppm. It can also scan, email and fax.
KBA Genius 52
Overview:
KBA’s Genius 52 offset press is waterless and rollerless. The company says that while it may appear blue on the outside, it is “green” on the inside. Meant for small to medium-size print runs, the machine can print on a variety of substrates including PVC, PET, PC, carton and paper, among others.
Benefits:
This press is the world’s first waterless UV sheefed offset press. At approximately 12 square metres, it has a relatively small footprint and can ink up more quickly than other machines. One of its biggest environmental benefits is that it only requires about 10 run-up sheets before the first good sheet is produced – drastically reducing paper waste.
Specifics:
The Genius 52 has a top speed of about 8,000 sheets per hour. It uses UV ink curing methods rather than solvents, cutting chemicals and VOCs that are hazardous to the environment. Substrates from 0.1 to 0.8mm can be printed, and plates can be changed in less than five minutes.
RISO’s EZ-Series Digital Duplicators
Overview:
All of RISO’s digital duplicators are Energy Star certified, using up to 95 per cent less energy than photocopiers. They do not use a heat or laser process, consuming a fraction of the energy needed to run heat-intensive devices.
Benefits:
The RISO EZ-Series (including EZ220, EZ390 and EZ590) run using eco-friendly soy ink and natural-fibre masters. It also operates with a mercury-free LCD panel display, reducing harmful e-waste. The EZ220 model boasts an Energy Saving Mode, which lowers running costs by automatically turning the printer off or to sleep mode when it is not in use.
Specifics:
Unlike toner-based printers, RISO printers are free from ozone emissions and do not emit any greenhouse gases. The EZ-Series can print up to 130 pages per minute and can scan at up to 600dpi. The device can handle substrates from 13 pound bond up to 100 pound index.
Recycling Solutions
There are a lot of companies out there trying to do what they can to reduce the impact of their products and services on the environment. As well, there are other companies coming up with new solutions to extend the life of the consumables that printers buy on a frequent basis, lessening the amount of waste produced.
Canon’s Clean Earth toner recycling program
Overview:
In 1990, Canon created its Clean Earth campaign and became one of the first companies to collect and recycle used copier toner cartridges. The program recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary. Canon has collected over 220,000 metric tons of used toner cartridges from 23 countries around the world.
Benefits:
The goal of Canon’s recycling program is to achieve zero landfill waste by reusing parts, recycling materials and employing energy recovery. Due to the results of this initiative, the use of new resources has been reduced by 140,000 metric tons. Over the last 20 years of the program, CO2 emissions have also been cut back by 370,000 metric tons.
Details:
Returned cartridges are sorted and put through the recycling and energy recovery process. Components such as plastic, metal and reconditioned parts are separated and re-used to manufacture new cartridges.
Konica Minolta’s Clean Planet e-Waste program
Overview:
Konica Minolta has developed an end-of-life recycling program for its devices as part of the company’s Clean Planet program. When Konica Minolta devices reach the end of their usage, parts are either re-used or pulverized, melted and re-formed into new parts. Currently in Canada, 23 of the company’s Bizhub devices are eligible for this program.
Benefits:
When a machine can no longer be used, there are many parts that can be recycled and reused. Rather than ending up in a landfill as e-Waste, Konica Minolta recycles the electronic devices. The outer casings of all of the Bizhub MFP units are reportedly made from the same two types of plastics, creating a closed loop for recycling.
Details:
In a partnership with leading e-waste organization SIMS Recycling Solutions, Konica Minolta will recycle the Bizhub devices for its customers for free. Recycling e-waste removes serious contaminants that could have ended up in landfills such as lead, cadmium and beryllium.
Overview:
Metafix has created a system for the graphic arts industry called MetaTrax. It is designed for recovering silver from film processing wash water without using messy treatment systems. MetaTrax assures compliance with local discharge regulations and CMP (Code of Management Practices) standards.
Benefits:
The removal of silver from wash waters requires special procedures rather than simply dumping materials down the drain. The Enviro-Jet component of the system can be used for emptying and rinsing processor tanks and cleaning up spills. The device also ensures drains are kept clean without the use of potentially hazardous drain cleaners.
Details:
The system de-silvers at a rate up to 1000 ml/min and has a footprint of only two square feet. The housing of the machine is made with 100 per cent recyclable plastic, and its users can get a return on the recovered silver.
Overview:
FloClear’s system recycles fountain solution, reducing the need to replace and replenish it. Chemistry costs are reduced as well as the costs from dumping the solution on a regular basis. Less fountain solution dumping also means less chemical waste.
Benefits:
Other benefits from the system are increased pressroom efficiency and reduced chemical imbalances on press. FloClear cuts the downtime that can be associated with traditional methods of “debugging” fountain solution chemistry variances. This process can reportedly extend the life of the solution by up to six months.
Details:
The system is designed to reduce the ink, paper fibre and other contaminants that usually build up within a fountain solution. It re-circulates the solution and filters out the contaminants, rather than having to replace it. FloClear has a number of distributors including Prisco, KBA and Air Motion Systems.