Industry expert Paul Sherfield from The Missing Horse Consultancy explains the steps the PRINT! team took to ensure optimum printed results for the Summer 2011 issue of Fujifilm Print! magazine.

The Fujifim PRINT! magazine has, as you would expect, very high production values - excellent content and design, wonderful images and very good printing on an unusual recycled, uncoated paper.

However, in the sprit of continuous improvement, as a team, we embarked on a project to try and improve further still on the finished printed result.  In particular, we thought the images could look a little more punchy and vibrant, just by implementing some relatively simple changes.  I was asked to give an independent view on the magazine and its current colour management workflow.  So, we bought together the designer, Paul Hiscock from HiscockRansom, and from Severnprint, the magazine's printers, Nigel and David Pealing, to discuss this in detail.

Web2print seems to be very much a topic of the moment, using the best of both worlds - print and the internet - and providing new opportunities or printers to develop their business. But something more relevant to Green Printer is what are the environmental pros and cons.

It initially seems very straightforward. What had been printed on paper becomes electronic in many parts of the workflow, when fully embraced: no paper orders or invoices needed, no physical proofs or artwork disks, no cheques to send through the post. Electronic ordering, processing, payment - all saving the need for paper. Transport is reduced - no need to see your friendly rep, send artwork, proofs, orders, invoices or payment through the post or with couriers. All goes down the wire. No envelopes, stamps, polluting motorbikes; reduced mileage for sales reps, reduced loads for the post van.

There are other resource benefits too.

Smarter Statements

In 2009, individuals in the U.S. received approximately 4.5 million tons of junk mail - much of it was never opened. What can we do stop unnecessary waste? One thing is smarter statements.

According to www.41pounds.org, the average adult receives more than 800 pieces of junk mail a year- at a transportation cost of $550 million a year, and 44 percent of junk mail goes to the landfill unopened.  In addition, approximately 40 percent of the solid waste in landfills is paper and paperboard. We need to stop this unnecessary waste.

Some people think the way to reduce waste is to replace paper statements with electronic statements. While the paper versus electronic comparison doesn't yet offer the convenience of nutrition labels, statements do offer opportunities to become more sustainable.

Lighting is another area where there is potential to save energy and cost.

The first thing you need to do is check what kinds of lamps and fittings you have, and how many of which. You also need to look at the area you are lighting, how long lights are on, what is the occupancy rate of the area, what level and colour of light you need, and any special requirements -