Sustainable Practices at Printing Services

• Printing Services offers an array of recycled paper options at economical “house” prices. We purchase over 116,000 pounds of recycled paper per year with a 10-100% post consumer waste content.
• Printing Services is certified as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Company. The certification means that finished wood-based products in the marketplace have been handled by companies that have also been certified and that your paper used for a specific project has been handled in an environmentally-friendly manner.
• Printing Services advised University clients regarding the most effective size for printed materials. Even the slightest adjustments in size can result in less wasted paper and significant cost savings. When consulted early in the design process, our customer service representatives and designers can suggest effective options for cost-effectively printing and mailing.
• Printing Services’ direct-to-plate platesetting device utilizes technology that requires 75% less chemicals than traditional platesetting. Direct-to-plate technology also eliminates film waste and reduces chemical use.
• Metal plates are purchased from a manufacturer that uses methane gas to power 40% of its facilities.
• Printing Services recycles 12,000 pounds of metal plates per year.
• Approximately 300 pounds of used film per year are donated to a non-profit accessibility program that separates the film and sells it for reuse. (Only two percent of Printing Services’ projects still require traditional film output.)
• Printing Services uses agri-based inks that are made from non-toxic soybean oil instead of petrochemicals, reducing VOC emissions and providing a safer work environment. 
• When rubber press blankets (used to transfer the image from the plate to the paper) become worn, Printing Services donates the blankets to the Studio Arts program at the University to be reused for wood cut art classes.
• Printing Services bales and recycles all paper waste with the University’s Waste Management division. Over 161 tons of office-grade paper is recycled yearly by Printing Services.