Print is alive and well. It hasn’t lost it’s effectiveness with the advent of technology, it has just become part of a bigger picture. As we see it as a branding agency, print design holds a key role in any brand development process. Each client is different, but at the very basic level, we all still want good business cards to represent us personally, and we want to use print to get the word out too. Websites simply cannot provide the confidence and personal connection that a stunning business card or a personal printed connection can provide.
Here we address some of the popular misconceptions about print design and printing in general in 2017. These below statistics come from Printing Industries of America “Value of Print”.
Misconception #1: Using Paper Kills Trees
The primary raw materials for paper is trees which is a renewable resource. Today in the US, private landowners plant about 4 million trees every day which is 3-4 times more than they harvest. Just 11% of the world’s forests are used for paper while 28% is used for lumber, and 53% for fuel. By providing a market for responsibly grown and recycled wood fiber, the US paper industry encourages forest land owners to continue to manage their lands with a surplus of new trees planted, rather than selling them for developmental or other non-forest uses.This is an especially important consideration in facing economic pressure from the US Federal Government to convert forest lands to non-forest uses.
Misconception #2: Electronic Communication is More Environmentally Friendly Than Print
In Europe and the US, around 60% of energy used to make paper comes from renewable resources. Adverse health effects from producing an e-reader are 70 times worse than producing a book. CO2 emissions from making just one CD are 4 times higher than printing a 100 page full color annual report. In 2016 alone, Americans generated 7.2 million tons of electronic waste. Printing is the only medium with a one-time carbon footprint. All other media require non-renewable energy every time they are used. And most unfortunately, 60-80% of all the electronic waste collected for recycling in the US is shipped overseas and often unsafely dismantled with fire… by children…
Misconception #3: Printing Isn’t Green
Being green does not mean going digital instead of print, it’s actually the opposite. 67% of all paper consumed in the US was recovered for recycling in 2016. Paper recovery has increased 85% since 1990. Electronic communication produces e-waste, allowing dangerous, non renewable, non recyclable chemicals to be dumped directly into ecosystems, while printed products are made with a renewable resource, and either recycled or consumed naturally in landfill compost. Once a printed product has served it’s purpose, it can be recycled and reentered into the cycle as a new product.
As you can see, print still has a solid place in the world as one of the best, most environmental ways for your business to communicate with customers. We would love to read your comments on this issue of sustainability when it comes to printed media, so add your comments here or contact us at ID International any time: www.identity-international.com
