Why Sustainable Printing Matters for Art and Photos
The practice of hanging pictures of precious memories on the wall remains. Those hi-tech digital frames may hold dozens of images, but physical prints display a charm that digital technology just can’t replicate. Furthermore, they don’t need to be plugged into an outlet, so you can still admire them during a blackout.
Sadly, as traditional photos require paper, ink, and a printer to produce, their environmental impact comes into question. While they have a less prominent carbon footprint than the likes of cars or factories, a 1% contribution can be reason enough to be dissuaded. Looking back at precious works of art or memories shouldn’t come at the cost of the environment.
As such, sustainability matters when producing quality prints. Here are a couple of reasons it’s worth considering for your next batch of framed art or photos.
1. Lowers Costs
A traditional picture frame can only hold a single image, so hanging multiple ones needs multiple frames. You can be cheeky and edit several photos into one image file (short of a mosaic), but you’ll lose out on the print quality.
Anyone who does graphic design for a living knows that 300 dots per inch (dpi) is the gold standard for prints. This is because the ink dots are packed enough for the print to appear seamless and vibrant. However, bringing out a photo’s details to the fullest requires ample space to achieve a 300-dpi resolution.
Mass-producing framed photos using fewer materials and resources is a challenge, though not impossible. Sites like CanvasDiscount.com offer eco-friendly, American-made prints done in various ways; from using sustainable materials to powering their facilities with renewable energy. Saving on overheads lets them offer low prices or frequent discounts.
2. Mitigates Waste
Most forms of waste end up in a landfill, but photos are typically not one of them. Waste management services aren’t keen on accepting them due to the chemical content in the ink and the plastic used in photo paper. Faded old photos are also unacceptable, as the fading is a sign of the chemicals breaking down.
Preserving photos often means converting them into a digital format for storage, but it can also mean creating fresh prints. Every order a printing service handles generates heaps of waste, such as paper trimmings and spent ink bottles or cartridges.
Sustainable printing necessitates reducing waste, if not eliminating it. One way is to make the most of every roll of paper or canvas, reducing the amount of excess material to trim. Any trimmings can be sent to a recycling facility where they’ll be turned into pulp to create new or recycled printing paper.
3. Preserves the Ecosystem and Health
Printing ink contains several chemicals, from pigments to preservatives. Some of these are too dangerous for landfills, as they can seep deep into the ground and pollute the already-limited fresh water sources and the soil itself when they break down.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pose the most threat. This category of compounds is essential for regulating the ink’s properties during printing, such as helping it stick to the medium and drying quickly. However, VOCs turn into harmful gases in the process that, when inhaled, can lead to organ damage.
Because of this, more people and businesses are turning to biodegradable toners and eco-friendly inks. For instance, some canvas prints made in the US use solvent-free inks that use water instead of VOCs. Although requiring longer drying times, these inks penetrate well into non-paper substrates such as canvas, resulting in smooth prints.
4. Reduces GHG Emissions
Besides leaking into the ground, VOCs also pose a threat to the atmosphere. They react with other gases in the air, one case being reacting with carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides to form ozone. While it weakens the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation entering the Earth’s atmosphere, ozone can be harmful when it forms close to the ground.
This kind of ozone is known as tropospheric ozone, a greenhouse gas (GHG) in contrast to naturally occurring ozone in the stratosphere. It’s a major component of smog, along with particulate matter (PM). The latter comes from industrial smokestacks, such as those in fossil fuel power plants.
Every effort to preserve the environment counts, which is why green printing isn’t limited to using, say, vegetable or soy-based inks. It also involves using and maintaining energy-efficient printers and other equipment. Consuming less energy means less demand, as the excess can be redistributed to other, more crucial uses.
5. Helps Preserve More Memories
As much of a stretch as this may sound, sustainable art and photo printing culminate in people living longer and making more memories. Think about it:
- Fewer pollutants in the atmosphere equals less smog, which has been linked to a slew of respiratory diseases like asthma and emphysema. On a related note, less smog means more picturesque backgrounds for photo ops.
- Smarter use of paper, including recycling, ensures fewer trees are cut down to meet paper demand. Biodiverse forests stay green and majestic, making them worthy of a space in photo albums or frames.
- Conserving materials and resources today helps ensure a steady supply for future photo print orders. People can frame more of their cherished memories and hang them with pride on their walls.
Unless time travel becomes practical (which won’t be anytime soon), photos will remain the most viable means of preserving one’s life experiences. Quality materials and green printing practices can help these memories last long enough for generations to cherish them and even add their own.
Wrapping Up
Nearly everyone today is aware that their actions and decisions impact the environment, and these include buying art and photo prints. That being said, eco-friendly print services are fully aware that sustainable printing is the only way forward. It’s a win-win situation. Consumers can be at ease knowing that they helped the environment; at the same time, print services are able to boost their revenue.
